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Quicker and more decisive action is urgently needed


Patrick Mooney, News Editor


The housing sector’s professional body demands the suspension of Right of Buy and the investment of billions of pounds in the building of new affordable homes, while the Government puts the finishing touches to its long awaited Green Paper on social housing. Yet it is the Grenfell Tower fire and its aftermath that continues to dominate the headlines. Politicians and policymakers appear to be finally getting the message that Health & Safety is NOT red-tape, nor is it petty


bureaucracy that can be dropped or jettisoned without huge costs being risked. Most regulation is there for a very good reason, it just needs periodic reviews to ensure that it is still valid and relevant. The potential cost of not having it is the needless and catastrophic loss of human life, as we saw in the fires at Grenfell Tower and Lakanal House. It is noticeable that more social landlords are deciding to demolish or carry out structural strengthening works to a


growing number of tower blocks, but of course this increases the pressure on the supply of affordable homes in these localities and is exacerbating an already difficult situation. We are seeing more caution in the private sector, with only two developments where the original builder has decided to bite the bullet and pay for cladding removal works to proceed.


STAY PUT OR EVACUATE Clarity of purpose is also required, particularly with regard to Stay Put strategies. These are only justified if fires can be safely contained within individual flats or areas where they have broken out. Once they are outside of these, then it seems obvious the strategy has been compromised and the onus should be on a safe and orderly evacuation of the affected building. We also need decisive action when circumstances dictate. Ministers should have imposed an immediate ban on the use of


combustible materials, even if only for a temporary period while a proper review of its use is undertaken. It damages public confidence when we see spats over technical minutae by well paid professionals, some of who work for the manufacturers and whose independence is rightly being questioned. Science and the evidence should be above vested interests and different interpretations. If in doubt, then people should err on the side of caution and public safety. The Government should also consider the appropriate fire protection systems that should be mandatory in all medium


and high-rise buildings, including the installation of water sprinkler systems, fit for purpose ventilation equipment and effective communal smoke and fire alarms. What is good for new buildings should surely also be fitted to existing buildings unless there are exceptional reasons for not doing so. And in these circumstances, there should be alternative fire retardant or extinguishing systems available for use. The list of flaws at Grenfell Tower was truly frightening. Michael Mansfield QC in his opening remarks to the public


inquiry asked about the possibility of returning fire extinguishers and fire hoses to the communal parts of tower blocks and requested the provision of smoke masks for the residents of each flat. Whatever their price these are a cost worth bearing, especially if they buy our safety.


BUDGETS AND CAPACITY The money being spent by landlords on fire safety is coming under greater scrutiny at present. The biggest housing association in the country, Clarion, has revealed it has virtually tripled its fire safety budget from £12.5m over 18 months to £61m over 30 months. Not all landlords will be able to increase their budgets by similar amounts, but clearly HA boards and councillors need to be asking questions about levels of risk and what is being done to manage and mitigate these in the social sector. But who is performing this role in the private rented sector? The £400m to pay for cladding removal from tower blocks owned by councils and housing associations is a welcome start,


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Towards a retrofit sprinkler breakthrough


Antony Corbett examines the case for a mandate on installations of sprinklers in existing properties – See inside


Patrick Mooney 4 | HMM July 2018 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


but the fact this money has been taken from the social housing new build budget looks questionable. The final figure for remediation work in the social housing sector is likely to be at least double that and it is to be hoped that the building of more new affordable homes is not postponed or cancelled, to make up the balance. The slow rate of progress in removing and replacing combustible insulation and cladding materials from tower blocks up and down the country is a worry and concern. There are also worrying signs that a shortage of construction workers is already hitting development programmes with


several HAs reporting a slowing down in the rate of new house completions and problems in their supply chains – with an ageing workforce and many foreign workers returning home or migrating to other EU countries. The problem is also hitting the private housebuilding sector with output of new homes falling to its lowest quarterly level in two years – down from a peak of 55,000 at the end of 2017, to just 39,000 at the start of this year. That 300,000 new homes a year target is looking increasingly unlikely to be met in the forseeable future.


HOUSING MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE


07.18 Grenfell update


Suspend RTB demanded NAO slams UC


Landlords prosecuted


3 year tenancies for PRS


On the cover...


Antony Corbett examines the case for a mandate on installations of sprinklers in existing properties


Read more on page 25...


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