Kensington and Chelsea v Various (see comments)

Companies SuedThe Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) has filed a civil damages claim worth £360 million against the following companies and their associated entities, alleging their actions or products contributed to the June 2017 Grenfell Tower fire:

• Whirlpool (now trading as Beko) – manufacturer of the fridge-freezer where the fire started
• Arconic Architectural Products – cladding panel manufacturer
• Celotex Ltd – insulation supplier
• Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Ltd – former parent of Celotex
• CEP Architectural Facades Ltd – façade subcontractor
• Harley Facades Ltd – cladding installer
• Rydon Maintenance Ltd – main contractor on the tower’s refurbishment
• Artelia Projects UK Ltd – employer’s agent/consultant involved in refurbishment planning and management.

SummaryIn February 2025, RBKC — the local authority that owned Grenfell Tower at the time of the deadly fire — commenced high-value civil proceedings in the High Court, seeking £360 million in compensation from companies connected to the tower’s 2015–2016 refurbishment works and the supply of materials that allegedly contributed to the fire’s rapid spread and the resulting losses.
The council’s claim asserts that the defendants’ alleged defect, negligence or misrepresentation over design, construction and product supply were causal factors in the catastrophic blaze that led to 72 deaths, extensive property damage, emergency response costs, housing provision, health and support services, and other financial burdens over the eight years since the tragedy.
Legal Context and Developments

• The claim is distinct from the criminal investigation and the public inquiry, though it draws heavily on findings from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry — including criticism of product testing, supplier behaviour, and design decisions.

Many defendants are also involved in contribution claims against each other — more than 45 such cross-claims have been filed as parties seek to allocate potential liability among themselves if they are found liable to RBKC.
Because the case is exceedingly complex — involving technical evidence, long procedural steps and multiple parties — the High Court has postponed the trial date to October 2028. This reflects the time needed for document disclosure, witness evidence and potential mediation before a full trial.
Allegations and Defendants’ ResponsesRBKC alleges that failures across the supply, specification, installation and management of the tower’s envelope and refurbishment were contributory to the severity and extent of the fire, including:

• supply of combustible insulation and cladding materials;
• inadequate fire safety design guidance or supervision;
• defective installation practices; and
• failure to warn about known or foreseeable fire performance risks.

Defendants have rejected or partially denied liability, and in some cases have argued that RBKC’s own decisions or actions — including how it managed the building’s maintenance and refurbishment — contributed to the losses the council now seeks to recover. Financial ImpactThe £360 million claim covers a wide range of actual and anticipated costs associated with Grenfell’s aftermath, including:

• rehousing and temporary accommodation costs
• support services and welfare for survivors
• structural and safety remediation expenses
• legal, professional and administrative costs
• loss of assets and public infrastructure expenditure — all attributable to the council’s response and recovery obligations.

Although no trial judgment has yet been issued, the scale of potential liability — running into hundreds of millions — reflects the long-term financial impact of regulatory and safety failures uncovered since 2017. Current Status

• Trial scheduled for October 2028 due to the case’s complexity and need for thorough preparation.

Some defendants have lodged contribution and counterclaims.
Personal injury claims arising from the same fire (by survivors and their families) have already been resolved through separate civil settlements.