Michael Gove puts others on notice they are in his sights as part of crackdown on companies failing to fix 鈥榖uilding safety crisis鈥�
Rydon Homes has been banned from the government鈥檚 Help to Buy scheme following 鈥渃oncerns over unacceptable business practices鈥痠n their company group鈥� which have emerged at the Grenfell Inquiry, housing secretary Michael Gove said this evening.
The housebuilder will be excluded from the scheme meaning it will鈥痭o longer have government support and cannot market鈥痠ts properties to first time buyers, with the offer of government-backed loans.
Gove said he had made the decision because of Rydon Maintenance鈥檚 involvement in the refurbishment of the Grenfell tower where it was the main contractor for the work. The building caught fire in June 2017, claiming the lives of 72 people.
The inquiry heard last summer that Rydon鈥檚 decision not to appoint a specialist fire consultant suggested a 鈥渃avalier attitude鈥� to fire safety or a fundamental lack of understanding of the complexity of 好色先生TV Regulations requirements for overcladding works.
The hearing was also told the firm sought to hold back some of the value engineering savings delivered by a switch from zinc cladding to ACM and to save money by ditching a plan for the new window reveals of Grenfell鈥檚 flats to be lined with wood. Instead, the gaps around the windows were packed with combustible insulation and lined with uPVC.
The inquiry was told by fire safety expert witness Dr Barbara Lane, a director with Arup, that ACM and the foam behind the ACM was a 鈥渢errible material鈥�.
Gove has鈥痺arned the construction industry鈥痶here will be consequences for鈥痶hose who are responsible for what he said was a 鈥渂uilding safety crisis鈥�.
He said: 鈥淚t is in the public interest to exclude Rydon Homes from the Help to Buy scheme with immediate effect given the extremely concerning evidence heard by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry about its sister company.鈥�
鈥淭he鈥痙evelopment and construction鈥痠ndustry should be in no doubt: I will continue to go after those who put lives at risk,鈥痑re responsible for the building safety crisis and鈥痑re failing鈥痶o play their part鈥痠n鈥痜ixing鈥痠t. The Grenfell community and innocent leaseholders deserve better.鈥濃��
Gove has written to the chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee and to Homes England, which oversees Help to Buy, to tell them鈥痠t would鈥痓e鈥�渁gainst public interest to allow鈥疪ydon Homes to sell homes via the鈥痝overnment鈥痵cheme,鈥痝iven its鈥痗lose鈥痩inks to鈥痑鈥痗ompany鈥痷nder scrutiny鈥痠n the Grenfell Tower Inquiry鈥�.
The Grenfell Inquiry closed for its Christmas break this week and will resume on 24 January.
Rydon, which is based in Forest Row, East Sussex, has been contacted for comment.
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