UPDATE Has Brent Council learnt nothing from the Grenfell Inquiry and are they putting their disabled residents in peril as a result?

Lawyers involved in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry into the 2017 fire which killed 72 people have described it “as a landmark act of discrimination against disabled and vulnerable people”.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council knew about the conditions of Disabled people living in Grenfell Tower but refused to provide them with evacuation plans, and housed some on the upper floors with a ‘stay put’ fire policy, the Inquiry into the Tower fire has heard.

Source Disability Rights UK  

 

UPDATE - Today, the day after this article was published Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has written to John Healy acknowledging his enquiry of April 21st and stating that it has been forwarded to the respective department who will look into the issue and make every effort to resolve it. He said the Council aimed to respond withing 10 working days.

Readers may recall several articles Wembley Matters has published about the plight of disabled pensioner John Healy who lives in a Brent Council block on the  South Kilburn Estate.

John wrote a personal blog on March 12th  about the issues he was facing and Brent Council made the following statement in response:

"Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) are essential for anyone who may need assistance in the unlikely event of being advised to leave a building because of fire. We're concerned that something seems to have gone wrong here and have contacted Mr Healy to put it right."

John Healy contacted the Council and the Council could not find the PEEP request he had made and asked him to resubmit. He resubmitted and has heard nothing further. John says that officers have stopped replying to his emails.

In their evidence LINK  to the Grenfell Inquiry Bindmans pointed out the failure of the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) to assess residents' needs:

 Dr Lane finds no evidence that TMO assessed the needs of any vulnerable person in GT in the event of a fire3. This failure resulted in TMO not being appraised of the fire precautions required by RRO in order to protect residents, including vulnerable residents, and failing to advise LFB of the need to assist the vulnerable. The lack of appropriate precautions is reflected in the deaths: a quarter of the 67 child residents present on the night died and 41% of the 37 vulnerable adult residents died.These groups suffered higher death rates than any other category on the night. Yet TMO's spreadsheet emailed during the fire showed only 10 out of 225 residents listed with disabilities5

 Mr Healy is rightly concerned that Brent Council has also failed to adequately assess the needs of its vulnerable residents, putting them at considerable risk.  I would go further and say that they are repeating what Kensington and Chelsea did in ignoring the pleas of their tenants when they draw attention to deficiencies in safety precautions in their blocks. Brent Council brought council housing back in house instead of having the arms length organisation ,Brent Housing Partnership - Brent Housing has direct control and thus direct responsibility for the welbeing and safety of its tenants.

It even appears the Mr Healy is seen as a nuisance who can be ignored.  Today he wrote to his housing officer:

Good afternoon, you may be aware that the Grenfell Inquiry heard today from an officer of Kensington & Chelsea council, as he responded about why he failed to issue PEEPs to several disabled residents in the block, including many who tragically died on the night.

I myself have been asking for a PEEP since last September and I still have not been sent one.

I also need to see the evacuation policy for everyone at William Dunbar House.

And finally can you send me a copy of the latest Fire Risk Assesssment for William Dunbar House please?

Cllr Janice Long has submitted a generic  question to the Council  about PEEPs. according to Mr Healy, which gave him some hopes, but the Council has 14 days to reply, prolonging the uncertainty and anxiety.

John told Wembley Matters he had  contacted a senior officer who deals with Council policy:

 I asked him what did he mean when he said in a debate on Fire Safety in Brent's tower blocks:-

"In terms of people with special needs, we will try and relocate the residents if necessary".

The cabinet said they would review their position on retrofitting sprinklers in the 8 South Kilburn tower blocks (including William Dunbar House), once the result of the South Kilburn resident's ballot is known but they seem to have forgotten to have the review.

I have to remain in my block for several years without any sprinklers, even after the London Fire Brigade  said they could only say a high rise is safe, if they have sprinklers installed in them.

I also checked my most recent Fire Risk Assessment for my block---William Dunbar House over evacuation which says:-

"Physically disabled people should be relatively safe in their own abode should a fire occur elsewhere in the building".

Our rating is 'moderate' which says "in a serious fire there are llikely to be some deaths but not too many".

So if some will die in a serious fire, I have a feeling it is most likely to be me, or another disabled person living in my block.

Just to add, the Brent Housing officers who were dealing with me through email have stopped replying to me.  They have not responded to my Stage 1 complaint either, even though it has gone past their 20 days waiting time before they are supposed to respond.

 So this pensioner with very limited mobility and extreme deafness is left without a Personal Emergency Plan, that is required by law, on the 5th floor of a block without sprinklers or an alarm system that he can hear and with his request for relocation refused. On top of that his Stage 1 complaint made in order to get some sort of hearing has not been responded to within the required 5 days and a further 20 to find a solution. The complaint was made 38 days ago.

Is it any surprise that he feels desperate, ignored and sick with worry?

 

Brent Housing Management challenged at Scrutiny

A presentation from Harlesden Area Action put Brent housing chiefs on the spot at yesterday's Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee meeting when the Council was accused of not fulfilling their responsibilities as owners of the Freehold at two properties.

They were told that the example  above was one of many in Harlesden and Kensal Green where Brent was not fulfilling its responsibility to 'keep in repair and proper working order the structure and exterior of residential properties it owns'.

The property with accumulated waste and evidence of rat infestation, was reported in August 2019 but the issue not resolved until January 17th this year.  This meant that Brent Council was not adhering to the duty cited in the Brent Housing Report that 'landlords are responsible to ensure premises are not in a state to be prejudicial to health or nuisance'.

Responding Cllr Southwood, lead member for Housing and Benefits, admitted that the Council needed to be more proactive. They were reliant to issues such as this being flagged up by councillors as a result of residents' complaints, as well as input from Veolia and Streetcare. Improvements were needed in future.

Presenting the Performance Report on Brent Housing Management Cllr Southwood focused on improvements since BHP was brought back in-house in 2017 and Wettons brought in-house later.

There had been an improvement in the speed of repairs and residents' satisfaction with them but more work needed to be done by closer monitoring of Wates, particularly on complex repairs (those that needed more than one trade). The Council hoped that its current review with Wates would result in an an improvement. Wates had been honest about shortcomings enabling things to move forward. There seemed little prospect of this service being brought back in-house.

The Council were introducing a mobile phone App which would enable residents to report repairs 24/7.  Customer satisfaction with routine repairs was currently 83% (72% in last full period of the Brent Housing Partnership) and the Council's aim was to increase this to 90%. Some members of the Committee suggested the target should be 100%.

A puzzling finding was that there was no correlation between 'customer satisfaction'  and  the amount invested in council housing maintenance and refurbishment.

The Committee discussed the importance of hearing residents' voices as part of the Asset Management Strategy.  A 'Customer Panel' had been formed. It was not elected but appointed from volunteers in order to cover a range of tenancies and experience.  They challenged performance and would be involved in considering any changes of policy.  Housing Management were going to suggest that panel members follow a repair through from hearing the initial phone call, going out on the job with Wates, and seeing the repair to completion.

Changes were proposed in broadening the customer survey with a wider range of possible responses and asking tenants and leaseholders how they feel about the service itself.

Councillors questioned progress on Fire Risk Assessments with personal Emergency Action Plans (PEEPs).  The Committee asked for a report back on the 12 week programme that is about to commence to identify needs and review any changes required in the blocks.

Brent Council housing performance plummets

A reader writes:

Hi Martin, I received the Winter edition of ‘Your Voice’ the magazine for Brent Council’s tenants and leaseholders this morning and noticed that 5 out of 6 key performance targets had gone down, as they are highlighted in red.

The council told me and other residents that we would see a remarkable transformation in the delivery of services following the transfer from BHP 14 months ago.  I assumed they were going to get better but as their own statistics show, they are nosediving. e.g. The target for Estate Inspections in 2018/19 is 100% but their performance is rated at 48%.

Maybe you might like to ask the council, why are they performing so badly?  The next Housing Scrutiny committee meets this week and you could ask the chair Cllr. Long what has gone so badly wrong? Could it be that the council misled us at the consultation meetings to get us to vote to take the services in-house.  I attended the session at the Willesden Library and ‘my table’ was hosted by Cllr. Butt and I remember him saying, “BHP were useless at managing repairs” but it seems the council are even worse

Brent council housing now back in-house

Brent council housing officially came back in house yesterday making the demise of the arms length organisation Brent Housing Partnership.

Brent Council yesterday published the following information for tenants and leaseholders:

The council housing management services, previously provided by Brent Housing Partnership (BHP), have transferred back to Brent Council today.

The move follows a 12 week consultation with tenants and leaseholders earlier this year and a raft of improvements to council housing are planned over the next year including:

• More investment in up-to-date technology, such as a new smartphone app for simple transactions
• More joined up approach between housing and other council services, to provide a better customer experience for tenants and leaseholders
• A more responsive and flexible repairs service
• More and better targeted investment in estates, blocks and houses
• Review of service standards, to ensure we are delivering what residents want
• Better engagement of residents in decision-making about their homes and estates.

Tenancies are already held by the council so residents do not need to do anything differently and will still receive all the services they had access to under BHP. However, council tenants and leaseholders will notice a change of branding back to Brent Council which will appear on all official items including estate signage, website, social media, letters and ID cards of staff and contractors.

Councillor Harbi Farah, Lead Member for Housing at Brent Council said: “Housing is one of our most important services so it’s great that we’ve been able to bring it back in-house. Our tenants and residents can be sure that we’re committed to building on BHP’s good work and will know that we’re determined to deliver an excellent service across the board.”

Anyone who would like to help shape the new housing service can get involved by:

1. Taking part in a survey – to help with the new Customer Strategy. Surveys can be completed via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HousingCustomerStrategy  
2. Attending a workshop – to ensure that information about Service Standards is clear, useful and complete
3. Taking part in some testing – of designs for a new smartphone app

Please visit the housing website for dates of workshops, app testing and further information.

Fire Safety meeting tonight at Bernard Shaw House

Greens challenge tree felling in Gladstone Park

The Green Party's parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, Shaka Lish, has challenged Brent Council about the felling of trees in Gladstone Park.

Accusing Brent Council of an act of 'wilful vandalism' she asked, 'What is the point of cutting down our beautiful, healthy, ancient trees?' She asked if the Council had any plans to replace them.

At the recent Brent Clean Air meeting at the Civic Centre, Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt, extolled the benefits of trees to combat air pollution but a closer examination shows this may be no more than hot air.

A Freedom of Information request by Wembley Matters LINK established that Brent Council keeps no records of trees lost, felled and replaced in its parks and that none of the 62 trees removed on Brent Housing Partnership estates Jan 1st-Dec 31st 2016 had been replaced.

Parks maintenance is contracted  out to Veolia as part of the Public Realm contract and Gristwood and Toms is contracted to deal with trees over a specific height.

It's ironic given all the above that Brent Council has received a Forestry Commission London's Trees and Woodland Award LINK:

Borough Tree Award - Brent Council Tree Planting Project, Sudbury Town, Barn Hill, Harlesden and Kensal Green 

The Trees and Development Award: Wembley Park – Arena Square and Wembley Park Boulevard.  Market Square (meantime planting). Quintain, London Borough of Brent

South Kilburn Fire Safety Meeting July 4th

From Brent Council website:

George House, Albert Road, South Kilburn, London, NW6 5BR

L&Q has been informed that the cladding used on its block at George House in South Kilburn, built in 2012, has failed the Government’s testing of their cladding samples. The London Fire Brigade has since carried out a site visit and have advised that they do not believe that George House is at high risk, as all fire safety systems required in the building are in place. They have also advised that no risks were identified that would warrant decanting the premises.

UPDATE: Cllr Butt reassures Brent high-rise tenants on Fire Risk Assessments and compliance

Twitter post earlier today

 Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, has made the following statement in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Following the terrible scenes from the fire at Grenfell Tower, our thoughts are with all those affected. We have been in contact with our neighbours in Kensington and Chelsea to offer any help and assistance we can at this difficult time.

Many residents living in high-rise blocks across the country will naturally be concerned and I want to reassure tenants and leaseholders that, in Brent, all of our Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) are up-to-date in all high rise properties and we are 100% compliant also.

Fire safety is the number one priority for anyone's home and we continually review our fire risk assessments, servicing and maintenance programmes in all accommodation blocks to ensure our residents are kept safe.

The council works closely with London Fire Brigade and meets regularly with them, both on an operational and fire safety level.

As a council, working with Brent Housing Partnership, we are doing all that we can to keep our residents safe from the devastating consequences of a major fire, but you can help too by following this advice:

• Make sure you have a working smoke alarm in your home
• Keep balconies free from clutter
• Please don't leave rubbish or bikes in communal areas or obstruct escape routes
• Make sure you know where your nearest fire exit is
• If you are a smoker please do not smoke in common areas of the block
• Always fully extinguish cigarettes smoked in your home and dispose of them carefully and safely

Given the large number of new high-rise private blocks in the Wembley Stadium  Quintain development it would be useful to know what fire precautions have been built into these developments as well as detail on the cladding used.

UPDATE

High rise tower blocks developed by Quintain in Wembley Park

In a response to concerned residents, Cllr Butt sent this fuller message today:

I am sure that you are shocked and horrified at the tragedy that has unfolded over the last two days in Kensington and the tragic loss of life in the fire that ravaged the Grenfell Tower.

Our thoughts, prayers and sympathies are with the families, friends and for all those who have lost their lives and those that have been injured in this incident. The police and fire brigade are working flat out to make sure  that they bring this incident to close soon so that the process of reflection can proceed, and once again they have demonstrated great professionalism in helping to keep us all safe, I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and dedication.

Myself and Carolyn Downs ( Chief Exec) have made contact with the Leader and the chief exec of Kensington to offer our full support for any assistance that they may need. I have also been  in contact with the leaders of Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Harrow and we have all collectively agreed to offer our assistance at any time which has been communicated to Kensington.

I have also been in contact with representatives for the Mayor of London , and we are all united in offering our help and support across London from all our respective boroughs.

As you may be aware each council has emergency procedures and systems in place in case an incident occurs, and Kensington has instigated those systems and procedures at the moment. They have setup respite centres and are they are actively working with their neighbours in Westminster council, we have offered to help with any assistance that they may need and we will immediately respond to any request when made, Carolyn has been in touch and they are able to cope with what they need to deliver.

Their  Website currently has a message that reads “ The Council would like to thank all those who have made generous donations of accommodation, food, clothing and other items. We would ask you to please hold off for now as we have been inundated with useful items. When we need donations again we will update via our website and social media.

You can find more information about the respite centres and how you can signpost people and organisations who may want to offer help and support from this link: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/all-council-statements/fire-grenfell-tower

I have made a statement about fire safety in our buildings which you can read here: https://www.brent.gov.uk/council-news/press-releases/pr6596/

We have 37 high-rise blocks in Brent and all 37 are Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) compliant. All new blocks like the ones in Wembley etc are built using new construction methods and rigorously inspected through building control, as part of the planning process the issues around fire safety are absolutely discussed and are paramount.

Resident safety is our number one concern and in light of this incident, a number of actions have been implemented to allay any fears that residents living in those blocks may have.

In addition, all relevant media platforms have been updated for resident awareness and reassurance of our fire management and further notifications will be sent in due course. 

We have received many queries from councillors and from residents and these briefings are being sent out to assure everyone that we are absolutely serious about the concerns and will continue to make sure that we allay those fears, which are completely understandable.

It’s been great to see the communities coming together to help and support the people affected by the fire, and that community spirit is also being shown here in Brent, Mosques and churches have come together to provide the support to those who are affected, I have also been contacted by a developer who is willing to offer his development for people who may need it and I have also been contacted by a local community organisation that is willing to help prepare food for the opening of the fast and will provide other support around shelter and accommodation if required. If a request comes through anything else to help the effort in Kensington I can assure we will not hesitate to help, whether it is for accommodation, personnel or anything else.

We are also looking at setting up a collection point for items that can be delivered to the people who are affected, as I have been asked if we can do this once we have spoken to all concerned we will send out the details for any collection points , if there is anyone who wants to help and volunteer please pass on the details as follows :. If you would like to volunteer to help with the support effort please register your interest by emailing Grenfellvolunteers@rbkc.gov.uk including your name, contact number and availability. Please also let us know if you have any specialist skills.  They also had a phone number 020 7361 3008

A page has been setup where you can make a financial donation here : https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/grenfell

The council is working to make sure that everyone who needs the help and support from us , will receive it and we will continue to liaise with Kensington & Council and its residents in their time of need.

The Kilburn Times LINK reports that Brent Council has devised a 6 point action plan in reaction to the Grenfell House fire:

In a report shown to the Brent&Kilburn Times, housing chiefs have set up a six-point action plan which includes checks that claddings applied to the outside of buildings are fire rated.

They are also liaising with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to seek clarity and guidance around the “self evacuation” vs “stay put” briefing as many block residents are told to stay in their properties in the event of a fire.

There are 37 high rise blocks in Brent which the council said are all “Fire Risk Assessment compliant”.

Over the next 72 hours, visits will take place to all high-rise properties to enforce the removal of residents’ belongings from communal parts of the buildings where necessary.

A customer response team is to report any fire safety concerns raised by residents that “have or have not been attended to and /or completed”.

A former fire project manager who oversaw upgrade works in 2015 is to confirm all cladded properties are fire-rated and signed off by the council.

They are also liaising with Wates, the council’s preferred building contractor, to “discuss any outstanding actions to ensure fire safety defects are remedied without delay”.

On Thursday I emailed the Brent Council Press Desk with the following request.

I am receiving queries about the safety of the new towers in the Quintain development in Wembley which are of course private.

Could you comment (presumably via Planning) on fire precautions demanded of the developers (2 x fire escapes, sprinklers in flats and common areas, alarm systems, material used for cladding).

I have recieved no response (time now 21.55 Friday)

Exhibition on King's Drive 'garages into homes' exhibition postponed

Brent Housing Partnership has postponed the Exhibition due to be held on May 9th about the proposal to build bungalows on the site of King's Drive garages. LINK

This is a result of Brent Council deciding that all public consultations on new developments should be postponed until after the General Election.

'In-house' management of council housing favoured in Brent Council survey - Full Council debate April 20th

There will be a Special Brent Full Council meeting on Thursday April 20th, 7pm Civic Centre, to consider the outcome of the survey of council tenants and leaseholders on options for the future management of council housing in the borough.

2,937 residents responded to the survey (26% return) to consider the options:

a. Continue with Brent Hoising Partnership on a reformed basis
b. Bring the service back in-house under direct control of the council
c. Enter into partnership with another organisation to provide the service

49.1% of respondents supported option b with 55.6% of lease holders and 47.3% of tenants in favour.

After debate at Full Council the proposal to bring the service in-house will go to Cabineton Monday April 24th.

The decision will be made against the background of a deficit in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and further 'savings' and 'transformation' will be necessary:

1. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget is £56.1m and is used for the management and maintenance of the HRA stock and for the repayment of the HRA debt. The HRA is a ring fenced account. The BHP Management Fee for the current year is £7.5m. This fee is for managing and maintaining the HRA properties on behalf of the Council. Core management costs, including this fee are £12.5m per annum.
   
2. 12.2  The Housing and Planning Act 2016 will have a significant impact on Brent’s Council housing and its financial position in coming years. The implications for which are continuously being reviewed with more comprehensive analysis to follow once the details are published by Government.
   
3. 12.3  Based on current assumptions and changes in the Housing and Planning Act,
   an efficiency savings target of circa £3.6m would be required to balance the HRA if the current assumptions on changes materialise.
   
4. 12.4  The savings to the HRA upon the initial implementation of the in-house housing management service are estimated to be £1m pa. These are provisional figures and will be refined as planning for the implementation of the selected option is progressed.
   
5. 12.5  The decision to bring the housing management service in-house alone is not sufficient to cover the gap without wider transformation. This, then, reinforces the need for further transformation in the service.
   

I hope councillors will explore what 'transformation' could involve when they debate the proposal.

AGENDA For Ful Council Meeting

Background:

The Council owns almost 11,500 homes, mostly flats on small and medium-sized estates, with around 7,700 tenants and 3,700 leaseholders. Around 43,000 people live in these homes - over 1 in 8 of Brent’s population. Around a third of tenants are over 60, 4% have a disability and 8% have a vulnerability of some kind. The Council is responsible for management and maintenance services and has delegated these to BHP since 2002, under a Management Agreement. BHP is a company with a Board of 13 people comprising residents, Councillors and independent persons with an independent chair. BHP provides all landlord services, directly or through contracts, including:

Tenancy Management – e.g. lettings, rent collection, resident engagement,

Right to Buy and the oversight of two Tenant Management Organisations. 


Leaseholder Management – e.g. service charges and major works. 


     Property services – e.g. estate management, repairs and major works 


    Development services – the delivery of a new-build programme on existing estates 


Vital Deeds missing as proposals made for new build at John Perrin Place

Brent Council's plans to build additional housing on Brent Housing Partnership estates have run into trouble with tenants on John Perrin Place on Preston Hill.

BHP and developer JLL are consulting on proposals to build on the site of garages on the estate (Site A above)  and on a stretch of hedgerow that borders Preston Hill (Site B). Residents say that BHP has not actively encouraged use of the garages by tenants and claim the hedgerow shelters the estate from air pollution and traffic noise. Furthermore, residents point out, as can be seen on site, Site B has a complex sewage/drainage system beneath it and the adjacent brook is liable to flooding.

Garage site (A) - proposed part2/part 3 storey building with 1 one bedroom and 3 two bedroomed flats

Hedgerow site (B) Verge mostly retained, hedgerow replaced by two semi-detached houses

The brook where it borders site B

Planning permission may not be straightforward as Brent Council claims to have lost the Deed of Trust, dated January 1950 with a Deed of Assent dated 14th July 1958, which was drawn up when the land was handed over to what was then the Borough of Wembley by farmer John Perrin for a recreation ground.  It is registered as a charity (12th January 1967) registration number 302938.

The charity's object is:

A recreation ground of the public in such manner and subject to such regulations in all respects as the Mayor, Alderman and Burgesses of the Borough of Wembley may from time to time think proper.

This is pretty broad and residents fear, if a precedent is set by acceptance of these proposals, that the attractive open space (presumably the original 'recreation ground') may eventually be built on.

The only trustee listed on the Charity Commission site is Mr Martin Cheeseman, previously Head of Housing for Brent Council, with the address given as Mahatma Gandhi House.

John Perrin Place has 82 properties of which about 26 are leasehold and the others rented from BHP. The residents association say that the housing, mainly one bedroomed flats, was designated for people aged over 55 and for vulnerable adults. They fear that their small community is threatened not only by disruption caused by building works and loss of green space but by the eventual loss of its special designation. According to the residents' association many members of the community are elderly and not fluent in English so have not fully understood the proposals. This makes the effectiveness of future communication very important.

View along Preston Hill

This is what Barnhill ward councillor Michael Pavey wrote in his Newsletter earlier this year:

Since the day I was first elected, far more people have contacted me regarding housing than any other issue. Families living in overcrowded conditions, people working full time but still unable to afford their housing costs, squalid conditions in privately rented accommodation: London faces a housing crisis.

The only solution is to build more homes. But where? No-one wants to lose greenspaces, we need industrial land to generate jobs and we can’t let London sprawl endlessly into the countryside. This leaves “in-fill” sites: small pockets of land in developed areas. And that’s exactly what’s being proposed at a couple of sites just off Preston Hill.

Myself and Cllrs Choudhary and Marquis can see both sides to this issue. On the one hand, these plans will deliver six desperately needed new Council homes. On the other hand, the proposed sites are in John Perrin Place: a quiet and peaceful community with many elderly residents.

With the arguments so finely balanced we are adamant that the views of local residents are heard loud and clear. So we arranged for the Council to have a consultation session and we knocked on every door in the area to encourage residents to get involved.

It was great to talk with so many people and currently I’m thinking that the huge benefits of the new homes outweigh the undoubtedly negative impact of the construction period – but I’d very much welcome your views before I commit either way.