Council and contractor clash at fire death inquest

Jurors heard from Annabel Sidney, Southwark Council’s project manager on the refurbishment during 2006/07, that a ‘mistake’ was made on a document that said building control approval had been obtained.

Six people died in a blaze in the south London block when fire spread rapidly through the building on 9 July 2009. The inquest has previously heard the refurbishment work could have contributed to the the spread of the fire.

Building approval, a legal requirement, was not obtained at any stage of the refurbishment, which included decent homes work. Ms Sidney said she believed this was the responsibility of the contractor, Apollo.

Cross-examining John Hendy, who represents some of the family members of those who died, asked Ms Sidney: ‘Where a job needs building control approval, was it not your understanding that was your responsibility as the project manger?’

Ms Sidney answered: ‘No, I don’t think it was my understanding.’ 

The inquest, at Lambeth Assembly Hall, heard on Wednesday from Apollo’s senior quantity surveyor, James Cousins, who said the responsibility for building approval was the council’s.

Counsel to the inquest James Maxwell-Scott asked him: ‘You worked on the belief that matters relating to building control approval were the responsibility of Southwark rather than Apollo?’ Mr Cousins replied: ‘Correct.’ 

Ms Sidney also said yesterday it would have been Apollo’s responsibility to consider the fire resistance of the panels that went on the outside of the block.

Last week fire expert David Crowder said as the panels burnt through within about five minutes, they were likely to have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. The asbestos panels there before would have burnt in around 13 minutes, he said.

Mr Maxwell-Scott asked Ms Sidney: ‘It would not have taken much thought [to think] that the fire resistant properties of the 28mm insulation panels would or might be less good than those of the asbestos insulation board [it was replacing].’  

Ms Sidney eventually agreed this ‘might’ be the case. Mr Maxwell-Scott asked: ‘The next logical step would have been to investigate the matter further, do you agree?’

Ms Sidney responded: ‘I was looking towards the contractor to undertake the design elements of the panels.’

Mr Cousins said on Wednesday although he understood the asbestos panels they were replacing had a ‘fairly good’ fire resistant rate and the panels they were putting in did not have a good resistance, he did not give it much thought because ‘my company will provide whatever the client asks for’.

Catherine Hickman, 31, died in the flat above where the fire started. It then spread rapidly to flat 81 in which Helen Udoaka, 34, died with her 20-day-old baby Michelle Udoaka, and Dayana Francisquini, 26, and her two children, three-year-old Felipe and six-year-old Thais.

The inquest is expected to last until Easter. 

Inside Housing is carrying out a survey with nulogic looking at the approach housing organisations are taking to fire safety. To be in with a chance of winning £500 of Marks and Spencer vouchers please take a few minutes to complete the survey at www.insidehousing.co.uk/firesafety