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Morning Briefing: firefighters warn of complacency over high-rise fires

News21.05.1910.10 AM by Rhiannon Curry

Unions warn that most fire brigades only plan to send a handful of pumps to high-rise fires, despite 40 being used at Grenfell, plus other news from across the sector

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Morning Briefing: fire brigades still only plan to send a handful of pumps to high-rise fires, The Guardian reports #ukhousing
Morning Briefing: Firefighters warn of complacency over high-rise fires#ukhousing

In the news

Firefighters have accused ministers of “utter complacency” about the risk of high-rise fires after it emerged that most fire brigades still plan to send only a handful of pumps to tackle such blazes, despite 40 being used at Grenfell Tower.

The Guardian reports on research from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which said that nearly two years after the disaster that killed 72 people, ministers’ claims that firefighters had sufficient resources to keep people safe were “misleading” and its research showed a “postcode lottery of preparedness” across England and Wales.

An FBU survey shared with The Guardian found fire brigades in Durham and North Yorkshire had a predetermined resource allocation of just two pumps for a high-rise fire, while most others said they would deploy four. The highest number was seven.

Matt Wrack, general secretary at the FBU, accused Nick Hurd, policing and fire service minister, of failing to “grasp the severity or even the basic details of the risk across the country”.

Mr Wrack said: “It’s no longer possible to claim that a fire like Grenfell is unforeseeable. Firefighters were placed in an impossible situation that night. But two years on, the government still has not provided the planning and resources necessary to prepare firefighters for what are now completely foreseeable risks.”

British households turned more downbeat about their finances in May, according to a survey that hinted at weakness in the consumer economy which has been one of the bright spots for Britain during the Brexit ructions.

Data firm IHS Markit said on Monday its Household Finance Index (HFI) fell to 42.5 from 43.8, its lowest level since September 2017 as worries grew about job security, particularly in retail and manufacturing. Reuters has the full report.

The BBC reports that Justin Tomlinson, minister for disabled people, health and work, is urgently investigating how a woman was duped by an online loan company that pocketed her benefits.

Mother-of-three Alishia Curry said instead of processing her details for a loan, the firm submitted a Universal Credit request in her name which led to regular payments being stopped.

Ms Curry, from Buxton, Derbyshire, said she lost about £1,000 in one month and had to miss meals to save money.

Homelessness is costing Greenwich tax payers 30% more than it did three years ago, the local News Shopper reports.

According to a Freedom of Information request, the London council is spending nearly £2m more on homelessness than it was in 2015. The figures also showed that there were 1,381 families in temporary accommodation at the end of last year, an increase from 828 in 2016.

House builder Galliford Try has confirmed that up to 350 jobs are being cut at its construction business as it counts the cost of undertaking major projects, Construction Enquirer reports.

A review of the business was launched last month following its latest £40m profit warning.

In a trading statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning, Galliford Try said: “The group has undertaken a review of its construction business with plans being implemented to simplify the business and management structure and to refocus on key strengths in markets and sectors with long-term growth and profitability potential.

“The business will concentrate on its core strengths in building, water and highways (having already ceased bidding on fixed-price major projects in 2016) resulting in a reduction of up to 350 personnel across the UK.”

In Scotland, an independent group commissioned by the Scottish government to examine industry skills has made 40 recommendations to address gaps in housing construction expertise.

Scottish Housing News writes that investment in apprenticeships, upskilling workers and attracting more people into the industry are among the themes in the New Housing and Future Construction Skills report.

Although the industry faces a number of challenges and skills shortages, advancements in technology and new apprenticeship programmes present opportunities for new skill sets, career paths and workforce diversity.

The Guardian reports a warning from a deputy governor of the Bank of England (BoE) who said businesses would be likely to cancel their investment projects in Britain under a no-deal Brexit, paving the way for weaker economic growth in future.

Ben Broadbent, deputy governor for monetary policy at BoE, said that business investment plans that had been put on ice amid the political uncertainty over Brexit would probably be torn up altogether should the UK leave without a deal.

In a speech, Mr Broadbent said: “Actively choosing the very thing that businesses seem to fear the most is more likely to mean that investment projects that have so far been postponed will instead be cancelled for good.”

Finally, this piece from academic Dr Jessica Eaton talks powerfully about what growing up on a council estate taught her.

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