Thread by @PeteApps

Update from this morning at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry:

RBKC officer asked about lack of scrutiny over fire door self-closers and evacuation plans for company that managed Grenfell Tower

This morning we've been hearing from Amanda Johnson, former head of housing commissioning at RBKC. One of her main jobs was to scrutinise the performance of KCTMO, the council-owned company which managed the housing in the borough.

Asked about the programme of fire risk assessments in the borough, she was shown an enforcement notice issued to Adair Tower after a fire in 2015, which noted (among other things) missing self closers on front doors. Was she surprised by this?

She said she would have expected a full review by the fire brigade after the fire (which required full evacuation due to smoke spreading internally).

Did it lead to "investigate or challenge" adequacy of KCTMO risk assessments given that they'd missed these issues?

I met with Carl Stokes the fire risk assessor and he took us through what had happened. And I was satisfied with that, she says.

Then move to a TMO executive team meeting in February 2016. Note that RBKC "don't want to do" strategic work suggested by LFB if not required

Ms Johnson says she believes this refers to requests for inspection of door closers across the stock.

"Did cost play an element in that consideration? Bluntly that rbkc didn't want to pay for the inspection programme," asks counsel to the inquiry

Ms Johnson says that if the borough had needed to pay for it they would have done, but wanted clarity from LFB about what was required.

Then shown minutes from March 2017 which say it would be "a huge cost if want to do this" and held off recommending inspections

Cost of replacement programme estimated at £690,000. Emails show RBKC sought legal advice on whether inspection was necessary. Laura Johnson (Amanda's boss) emails to say she is "not convinved of the need for an inspection programme"

Also pushed out replacement programme to five years, not three. Asked if there had been any formal consideration of the safety implications of this delay, Amanda Johnson says "I cannot recall that happening".

We now know many self-closing devices were broken on the night of the Grenfell Tower fire, aiding smoke in spreading into the communal lobbies and the only staircase.

We also saw some interesting emails on personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents. Here's KCTMO chief exec Robert Black in 2010 saying they would be produced "as and when people's disabilities are bought to our attention"

Did she ever check the TMO had put in place this approach for vulnerable residents?

I cannot recall, she replies.

We then see an email in 2012 after TMO staff had met LFB, which says they believe it is responsibility of landlord to gather data and prepare PEEPs

Ms Johnson said she did not think PEEPs for general needs housing would be "practical to manage" and the conversation with LFB about it "didn't really go anywhere after this initial meeting"

We know of course no PEEPs were prepared for KCTMO residents, and many disabled people living in Grenfell Tower died in the fire.

At the end of her evidence, she said she had grown up in council housing, how it been subject to underinvestment since the 1980s and the situation in west London was part of a bigger picture. She cried as she said 'not an hour goes by' when she doesn't think of the fire.

Rock Feilding-Mellen beginning his evidence now. Will have a report at the end of the day.