Thread by @PeteApps

Update from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry:

Rock Feilding-Mellen did not ask key questions in fire brigade guidance for councillors, despite specific warning that they should not "assume" that matters are being dealt with appropriately

Second day of evidence for Rock Feilding-Mellon, former deputy leader and cabinet member for housing at RBKC. Among several topics covered this morning he was asked about these policy documents, which he was sent in July 2014:

They are guides for councillors about fire safety, produced by the London Fire Brigade following the Lakanal House fire in 2009. Feilding-Mellen says he "thinks he had heard" of Lakanal, but had not read the coroner's report. He was emailed these guides by the director of housing

The documents list various questions to ask about fire safety, including whether buildings have an evacuation plan and policies to ensure any modifications to buildings do not reduce fire performance. But Feilding-Mellen said he "received these and skimmed them"

He did not ask many of the questions it suggested. Says he had "sufficient reassurance" that risks were being managed and "assumed" London Fire Brigade would raise any concerns directly with TMO. But then he's shown this bit which warns precisely against such assumptions:

"On what you told us this morning Mr Fielding Mellen and you were making exactly the assumption that this document advised you should not make," says Richard Millet QC.

"That appears to be the case, yes," he replies

This was contrasted with ongoing evidence from yesterday about his involvement in the choice of cladding colour. We saw further emails today showing him asking for new architects drawings to see how the tower looked in 'British Racing Green'

"An opportunity to ask these questions would or could have been during your dialogue with Peter Madison over the colour of the cladding panels," says Millett.

"It would or could have been any number of occasions," he replies.

We also heard about time towards the end of the refurbishment when residents submitted various petitions calling for independent scrutiny of the work and raising concerns about what had been done. One of these was submitted to Housing and Property Scruinty Committee in Dec 2015

Saw an email from director of housing to Feilding-Mellen which said TMO staff were "exhausted" from time spent dealing with resident queries and "don't have the resources to undertake a full review including interviews with residents".

Rock deferred the decision to the chair of the scrutiny committee but said he agreed that they should be "mindful of the manpower and resources at the TMO" rather than "focusing predominantly wherever the loudest complaints are coming from".

But he denies this was "taking her side" and says he simply understood her concerns about limited resources.

Ahead of the meeting where this was discussed, he also emailed the chair to point out that Judith Blakeman (local Labour cllr for Grenfell + TMO board member)...

... should consider whether she had a conflict of interest in discussing it.

"Was the purpose of this... to silence or negate Judith Blakeman's contribution to the Board report?" asks Millett.

"Absolutely not," says Feilding Mellen

Later, after this petition, he had a meeting with Grenfell resident David Collins who raised some concerns with him. Mr Collins followed up by email to ask "if anything had changed in his thinking as a result".

Mr Feilding-Mellen emails colleague to ask if they can think of a "small concession" they could offer him.

"It reads as if you were looking for something you could fob Mr Collins with," says Mr Millett.

"I totally disagree with that," says Mr Feilding-Mellen

Asked if he would have done anything differently with regards to Grenfell, he says he will be "haunted by that question for the rest of my life" but adds "based on the information I had and what I considered my role to be I really don't know what I could have done differently"

That's it for his evidence now, next up is former council leader Nick Paget Brown