Grenfell Tower: Fire safety chief accused of 'conflict of interest' over cladding certification role

Sir Ken Knight was chairman for Warrington Certification 'impartiality committee' which required him to sign off on certificates for building products

Fire safety experts said he should make a case for his independence on the fire safety panel after his previous role emerged (Reuters)

The head of a government fire safety panel set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze has been urged to declare a conflict of interest after it emerged he certified cladding similar to that fitted to the north Kensington high rise.

Sir Ken Knight, a former chief fire officer, signed off on building materials in his role as director of Warrington Certification, a private company that provides certificates for building materials.

As chairman of the company’s “impartiality committee” he was required to sign off on certificates for building products, including Reynobond FR - a fire resistant version of cladding fitted to the west London tower, according to The Times.

The material has come under increasing scrutiny after the devastating fire at the 24-storey block that killed 80 people in June.

Now experts have said he should justify his independence on the fire safety panel after his previous role emerged.

"Anybody signing certificates of cladding and then chairing an independent expert panel made up of people involved in cladding has got to declare their interest and explain why they should be considered as independent,” Ronnie King, a former chief fire officer and honorary secretary of the parliamentary all party fire safety and rescue group, told The Times.

But Sir Ken refuted the allegations his former role impacts on his current work, saying it was unpaid and to approve the certification process rather than specific products.

The Department for Communities and Local Government also defended his appointment.

A spokesman said: “Sir Ken Knight declared to DCLG that he was chairman of Warrington Certification impartiality committee, and resigned . . . on taking up chairmanship of the expert advisory panel.”

The 70-year-old was appointed to the panel to advise on any immediate measures to be put in place to make buildings safe in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

More than 100 buildings have failed the latest round of combustibility testing ordered by the panel.

At least 111 buildings did not pass the tests, with 90 of the buildings being local authority or housing association owned or managed, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).