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Kirklees Council report unearths fire safety and asbestos issues
A report conducted on behalf of Kirklees Council into its residential housing stock has uncovered issues relating to out-of-date fire safety works and asbestos issues at a number of the local authority’s properties.
The report, which was submitted to the council and debated at an ad-hoc scrutiny panel on 21 September, found that there were “a number of challenges placing significant risk on the organisation”.
The council has put aside £21m to cover works in its high-rise blocks, however other issues across its estate remain.
These included a lack of project management competency and a lack of compliance resources, overdue delivery of fire safety remedial actions to housing blocks and poor data management, as well as issues with the completion of inspection and re-inspection programmes for asbestos.
The health and safety compliance review at the West Yorkshire council included a total of 48 recommendations by the independent assessor.
The in-depth look at the council’s estate was conducted by Darlington-based Robust Management Solutions over a four-month period. Other compliance and safety concerns raised in the report related to water hygiene, compliance, governance and oversight, management information, delivery of compliance services to non-Housing Revenue Account (HRA) properties and passenger lift safety.
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A number of recommendations had been completed, with the council taking action on the other points raised.
The Kirklees Council report stated: “The current 30-year HRA business plan makes a capital provision to invest in high-rise blocks and therefore set aside £21m for remediation.
“As we continue to commission detailed investigations into the building fabric of all blocks, we will develop capital programmes and therefore expect the capital requirement to increase. As we complete remediation programmes, we will increase the inspection regime and therefore require further revenue funding to maintain programmes.
“The recent compliance review has resulted in the formation of a dedicated building safety function, with additional resource, capacity and competency. The additional resource has been stress-tested in the HRA business plan and is affordable, and we are therefore in the process of recruitment.”
Kirklees Council has been contacted for comment.
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