Grenfell: Councillors cannot keep jobs now corporate manslaughter charges being pursued, says Kensington MP

'It would be impossible for them to continue, I don't see anyone can have any trust at all if they were anywhere near that [cladding] decision'

Demonstrators protest against the Grenfell Tower fire outside a Kensington and Chelsea Council meeting at Kensington Town Hall (Reuters)

Kensington councillors involved in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment cannot remain in their roles after police announced they have grounds to suspect the authority of corporate manslaughter, the area’s MP has said.

Labour's Emma Dent Coad, who took over the west London seat days before the fire, claimed it was "impossible" for anyone who played a role in authorising the use of flammable cladding to be installed during the works to hold public office.

It comes after police announced there were "reasonable grounds" to suspect Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) and the local authority’s tenant management organisation (TMO) committed corporate manslaughter.

Chiefs from both organisations will be formally interviewed by officers as part of the criminal investigation into the tragedy that claimed at least 80 lives.

But Ms Dent Coad said cabinet members will all be “tarred with the same brush”, making it impossible for them to remain in office while the investigation is ongoing.

"It changes by the day, we are looking at the taskforce leads who are coming in and what their records are like, but I really don't see how anybody who was anywhere near the actual decision-making process could possibly continue working, any of them at all,” she said.

"Cabinet members will all be tarred with the same brush, because the decision went through the cabinet. Anybody else who was around in the KCTMO at that time who was anywhere near that decision, nobody will trust them.

"It would be impossible for them to continue, I don't see anyone can have any trust at all if they were anywhere near that decision."

Her concerns were echoed by the local community who said they were pleased by the development but wanted to see a stricter punishment.

Police do not have the power to arrest individuals under the offence of corporate manslaughter, but an individual can face arrest under gross negligence manslaughter charges if a death may have been caused by an act or omission on their part.

Justice4Grenfell said it hoped the development was a "precursor" to individual arrests, adding: "Any arrests made will be seen by all those affected as tangible evidence that they are valued members of society and are being listened to."

Some residents called on the council’s board to dismiss anyone involved preemptively on the grounds of “gross misconduct”.

A letter sent by police to those affected by the tragedy read: “We have seized a huge amount of material and taken a large number of witness statements.

“After an initial assessment of that information, the officer leading the investigation has today notified Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea TMO that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that each organisation may have committed the offence of corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

“In due course, a senior representative for each corporation will be formally interviewed by police in relation to the potential offence.”

It comes after a number of stakeholders from both RBKC and the TMO resigned in the wake of the tragedy over accusations they ignored a catalogue of warnings over fire safety.

The council’s chief executive Nicholas Holgate was the first to step down in the aftermath over the borough’s handling of the fire.

“Despite my wish to have continued, in very challenging circumstances, to lead on the executive responsibilities of the council, I have decided that it is better to step down from my role, once an appropriate successor has been appointed,” he said in a statement on 21 June.

A week later, TMO leader Robert Black stepped aside to “concentrate on assisting with the investigation and inquiry”, followed by RBKC leader Nick Paget-Brown and deputy leader Rock Feilding-Mellen just hours later.