ao link
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In

You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles

Housing association block pays nearly £49,000 a month for three-person waking watch

A housing association-owned residential block in north London is being charged a staggering £48,900 to keep in place a waking watch patrol that includes only three operatives, Inside Housing can reveal.

Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Leaseholders at a block on the Packington Estate are being charged a monthly fee of £1,528 per flat for a three-person waking watch
Leaseholders at a block on the Packington Estate are being charged a monthly fee of £1,528 per flat for a three-person waking watch
Sharelines

Housing association paying £49,000 per month for three waking watch patrollers #UKhousing

Leaseholders in the 11 Canalside Square block on the Packington Estate in Islington have contacted Inside Housing to report the high waking watch costs currently being paid.

Split across the 32 apartments within the block, the bill works out at £1,528 per month for each flat and is the equivalent of £16,300 for each waking watch operative.

The cost for leaseholders is far higher than the average laid out in government figures, which suggest that the average cost of a waking watch in London is £15,641 per block per month, and £256 per leaseholder.

Hyde, the owner of the block, said that the £48,900 figure did not only cover the operatives’ wages but also paid for welfare facilities, equipment, insurance and a 24-hour monitoring service, and that it was partially down to the size of the building.

It added that Savills, its approved waking watch provider, was carrying out the service on agreed rates and that the sum was not higher than it should be.

The waking watch service has been in place at the block since December, and was put in place on the advice of fire safety experts after a survey of the building was carried out.

The external wall inspection found that most walls were fine but that there were issues with firebreaks in a couple of areas, including behind the zinc cladding. Fixing these will likely incur further remediation costs.


READ MORE

Waking watch fund targeted towards eight cities, government revealsWaking watch fund targeted towards eight cities, government reveals
Government unveils new £30m Waking Watch Relief FundGovernment unveils new £30m Waking Watch Relief Fund
Waking watches: the scale of England’s building safety crisis unveiledWaking watches: the scale of England’s building safety crisis unveiled
Government ‘names and shames’ 14 companies yet to start Grenfell-style cladding removal workGovernment ‘names and shames’ 14 companies yet to start Grenfell-style cladding removal work

Hyde would not rule out passing on at least some of the waking watch costs to leaseholders, saying its charitable status meant it is bound by Charity Commission rules, which means those costs that cannot be recovered from developers or through government funding may have to be passed on.

It added: “Unfortunately we are unable to confirm if this will be the case at the moment but we will consult our leaseholders before passing on any costs.”

The housing association is currently in discussions with the developer of the building, Rydon, about contributing to costs. It also said that it was currently re-procuring its waking watch services, with a view to appointing new framework providers later this year. However, this will not affect the current waking watch in place at Canalside.

Megan and Oliver Sexton, leaseholders at Canalside, said: “The use of the waking watch is a way of passing liability and the cost of that liability on to a third party, the costs of which can conveniently be passed on to leaseholders.

“I find it appalling and entirely wrong that anyone is profiting from this situation and at £48,900 per month the waking watch companies clearly are.”

Ms Sexton also questioned the effectiveness of waking watches in keeping residents safe.

In December the government confirmed that it would provide £30m to buildings taller than 18m to pay for the installation of fire alarms in these blocks, which would in most cases result in the end of waking watch services and costs for leaseholders.

Hyde told Inside Housing: “Our top priority is to make sure everyone living in the building is safe. Once we have rectified all of the issues at Canalside as well as its adjoining buildings, we will be in a position to issue an EWS1.

“We are working closely with leaseholders at Canalside. Our top priority is to keep everyone safe, which is why the waking watch was put in place, and why we are focusing on working with Rydon to rectify the issues we have found.”

Sign up for Inside Housing’s weekly Grenfell Inquiry newsletter

Sign up for Inside Housing’s weekly Grenfell Inquiry newsletter

Each week our sister publication Inside Housing sends out a newsletter rounding up the key news from the Grenfell Inquiry, along with exclusive analysis of what it all means for the social housing sector.

New to Inside Housing? Click here to register and receive the weekly newsletter straight to your inbox

Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters

Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Add New Comment
You must be logged in to comment.