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Councils still waiting for fire safety funding flexibility
No deals to give councils financial flexibilities to pay for essential fire safety work have been agreed, despite the government’s claim that they were imminent seven weeks ago.
That is despite top officials telling a committee of MPs that four councils would receive help “in the next few weeks” on 15 January – more than seven weeks ago.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) failed to answer a written question from shadow housing secretary John Healey on how many councils had requested and received fire safety funding help today.
Mr Healey submitted his query on 27 February, but was told by housing minister Dominic Raab today that MHCLG “has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period”.
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The Labour frontbencher said the lack of response was “shameful” eight months on from the Grenfell Tower fire.
Shameful. Eight months on from Grenfell, the government still can’t answer how many councils have been given funding for urgent fire safety work t.co/0Eyq7AoLh3 pic.twitter.com/4mutyGFMWe
— John Healey MP (@JohnHealey_MP)Shameful. Eight months on from Grenfell, the government still can't answer how many councils have been given funding for urgent fire safety work https://t.co/0Eyq7AoLh3 pic.twitter.com/4mutyGFMWe
— John Healey MP (@JohnHealey_MP) March 6, 2018
A spokesperson for the MHCLG told Inside Housing: “We have made it clear that we will consider financial flexibilities for councils that need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe.”
The MHCLG did not explain the reason for the delay, but a government source said the department is “awaiting more information” from the four councils.
However, appearing before the Communities and Local Government Committee in January, Tamara Finkelstein, director general of the ministry’s Building Safety Programme, said the four councils had provided information about their buildings and added: “We’ve had very detailed conversations with them and are really right towards the end of that process.”
The government has not confirmed the names of the four councils, though Inside Housing understands one of them is Portsmouth City Council. A spokesperson for the council confirmed it is in talks over financial flexibility but said discussions are ongoing and it is not aware whether it is one of the four.
If agreements are reached, the authorities are to be given either extra Housing Revenue Account borrowing flexibility or an opportunity to make a one-off transfer from their general funds to pay for high-rise fire safety works.
Ms Finkelstein previously said 36 councils had contacted the government to ask about funding help since Grenfell and that 10 of these “look like what they are talking about might be essential works”, including the four.
Update: at 11.43am, 08/03/18: The story was updated to include a comment from Portsmouth City Council.
Never Again campaign
Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire
Never Again: campaign asks
Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
LANDLORDS
- Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
- Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
GOVERNMENT
- Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
- Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.
