Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received by Councillor J Faulkner

The Minutes of the previous Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny committee held on 22nd June 2017 were approved and signed as a correct record.

(Moved by Councillor M Gant and seconded by Councillor A Couchman)

Councillor T Clements declared that she sits on the Fire Authority for Staffordshire County Council.

(Discussion Item)

A presentation was made to the Committee by Tina Mustafa - Head of Landlord Services, with the assistance of Paul Weston – Head of Asset Management; John Murden – Repairs Contract Manager and Paul Richins from Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service (SFARS).

The presentation outlined the position of Tamworth Borough Council in respect of Fire and Safety within all Council owned residential properties and the National Focus in the aftermath of Grenfell Fire Tragedy in June 2017.  Assurance was provided to the Committee that it is business as usual for Tamworth Borough Council continuing to work closely with SFARS with whom there is already an excellent working relationship.  The points discussed included:

·         Reassurance letters to residents since the Grenfell Fire Tragedy

·         Drop in sessions centred around Fire Safety at the high-rise social club

·         Sheltered accommodation support

·         Development of the Web – http://www.tamworth.gov.uk/fire-safety

·         Freedom of information and access to Fire Risk Assessments

·         Regular performance discussions with the Tenant Consultative Group

·         SFARS offer to facilitate visits to support on Sprinkler system with links to David Garrick Gardens where the system is show cased

The Committee had tabled questions through the Chair and the answers discussed, as detailed below:

1.    Have all of the council owned blocks of flats been checked for cladding?

All the Councils owned blocks are checked in accordance with Landlord Regulatory Standards.  In addition to periodic inspections by a range of housing staff, annual Fire Safety Risk Assessments (FSRA) are routinely undertaken by Graham Environmental Services.  In an open letter sent by the DCLG on the 28^th June 2017 cladding subject to testing is that containing Aluminium Composite Material (also known as ACM).

There is no Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding on the Councils landlord stock.

2. Are fire doors fitted in all public areas of all council owned blocks?

Yes, the fire doors are fire rated and provide a 30 minute protection.  Each flat is designed to provide a 1 hour (60 minute) fire resistant compartmentalisation.  Each fire door provides 30 minutes protection and in the high rise there are 2 fire doors; 1 leading from the flat onto the landing &/or corridor space plus a second fire door leading from the living space into the hallway. 

This is in line with Fire Regulations.  The Annual Fire Risk Assessment, along with periodic inspections on flat doors, checks that these fit and close correctly and where issues are identified they are repaired within policy timescales.

3. Are fire call points fitted in all public areas of all council owned blocks?

There is no requirement for manual call points in the majority of Council owned flatted accommodation. Where they are required, such as in Sheltered Schemes, they are provided. There are also some low-rise blocks where alarms have been installed despite not being required. There is no requirement for manual call points in the high-rise blocks, and the installation of manual call points is not recommended.