Grenfell Tower Disaster Will Reverberate For Decades.

The financial cost of the Grenfell Tower disaster has reached nearly £1.2bn – 4,000 times the amount that was saved by replacing fire-retardant cladding with a cheaper combustible alternative during the disastrous refurbishment.

The bulk of the cost is being met from the public purse, dwarfing the compensation to bereaved and survivors paid by companies involved in wrapping the west London council’s block in combustible materials before the fire in June 2017 that killed 72 people.

The £1.17bn known to have been spent or allocated so far is enough to fund more than 10,000 new social homes. The figure is certain to be an underestimate because several organisations involved in the disaster have not disclosed their costs.

In total, 40 people have been interviewed under caution as 180 investigators examine possible corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud and health and safety offences. No one has yet been charged.

Asked to comment on the cost of the disaster to the council by contrast with the saving from the cladding switch, the council’s leader, Elizabeth Campbell, said: “Our continuing priority is to support the bereaved, survivors and the local community, from providing the help and support people need to the recent resolution of the claims process – an important juncture for those affected … We are committed to learning from the Grenfell tragedy and doing right by the bereaved and survivors.”

The council said it planned to pursue claims “against the other parties also responsible for this tragedy for a share of the costs incurred from the public purse”.

The public inquiry alone has so far cost £170m, not including the legal costs of the companies and organisations involved in the refurbishment that led to the fire.

Rydon, the main contractor, has set aside up to £27m for civil claims, its latest accounts suggest. The London fire brigade has spent £14.5m on legal bills.

In a statement, the Met police said if detectives concluded there was sufficient evidence to consider criminal charges after they had fully examined the findings of the public inquiry’s final report, due next year, a file would be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. That suggests charges, if they follow, could come in late 2024 or even into 2025, with trials following later.

“We can only imagine the impact on families of a long and complex investigation and public inquiry and we do understand their frustrations,” a spokesperson said.