Agenda item

The Service Manager (Planned Programmes) presented a report to update the board on fire safety in Council housing, particularly in the context of the Grenfell Tower fire and the publication of Phase 1 of the report into the events on the night.  She drew attention to the following:

• Bristol City Council (BCC) owned and managed housing for 62 High Rise blocks, the definition of High Rise being 5 storeys or more;
• None of the buildings owned or managed by BCC had the same type of cladding that was on the Grenfell Tower Block and this was an important message to be communicated to tenants;
• BCC’s blocks were proven to perform very well in the event of a fire.;
• The seriousness of the Grenfell fire was due to factors other than just the cladding such as quality of fire doors and BCC tenants had been reassured that their properties had good quality fire doors which had been tested independently;
• BCC worked closely with Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) and AF&RS inspected tower blocks regularly, offering advice and support for residents;
• In relation to the recommendations of the Phase 1 report, BCC was either already carrying out the recommendations or looking at how the recommendations could be implemented;
• No issues had been raised by BCC tenants following the publication of the so far following the publication of the independent checks reports on their individual blocks;
• Phase 2 of the Grenfell Inquiry would look at the building, the cladding refurbishments and the activities that led to the fire spreading and officers would report back to the Board on any further recommendations arising from the publication of the Phase 2 report.

In response to questions raised by Board Members, it was reported that:

• Although there were no BCC owned properties with the same cladding as the type used on the Grenfell Tower block, there were a couple of private blocks in Bristol with this type of cladding and the private landlord/s would be required by law to ensure the safety of these buildings;
• BCC had an evacuation plan and gave residents simple instructions to follow which were displayed near lifts.  In response to a comments from a tenant representative about these notices not being securely fixed, officers undertook to look into this issue;
• BCC did not hold fire drills as this was not recommended for tower blocks, but had experienced fires in BCC properties which had tested the agreed procedures;
• Where fires had occurred in BCC tower blocks, they had been contained in a small area and had not spread;
• Cladding was not just used for aesthetic reasons, in the case of BCC properties, it was used to provide insulation and protect the structure of the block;
• BCC did inspect stairwells for safety and officers undertook to look into a concern about a petrol lawnmower being kept in a stairwell;
• Residents were informed about what to do in the event of a fire via briefing meetings and newsletters and AF&RS provided additional professional advice about fire safety;
• The recommendations in the Phase 1 report were mainly related to tower blocks but some of the recommendations were relevant for all properties, e.g. smoke alarms.