Agenda item

Andrew McNeil, Assistant Director, Housing and Matt Hillman, Assistant Director, Housing:

a)    presented a report to Performance Scrutiny Committee with an update of actions/progress on fire safety in light of the Hackitt review following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower;

b)    explained the current position on fire safety in paragraph 6.1 of the report and the future position in paragraph 6.5 of the report; and

c)    invited members comments and questions.

During the discussion on the report, the following points were noted:

·         It was confirmed that none of the buildings owned by the City of Lincoln Council or any privately owned buildings had the combustible cladding on.

·         Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service had continued its inspection programme with an inspection of St Botolph’s Court carried out in December 2021, in which minor issues had been highlighted.  These included remedial work on some letter boxes and the moving of furniture.   All towers had previously been inspected.

·         The draft Building Safety Bill; Fire Safety Bill; and the Fire Safety Order consultation would improve safety standards for residents of all blocks of flats of all heights, with even more stringent approaches and oversight for buildings in scope.  It was confirmed that there would be no further buildings in scope as a result of the proposed changes to encompass buildings of 11 metres or higher to ensure building safety.

·         It was confirmed that the Accountable Person, as referred to on page 12 of the agenda pack, was the Chief Executive / lead officer of an organisation.  Whereas the Responsible Person was the building safety manager who provided assurance over compliance.

·         It was also confirmed that in anticipation of the Building Safety Bill, a meeting was held with Tenancy regarding the development of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).  In response to a question, it was noted that the frequency of which the plans would be reviewed was yet to be determined.  However, a process for reviewing these plans would be reviewed, as it was important these remained as up-to-date as possible. It was commented that it was easier to manage those plans within sheltered accommodation schemes, as support staff / wardens were better able to maintain the plans.  It was also advised that the way in which PEEPs could be accessed by the relevant agencies, such as Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue services was currently being explored.  The Committee expressed a wish for this information to be accessible electronically, perhaps via Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s Mobile Data Terminals.  It was advised that none of the other district councils were effected by the requirement of PEEPs, as they did not have any high-rise buildings which met the threshold. 

·         The Housing Repair Service had achieved BM Trada accreditation for fire door installation.  Combined with the recruitment of a window and door compliance team leader and an increase in the number of joiners, this had allowed for an accredited maintenance and installation process of fire doors.  This had improved the replacement and repair of fire doors identified during the fire risk assessment, reducing the timeframe between issue and repair. Furthermore, it was advised there was a rolling training programme for the issue and repair of fire doors.  It was advised that it was important for as many staff to be trained in this area to ensure succession planning and business continuity. Those staff who had received training had commented that they were pleased to gain a new skill set.   At present, four staff had received accreditation.  It was also noted that the roll-out and replacement of fire doors was completed over a 15 – 20 year period and as the average age of the workforce was 49, it was essential that as many staff were trained.  The Committee welcomed the rotation of staff for the replacement of fire doors to ensure the health and wellbeing of individuals.

·         It was advised that it had been identified prior to the inspection of St Botolph’s that there was no place to issue certification of the tower blocks and sheltered schemes when work had been conducted, such as gas and electrical testing, which should be stored in an outdoor location to enable Fire and Rescue services to access the documentation.  The Committee was assured that a solution was currently being explored and that Fire and Rescue would be consulted.

·         It was confirmed that any reports of hoarding were fed back to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, as they had a team dedicated to respond to such reports.  Hoarding cases were typically picked up via routine electrical or gas annual safety checks.  It was advised that there were a small number of hoarding cases within Lincoln, which both Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and the City Council worked collaboratively to address.

RESOLVED

That the progress made by the Council in addressing issues and proposals from the Hackitt Review, be noted.