Minutes:
At this point in the meeting, Councillor Doug Taylor (Leader of the Council) invited Councillor Ahmet Oykener (Cabinet Member for Housing and Housing Regeneration) to update the Cabinet on events following the recent terrible fire at Grenfell Towers. The following statement was made:
“The terrible fire at Grenfell Towers has shocked us all, and since last week I have been working closely with the leader, chief executive and other council officers to both assist Kensington and Chelsea Council and provide assurance to ourselves and our residents that they are safe in their homes.
Enfield owns 54 blocks of 6 or more storeys, which provide homes to almost 2,500 families. Each block has a fire risk assessment undertaken each year, and where these result in recommendations to improve safety they are implemented with a high priority. Fire doors have been fitted to all high rise homes since 2010 and any changes to doors are picked up via the monitoring process. The majority of our homes have smoke alarms, and we are prioritising identifying the gaps and getting hard wired alarms fitted where there are none.
Caretakers inspect our tower blocks every day as part of their cleaning rota, remove any items from communal areas, check fire doors are safe and closed and report if repairs are required.
Following the tragic events last Tuesday night we arranged a top to bottom inspection and audit of our tower blocks as an additional precaution, this was completed by last Friday and focused particularly on identifying and removing items left in communal areas which could restrict escape in the event of a fire. Further risk assessments will be carried out.
None of our blocks have the same cladding as Grenfell Tower.
Five blocks have cladding made of a high-pressure laminate. The only aluminium within the cladding is the vertical rail which holds the panel. The insulation is mineral fibre which will not burn. There are horizontal fire barriers between the floors and vertical fire barriers between flats, to prevent fire spreading. None the less, we have laboratory tested the cladding and will have final results back by the end of the week.
15 blocks are rendered – this render uses non-combustible insulation material and meets all fire and safety legislation. The remaining 34 blocks have not been fitted with any kind of external wall insulation cladding – and so have no additional external materials which could affect the spread of fire on the outside of the building.
Letters were sent to residents last week to reassure them about the steps we are taking and to enlist their support in keeping the stairwells etc. clear. A further set of letters is being prepared to go out later this week.
As well as making sure our residents are safe we are also supporting the affected residents in Kensington. We have offered any help needed and have to date provided LALOs (local authority liaison officers), social workers and housing assessment officers. We will continue to offer any support that the Council may request from us.”
Councillor Oykener reiterated that all Councillors had been informed of the above and, that further information was being prepared for ward councillors with details of the high rise blocks in their wards, to ensure that they had all the necessary information when meeting with their local residents.
Members discussed the tragic event and the measures that were being undertaken, as outlined by Councillor Oykener above. Members stated that representations should be made to the Government on the potential future funding implications. Councillor Taylor advised Members that the Local Government Association and London Councils would be working jointly on this issue and a collective response made in due course. Local authorities were currently collating information requested by the Government.
Members expressed their appreciation of the work being undertaken by the Council’s officers. Councillor Brett asked that consideration be given to ways in which the Council could effectively communicate information within local communities as well as individual residents, to provide further reassurance and raise awareness.
Councillor Taylor reported that he had recently met with the Borough’s Chief Fire Officer. It was important to ensure that all communications were guided by the advice of the Fire Brigade.
Councillor Oykener reiterated the reassurance and advice that was being provided and would consider how to further engage with local community groups in future communications.
Ray James (Executive Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care) summarised the actions being taken as outlined above and gave reassurance that the Council would act on any risks that were highlighted with appropriate representations being made to the Government. The advice of the Fire Brigade would be followed and clearly communicated.
Councillor Oykener concluded by providing reassurance that all necessary action was being carried out within the Borough.