Cabinet approve changes to the Council Housing Fire Safety Management Plan and Policy
On Tuesday 12 March, Kirklees Council’s Cabinet approved changes to the existing Council Housing Fire Safety Management Plan, and Policy adopted across council housing stock.
The council adopted a comprehensive Fire Safety Management Policy in July 2022, since then there have been changes in legislation that meant the policy needed to be reviewed and updated to reflect those changes. The council have also self-referred to the Social Housing Regulator who identified a number of actions needed to make sure our fire safety measures are up to the required standard. The plan sets out the actions the council will take to make sure it meets fire safety requirements.
The management plan includes guidance on the delivery of the council’s policy and our commitments for council housing in the following areas: fire risk assessments and actions, how we deal with them, the management of buildings in relation to fire safety, testing, inspections and servicing fire safety management system, how performance is monitored, and data is captured.
It also outlines the need for early intervention in case of near misses, enforcement, how the council works with key stakeholders and most importantly, how we ensure tenant safety.
The plan will support an intelligence-led approach to fire safety, meaning resources can be targeted to where they will make the most difference for residents. The plan will also allow teams to identify where fire safety activity and works are needed. Engagement with residents and stakeholders will ensure that local needs are considered and prioritised, wherever possible.
The Council Housing Fire Safety Management Plan and the updated Fire Safety Management Policy will be implemented from July 2024.
Councillor Moses Crook, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
‘’Tenant safety is our number one priority. That is why, when we identified that there were a large number of outstanding fire safety actions, we referred ourselves to the Social Housing Regulator. It is essential that both the fire safety management plan and policy are updated to reflect the changes in legislation, and to ensure that we are working efficiently to ensure the council’s commitments to fire safety are met.
“We are already recruiting more staff to help increase the pace of delivery across fire safety improvements and have several programmes of work already in place to ensure that tenants are safe in their homes. We will work with the regulator to monitor progress and continue to prioritise actions and work based on the level of risk to tenants and the wider public.’’