Fire services step up audits

John Simpson, group manager for community safety with the London Fire Brigade, spoke out as fire authorities came under scrutiny for action taken to enforce safety in tower blocks, following freedom of information requests by Inside Housing.

Thirty-five authorities responded to the requests, twelve of which revealed they had stepped up fire safety audits on tower blocks since July’s fire at Lakanal House, Camberwell, which claimed six lives. Two had not conducted any checks on local authority blocks at all prior to the blaze and one was unable to say whether it had done so.

Following the deaths, LFB issued Southwark Council with three enforcement notices on three separate high-rise blocks, stating that they did not have suitable fire risk assessments.

Social landlords are responsible for ensuring the fire safety of high-rise blocks and conducting FRAs on them. But fire authorities are responsible for auditing risk assessments.

Inside Housing is calling for a national register of tower blocks to be created, as part of its Safe as Houses campaign, which would contain details of FRAs.

Speaking at a meeting of the Chartered Institute of Housing’s London branch, Mr Simpson said: ‘We, in a supportive manner, are looking for your darkest corners.’

As Inside Housing went to press, it emerged the LFB had served Lambeth Council with an enforcement notice on a block on the Ethelred estate.

Inside Housing is running a campaign calling for action to stop preventable deaths from gas and fire. For more on this see our Safe as Houses campaign page.

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