The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower Fire has hired multinational consultancy KPMG despite the firm having millions of pounds of contracts with three of the main bodied potentially being investigated by the inquiry.
KPMG has lucrative contracts with Rydon – the main contractor in charge of the refurbishment which installed the cladding blamed by many residents for the rapid spread of the blaze; with Celotex – which make the insulation which police said failed safety tests, as well as the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – whose response to the tragedy is the subject of many complaints from locals.
There is no official finding yet that the installation of the cladding played a role in the blaze, yet KPMG who now have a role in the inquiry earned £3.5m for services from Rydon according to the London Evening Standard newspaper.
And the auditing firm has had £1 million contracts with both Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK which owns Celotex, as well as the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The Government nevertheless hired the firm to provide “planning and programme management support”, a spokesperson for the inquiry told The Independent newspaper today.
A KPMG spokesperson said it had “no role advising on the substance of the inquiry” and it “has policies and procedures in place to identify and manage any potential conflicts of interest.”
KPMG were awarded the £200,000 contract by the inquiry into the blaze that claimed 71 lives with no other bidders considered.
A spokesman for the inquiry said that this was to save time in getting the inquiry up and running.
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