Islington seeks urgent Government pledge on fire safety funding

Islington Council has called for “urgent commitments” that the Government will make funding available to pay for new fire safety requirements in council estates.

Following last year’s tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, the council has reviewed fire safety arrangements in its council housing and taken actions including:

• Swiftly removing cladding from a council block (Braithwaite House) that failed Building Research Establishment (BRE) testing
• Carrying out urgent works on communal fire doors in a number of buildings
• Publishing all Fire Risk Assessments for high-rise Council residential buildings on its website
• Contacting many private building owners to inquire about cladding on their buildings

Also, the council’s Housing Scrutiny Committee has recently carried out a review of fire safety in Islington’s council housing. Its findings, published today (March 14), include a recommendation that the council consider retrofitting sprinkler systems in all high-rise council housing blocks, subject to further considerations of feasibility.

The council has been actively looking into the effectiveness of retrofitting sprinklers in the borough’s council blocks. It estimates that the cost of installing sprinklers in its housing blocks of six storeys and above could be between £43 million and £97 million. To install sprinklers in blocks of 10 storeys and above could cost between £15m and £22m.

Two national reviews into the Grenfell fire – the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Independent Review of Building Regulations – are also underway and expected to offer recommendations about new fire safety requirements for local authorities.

Now the council’s executive member for housing and development, Cllr Diarmaid Ward, and Cllr Mick O’Sullivan, chair of Islington’s housing scrutiny committee, have written to Secretary of State Sajid Javid asking for the Government to pledge money to meet the cost of new fire safety work.

The joint letter reads: “We are urgently calling on the Government to commit that local councils will have new funding resources made available to meet the cost of any new fire safety requirements following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Hackitt Review.

“Islington Council will of course act to fully comply with any new legislation or building regulations that emerge from these important reviews. However we believe that central government must make new funding available to local councils in order for them to meet the cost of any necessary works.”

Since 2013 Islington Council has spent £7 million on fire safety work for its council housing, and a further £38 million is planned.

ENDS