Plans to fit Grenfell Tower with fire-resistant cladding were dropped in a bid to cut costs, according to reports.
D+B Facades, a cladding company which fits non-flammable aluminium panels, claimed it provided a £3.3m quote to Kensington and Chelsea council in 2013.
According to the Guardian, however, the plans were dropped and the contract put out to tender in order to save £1.3m.
Peter Hillyard, the director of D+B Facades, told the paper his company was asked to provide costs for solid aluminium sheets which do not spread flame, backed with mineral wool insulation which does not burn.
He said the thought that his company’s safer and cheaper system was not used "sent a shiver down his spine".
The council faces even greater scrutiny in the wake of these new revelations, with many having been critical of the official response to the disaster.
Victims of the Grenfell Tower fire
The Met Police are currently investigating possible charges of manslaughter and corporate manslaughter, specifically "any failings of duty of care owed to victims of the fire".
A Downing Street spokesman said: “It will be a decision for the public inquiry exactly what they choose to look at, but the prime minister has set out her view that the truth of what happened must be fully established.”
A spokesman for victim support group Grenfell United called the news "heartbreaking".
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: "We will not comment on partial evidence nor hold an inquiry by media.
"The council is working with the inquiry and the Metropolitan Police to get to the truth of the Grenfell tragedy.
"The council's sole motivation is to ensure that the Grenfell tragedy cannot and will not ever be repeated."
