Councils face massive bill to protect blocks from fire
By Gabriel Huntley
Councils may have to fund a wide-ranging programme of improvements to housing blocks following the fatal fire in Camberwell last month.
There is concern that extensive work will be needed across the country following the serving of a legal order to Southwark council, which owned the tower where the blaze broke out.
The enforcement notice was served to the council by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).
The body fears that other council tower blocks are unsafe, particularly a building identical to the Lakanal tower in which six people died last month.
The order requires Southwark council to ensure that other tower blocks comply with fire safety regulations.
Last month’s fire spread rapidly both upwards and downwards through a number of floors in Lakanal tower, although the building’s design should have allowed the fire to be contained.
It subsequently emerged that ‘botched’ renovations undertaken by Southwark council may have been to blame for the fire’s spread, including a wooden false ceiling in the building’s corridors.
Experts fear that inadequate fire protection exists in thousands of tower blocks and that improvements must be made to prevent another tragedy.
High-rise flats face complex fire safety issues, often having a single staircase. Existing legislation meaning that authorities have responsibility only for the communal areas of blocks but not flats themselves has been criticised, as well as inspections being undertaken by councils rather than fire services.
All new high-rise blocks must be built with specified fire safety features including smoke detectors, but these are often lacking in older buildings.
The Lakanal tower fire is currently being investigated jointly by the fire service and the police. It is likely that the inquiry will be followed by an extensive inquest into the fire’s deaths.
The investigations are expected to highlight a range of deficiencies in fire safety features for housing blocks and recommend necessary precautions for local authorities.
