Agenda item

This report provides an update of the work undertaken to mitigate the risk from fire following the Grenfell Tower as requested by the Executive Member for the Environment at his decision session on 03July 2017.

Resolved:

(i)           That the ongoing work to reduce the risk from fire and the council’s response to managing and responding to those risks be noted.

(ii)          That any national inquiry reports and any relevant outcomes from the action plan be included in the 6 monthly update reports that will be presented at future Executive Member for Environment Decision Sessions.

Reason: To ensure the Executive Member and residents are assured that the council has proper arrangements in place for managing and responding to the risk from fire.

The Executive Member considered a report that updated him of the work undertaken to mitigate the risk from fire following the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Shared Head of Health and Safety and Head of Building Services were in attendance to present the report and they confirmed the Council had been actively managing fire risk for a substantial period of time that was in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

Officers highlighted each area of the report and the Executive Member noted that:

·                   592 communal areas fell under the RRO and all except 2 areas, where officers were unable to gain access, had received a Fire Risk Assessment including 70 blocks identified, which had not previously been flagged in the Council’s asset management system, of having communal areas.

·                   All urgent remedial actions had been completed and any non urgent actions were being addressed through a medial work programme.

·                   communication with residents on fire safety measures had taken place in the form of a letter, a press release and the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care had taken part in a local radio interview.

·                   Senior managers and staff from Housing and Health & Safety had met to formulate an action plan that was considered by the Housing & Community Safety Senior Management Team for approval on 28 September 2017. 

·                   hard wired detectors had been fitted to approximately 5000 homes and officers had been liaising with North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service to install lithium battery operated detectors in the remaining properties, as an interim measure.

Officers then responded to the Executive Members questions where it was acknowledged that:

·        York had no high rise blocks above 18 metres and that no City of York Council (CYC) homes, schools or corporate buildings had Aluminium Composite Material type cladding.

·        officers were aware of the type of cladding used in the 23 CYC owned ‘system built’ properties of 4 storeys.

·        officers were not in a position to confirm what fire safety regulations were in place for non-council high rise residential buildings as the Council were not the only provider of building regulation services.

Further discussions took place around communal areas and fire safety assessments and officers agreed to email the current policy and guidance on the use of flower tubs to the Executive Member.¹

The Executive Member thanked officers for their update and he noted that the Local Government Fire Safety Sub Group, attended by fire safety professionals from Councils across the north, met shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire to compare responses and gave particular consideration to the use of sprinkler systems, especially within sheltered and care home accommodation.

Resolved:

(i)           That the ongoing work to reduce the risk from fire and the council’s response to managing and responding to those risks be noted.

(ii)          That any national inquiry reports and any relevant outcomes from the action plan be included in the 6 monthly update reports that will be presented at future Executive Member for Environment Decision Sessions.

Reason: To ensure the Executive Member and residents are assured that the council has proper arrangements in place for managing and responding to the risk from fire.