Agenda item

With guest speakers Sir Steve Bullock and Cllr Diarmaid Ward

The Chairman introduced Cllr Rodwell to present to the Board. Cllr Rodwell informed the Board that in June 2019 a major fire in a privately owned four-storey block of flats in Barking and Dagenham destroyed eight flats and ripped through the balconies within six minutes. Over 50 families were safely evacuated and within two hours support and accommodation was set up. Due to complications over the property being on private land, support for residents who raised concerns previously could not be provided by the local authority. Considering the concerns raised the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham commission an independent review.

Cllr Rodwell invited Sir Steve Bullock and Diarmaid Ward to present the Samuel Garside Independent Review highlighting their findings and aftermath of the fire.

Steve explained that the review highlighted four key emerging findings which needed to be addressed:

·       The context in which any housing emergency situation is dealt with has changed and in future residents must be better informed and more engaged with what happens in the building where their homes are located.

·       Complex ownership arrangements have become more common and this puts a premium on giving all residents clarity about roles and responsibilities, including what happens in an emergency.

·       Local authorities are well placed to provide leadership in an emergency situation but need the resources and powers to meet the expectations of their residents.

·       Making distinctions based on arbitrary height limits about the rules and regulations relevant to particular buildings may be a short-term necessity but, for the peace of mind of those who live in buildings with multiple self-contained housing units, a common approach is needed as soon as possible.

Diarmaid informed the Board that thankfully no lives were lost in the fire but, it was a very traumatic experience for the residents who lost their possessions and pets. To gather an understanding of the resident’s feelings an online survey and a series of video and audio calls were rolled out.

Diarmaid highlighted some of the main issues that arose from the conversations with residents were:

·       Complex ownership and management structure of the building causing communication issues, which residents felt that owners and managers were not taking responsibility.

·       Arranging temporary accommodation was a difficult process.

·       Process of returning to their homes as some residents felt unhappy about being asked to return earlier than they felt comfortable to do so.

Steve commented that recommendations set out in the review ensured that in the future there was a clearer understanding of all parties involved as to what needs to happen in the event of a fire. Including, the responsibilities of everyone, including the resident needs to be properly understood so events like these can be avoided.

Cllr Rodwell thanked Sir Steve Bullock and Diarmaid Ward for presenting their findings in the review to the Board.

Following the discussion, Members made the following comments:

·       Members commented that the non-cladding related fire safety issues had not been addressed and were not satisfactory, which were numerous across new build properties.

·       Members raised the complex ownership and management structures were an industry wide problem.

·       Members expressed that the recommendations were incredibly important and highlighted key areas of concern that needed to be addressed.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Rodwell, Sir Steve Bullock and Diarmaid Ward for their contributions and comprehensive independent review.

The Chairman introduced Charles Loft, Senior Policy Adviser, who updated the Board that Lord Porter had seen the independent review and concluded that the LGA should support and promote the recommendations.

Actions:

·       Officers to invite Lord Porter to a future  Board meeting.

·       Officers to continue to update Board Members on the progress of the recommendations in the Samuel Garside Fire Independent Review

Decision:

The Environment, Economy, Housing and Transport Board noted the Building Safety Update, Building Safety Announcement Update paper, Samuel Garside Fire Report and agreed the recommendations.