In the week beginning 17 May the Conservative councillors with responsibility for housing at RBKC gave evidence and were cross-examined. Rock Feilding-Mellen, the councillor in charge of the Grenfell Tower refurbishment, was informed of plans to save money by swapping zinc cladding for aluminium in 2014 but told police he only knew about it after the June 2017 fire. He has since resigned. He was told in an appendix to an email, where the main issuefocus had been on deciding the colour of the cladding panels.<ref name="RB17">{{cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |title=Grenfell: councillor was told about cheaper cladding plan before fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/17/grenfell-inquiry-councillor-was-told-about-plan-to-use-cheaper-cladding |access-date=23 May 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=2021-05-17 |language=en}}</ref>He said he didn't register the change, and “didn’t know the difference between aluminium and zinc”. He had no training or expertise in housing or fire safety. He said he relied on the expertise of others.<ref name="RB17"/><ref name="WG18">{{cite news |title=‘I wish things had been done differently’, councillor tells Grenfell inquiry |url=https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/national/19312084.i-wish-things-done-differently-councillor-tells-grenfell-inquiry/ |access-date=23 May 2021 |work=Warrington Guardian |date=18 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>He believed the regeneration of council estates but saw his role to question budget overruns. When the refurbishment was first discussed, he questioned it as a 2009 strategic report had recommended Grenfell be demolished.<ref name="RB17"/>
