HARLOW Council has now completed 100% of fire risk assessments (FRAs) to low, medium and high-rise flat blocks and supported housing schemes, as it continues its mission to “invest in our housing”.

The announcement was made at the last Cabinet meeting on 12 June and means that all council-owned residential buildings that need an FRA have one in place. As old FRAs come up for review each month, they will be refreshed with any new actions identified scheduled for completion.

The completion of FRAs is part of the actions agreed with the Regulator of Social Housing, to address past compliance failings and restore confidence in the council’s housing services.

As part of the actions the council has implemented a Consumer Standards Improvement Plan. This plan is being enacted, in full, this year, to ensure that the council is meeting all of its compliance obligations and effectively tracks the progress being made on projects that will ensure that council tenants remain safe in their homes.

The council has also put the following in place to reduce risk to fire safety:

• Over 90% of tenants’ homes have heat, smoke, and carbon monoxide sensors fitted, the majority of which are linked to a smart system that detects any faulty parts and notifies us so that we can get them changed
• We have Fire Risk Appraisals for External Walls (FRAEWs) on all buildings over 18m.  These have confirmed the way the walls of all our high rise buildings are constructed is safe
• Communal areas in blocks are regularly checked by officers, with higher-risk blocks checked more frequently.
• A front door replacement programme is ongoing.
• Five separate contractors are instructed to carry out ad hoc fire safety repairs.
• The second annual inspection of flat front entrance doors in tower blocks and blocks over 11 metres high is underway.
• The first quarterly inspection of tower blocks and blocks over 11 metres high has been completed; second quarterly inspections are due to start in June. These inspections check all communal doors affecting escape routes and all service riser doors, ensuring they are safe.  These inspections lead to immediate ad hoc repairs.
• Close working with Essex Fire and Rescue Service has been established, with strong relationships built with teams responsible for both high-rise and low-rise buildings.
• Sheltered blocks are regularly inspected and any fire safety repairs are reported and carried out immediately.
• All communal alarms are checked at least monthly

In addition to all this the council has commissioned an independent review of its technical compliance, including fire safety, and this has already begun and will complete in the autumn.

The council says that it is reshaping its housing services from the ground up, with a renewed focus on quality, accountability, and outcomes. This is underpinned by the largest housing investment Harlow has ever made; a total budget of more than £136 million this year, representing a 23% increase on last year.

Councillor David Carter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing, said:

“We take the safety of all of our tenants very seriously, and that includes making sure the homes in which they live do not pose a risk to them. Achieving 100% completion of FRAs across our buildings is a significant step forward in our improvement plan as we work to stay firmly on top of our compliance requirements.

“We are, however, under no illusion that the completion of the FRAs means our work is done; we are continuing to work with the Regulator of Social Housing on our plan so that we can effectively track all improvement projects and meet all consumer standards. We’ve also recruited a new Head of Fire and Building Safety to ensure continuous improvement in the way we conduct our fire risk compliance work.

“As we continue in our mission to invest in our housing, we are putting fire safety at the forefront and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our tenants live in safe and decent homes.”

You can read the full Cabinet report here.