Southwark Council has been criticized for failing to carry out adequate fire risk assessments in a block of flats despite being located next to another tower block where six people died in a blaze in 2009.
The independent report, published in September 2022, found that unqualified contractors had been hired at Marie Curie House in Camberwell and that the council had allowed “inadequate” assessments to be carried out.
independent Report findings
“There appears to be limited oversight on the level of knowledge of contractors providing such advice and the qualifications required to be deemed competent are in some cases inadequate for the tasks they undertake,” the report stated.
There appears to be limited oversight on the level of knowledge of contractors providing such advice
In particular, the fire risk assessments at Marie Curie House “simply echoed the information of previous risk assessment visits and have included just a tour of the common areas, without appropriate consideration of the flats within. There was no Fire Strategy or other Regulation 38 information available to inform these fire risk assessments and explain the fire safety standard adopted in the building or the reasoning behind fire safety measures,” the independent report added.
Failed fire safety issues
The council was also criticized for failing to carry out other works at Marie Curie House – bathroom ventilation works were scheduled in 2009/10 but then excluded with no reason given. The work remained unattended even when similar works were carried out in neighboring Lakanal House a few years later.
“The omission of these works was a substantial error,” the report stated. These continued failings have come as a surprise to some as, according to the report, Southwark Council has shown a “willingness to rectify and manage fire safety issues at Marie Curie House,”, especially in the aftermath of the Lakanal House fire in 2009.
Government clarification requested
Southwark Council had even asked for clarification from the government regarding common areas and access to flats
Six people died in the fire at Lakanal House, the sister block to Marie Curie House, and the council pleaded guilty to multiple safety failures, including failure to carry out a fire risk assessment and was fined £570,000.
Following this, Southwark Council had even asked for clarification from the government regarding common areas and access to flats, which this new report stated was “disappointing” as the government had published guidance on this specific issue of fire safety a year earlier.
fire risk assessment item checklist
According to Southwark Council’s website, the following items need to be considered during a Fire Risk Assessment:
- emergency routes and exits (ensuring they are adequate for the building, its use, and occupancy and kept clear),
- fire detection and warning systems,
- firefighting equipment,
- smoke ventilation/clearance systems,
- suitable signage,
- staff training,
- firefighter facilities and access, and
- the needs of those considered most vulnerable such as the disabled, elderly, and children.
Fire safety Recommendations and implementation
At a council meeting on 13 September 2022, Darren Merrill, the Labour Cabinet Member for Social Housing, said, “I would like to apologize to residents for the disruption and anxiety they have had to go through over the past few years or so while this report was being considered."
“We fully accept what the report says. We fully accept their recommendations and will implement them. Its clear mistakes were made, and it’s clear things should have been done better back then. I can’t go back. I don’t have a time machine. I wish I had. But I am confident that the team we have now will take fire safety and building security to the forefront.”
