Agenda item - Mayor's Communications.

15.1      The Mayor welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted that since taking up her role as Mayor, there had been a number of unprecedented events affecting communities across the country and whilst each in turn has been recognised, she felt as a Council, Members should mark their respects and asked everyone present to stand for a minute’s silence.

 

15.2      The Mayor then stated that she wished to offer the Council’s congratulations to the Parking Team who had won a national parking award for the second year running.  Brighton & Hove’s Parking Annual Report had been named as the winner of the Best Report at the PATROL PARC Awards (Parking Annual Report Awards by Councils), held at the House of Commons.  PATROL’s annual awards ceremony recognises the local authorities who have published the best reports on their parking services. The Mayor then invited Charles Field, Paul Nicholls, Heidi Perrins and Chloe Robertson from the Parking team along with Councillor Mitchell to come forward to collect the award.

 

15.3      The Mayor then stated that she had been made aware that the Legal Services Team had recently retained their Lexell accreditation and had been commended on their ‘gold’ standards by the auditors.  There were no non-conformities and over 30 commendations for good practice which the assessor had said was exceptional for such an audit.

 

15.4      In addition, the Mayor noted that the Democratic Services Team had been working towards and recently achieved the BSI Quality Management System ISO 9001 standard.  They were one of a few Democratic Services Teams in the South-East who had sought to have their management systems externally accredited and this achievement added to the team’s successful re-accreditation for the South East Employers Charter for Member Development.

 

15.5      The Mayor stated that both teams had yet to receive their certificates but she wanted to offer the Council’s congratulations to Abraham as Head of Service and to all the staff in both the Legal Services and Democratic Service teams.

 

15.6      The Mayor then stated that she intended to call on the Leader of the Council, Councillor Warren Morgan to make a statement on Kings House.  This followed the Notice of Motion that was approved at the Council meeting in April which called on the Leader to make a statement and meant that Council could receive the information first prior to it being given to the media and public.

 

15.7      Councillor Morgan thanked the Mayor and gave the following statement;

 

“Thank you Madam Mayor. I pleased to announce that contracts have been exchanged to sell the freehold of Kings House for £26,125,000.

 

As Members will be aware, the Grade II Listed building located on Hove seafront was formerly occupied by the Council, but as part of the rationalisation of the Council’s offices was vacated in October 2016, with staff relocated to Hove Town Hall and Bartholomew House, Brighton.

 

The disposal will deliver a significant capital receipt for the Council. Selling Kings House will save us £2m a year in operating costs, with money already invested in better customer services for residents both online and in Hove Town Hall.  The disposal was agreed following an extensive marketing campaign undertaken by Cushman & Wakefield. This generated interest from over 500 parties and approaching 40 offers when bids were called for in May 2017.

 

The marketing confirmed there was no interest from office users, but strong demand from residential developers seeing the potential of this landmark building to deliver a high quality housing development.  The disposal is the first stage in the building being brought back into beneficial use. The purchaser, Mortar Nova Grand Avenue is a joint venture development vehicle between local developer Rego Property and London based Pacific Investments, their intention being to bring forward a planning application for residential conversion and development over the coming months.

 

Madam Mayor, this is more good news for the council’s finances, and demonstrates that we were right to make the decision to withdraw from the previous sale agreement that we as an Administration inherited.  We have sold this asset for more than anticipated. As a result we will have more money to invest.  The money is in the council’s bank account sooner than expected, meaning any uncertainty is now concluded. Madam Mayor we have delivered a better deal for the taxpayer and as a result, a greater investment in council services.

 

I’m sure all Members will want to thank officers for their work on this and applaud this success for the council and the city.”

 

15.8      The Mayor noted the Leader’s statement and stated that with the recent Grenfell fire she was aware that the issue of fire safety for high rise buildings was on many people’s minds and noted that there was a Notice of Motion listed on the agenda on this subject and that the Chief Fire Officer, Dawn Whittaker and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer were present.  She therefore intended to invite the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Mark Andrews to provide an update to Members on the position of high rise buildings in the city; especially given the recent fire at Sussex Heights.  Following which, she would allow a period of approximately 20 to 30 minutes for any questions from Members before then taking Item 25(e), the joint Notice of Motion on Grenfell Tower for debate.

 

15.9      The Mayor noted that in inviting the Chief Fire Officer and the Deputy Fire Officer to address the meeting it meant that the public items would be delayed.  However, she felt that it was important to give time to the matter.

 

15.10   The Chief Fire Officer thanked the Mayor for the opportunity to attend the meeting and address the Council.  She stated that the Deputy Chief Fire Officer would give an overview of the work being undertaken in the city following the Grenfell fire.  She also noted that he was the national lead for the Fire Service on High Rise Buildings and had been invited to advise the National technical Panel on the Grenfell Tower fire.

 

15.11   The Deputy Chief Fire Officer stated that he had been working with colleagues across the country on fire safety in high rise buildings and how to meet the challenges of fire in buildings with multi-accommodation.  He stated that as a result of the Grenfell fire the question of cladding and installations of sprinkler systems and the recommendation to ‘stay-put’ was being reviewed by the Technical Group that had been established.  He also noted that following the disaster the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service had set up a Working Group which agreed a 4-stage plan to address the situation in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.  The aim being to gather data and disseminate information to reassure residents.  He stated that he had attended the City Assembly last week and been able to answer a number of queries and provide additional information on fire safety.

 

15.12   In regard to the number of high-rise buildings across the county a long list of 200 was reduced to 43; with 21 identified in Brighton & Hove that were then listed for inspection over a 2-week period.  He was pleased to say that only a few minor issues were identified with no significant risks and none of the cladding used at Grenfell found on the blocks on the city.

 

15.13   He stated that there had been a number of requests for information and to visit various buildings but it was felt that it was better to undertake a pro-active inspection of those buildings identified first.  Having completed that exercise, it was intended to look at all others including NHS and private buildings.  However, he wished to reiterate that high-rise did not necessarily mean high risk.  At present the advice to stay-put in the case of a fire remained the recommended approach and this had proved effective in the recent incident at Sussex Heights.  He also noted that the Fire Authority was supporting the installation of sprinkler systems in existing buildings and was working with the council to establish a work programme.

 

15.14   The Deputy Chief Fire Officer stated that the issue of cladding would be something that the Public Enquiry would need to investigate and receive reports on from the Technical Group.  He stated that the various materials used at Grenfell were currently being tested and a report would be made in due course.

 

15.15   In regard to fire safety, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer reminded the Council that the fundamental requirement was to have effective smoke detectors in place.  This was the most important factor for all homes and he asked that councillors continue to emphasise the need for these and to check them regularly.

 

15.16   The Mayor thanked both the Chief Fire Officer and the Deputy Chief fire Officer for attending the meeting and providing an update on matters relating to the Grenfell Fire.  The Mayor then opened the matter up for questions from Members.

 

15.17   Members of the Council raised a number of questions relating to the use and type of cladding on high-rise buildings, the role and responsibilities of managing agents, whether fire tanks in high-rise buildings were necessary, whether fire extinguishers should be available on every floor, the number of fire audits undertaken in the city, the number of fire officers available to undertake those fire audits, how the number of fire engines required to attend an event was determined, how many times a fire officer using breathing apparatus should enter a building, advice on ‘stay put’, the use of enforcement notices and whether emergency lighting and fire alarms in high-rise buildings were checked.

 

15.18   The Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer responded to the questions and clarified that the use and type of cladding was being reviewed by the National Task Group, the fire service worked with managing agents to assist with meeting fire safety requirements but overall responsibility remained with the agents/owners of the buildings, fire tanks/hoses are not regarded as essential and have been removed from buildings as they encourage the public to use them rather than seek help from the fire service, there will be a risk assessment undertaken to determine the benefits of these, the provision of fire extinguishers was again subject to a risk review as their installation could be more problematic, the fire service sought to educate owners on their responsibilities and undertook audits to provide information and advice, the audits tended to be on sample approach of the types of buildings in an area and the number of fire officers able to undertake the audits was being reviewed, in regard to a fire incident the senior officer on site would determine the number of appliances required, there were strict controls in regard to the use of breathing apparatus and the number of times crew entered a building, the recommended advice for residents to stay-put was still the case, although may be reviewed following the outcome of the Grenfell enquiry and this had worked well for the recent event at Sussex Heights, the use of enforcement notices was for the local authority’s building regulations team to administer, the use/maintenance of emergency lighting and fire alarms was for the owners to manage and concerns would be raised as part of an audit process.

 

15.19   The Mayor thanked Members for their questions and the Fire Officers for their responses and for attending the meeting.

 

15.20   The Mayor then stated that she would move to Item 25 (a), the joint Notice of Motion and called on Councillor Morgan to move the motion.

 

(e) Grenfell Tower

 

15.21   Councillor Morgan thanked the Mayor and stated that, “Madam Mayor, the fire at Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, London on 14^th June was a national tragedy.  At least 80 people lost their lives, despite the heroic efforts of members of the London Fire Brigade.  I’d like to express, on behalf of this council and the people of Brighton and Hove, our sympathy to the families of those who died, and our profound thanks and respect to those firefighters who ran into that burning building in order to save lives.

 

What they encountered on that night will have been beyond the imagination of most, and undoubtedly as traumatic and challenging as any major fire of recent times in this country. Those firefighters deserve not only our thanks as a nation but the utmost care and support moving forward in terms of post-traumatic stress.

 

It is beyond doubt that this tragedy has had, and will continue to have, profound implications - for local government, fire safety and the design and construction of high-rise buildings - for many years to come.

 

It is right that the lessons be learned through the appropriate enquiries, and that any necessary actions are undertaken with the full financial support of the Treasury.  If there is one lesson we must draw from this terrible event, it is that we cannot make economies when ensuring peoples safety.

 

We believed that the days of housing those on lower incomes in sub-standard and unsafe accommodation was behind us. This disaster means we have to fundamentally re-assess that view.

 

Madam Mayor I would like to put on record my grateful thanks, which I know all Members, will want to echo, to the Housing Team in this council for the way they responded to this incident.  From the Executive Director and Head of Housing who took immediate action, through to front-line staff who delivered information to high rise tenants by hand, our response was I believe exemplary – many tenants have said that they were reassured by the prompt communication of information, and the publicising of means by which their questions could be answered.

 

My thanks too to the Communications Team who responded magnificently by proactively issuing information on line and to the media.

 

We have established that none of our blocks have the cladding used on Grenfell, and thanks to being one of the few authorities with dedicated fire safety officers, our procedures, checks and practices are in good order. A programme of retrofitting sprinklers in our high rises is underway.

 

There can however be no complacency - I know that as soon as any new information is known, any recommendations are forthcoming, or any new measures put in place by either the Fire Service or central Government, that we will respond accordingly.

 

I’m grateful to the opposition parties in jointly proposing this motion - on this we should be united in paying tribute, in thanking our staff and in reassuring our tenants that we are doing everything in our power to ensure their safety.”

 

15.22   Councillor Janio thanked the Fire Officers for attending the council meeting and noted that warnings had not been headed by those responsible in Kensington & Chelsea.  He welcomed the opportunity to move the joint motion on behalf of the Conservative Group.  He felt that only a Public Enquiry would be likely to determine where the fault lay and welcomed the council’s response.  It was important that the council was resilient and able to address any areas of concern that arose from the review.

 

15.23   Councillor Mac Cafferty thanked the Leaders of the other two Groups for the ability to move the joint motion on behalf of the Green Group.  He stated that the charred remains of the Grenfell Tower would be etched on everyone’s minds and the council needed to be able to respond to the calls for action.  There was a need to listen to those tenants and residents in the city who were rightly concerned and to make representations for improvement through the LGA.  There was a need to review the current regulations and for the Government to enable local authorities to take action now rather than await the outcome of a Public Enquiry.  It was reassuring to know that the council’s officers and the fire service had checked the council buildings in the city; but he felt that tougher measures were needed for housing.

 

15.24   Councillor Meadows formally seconded the joint motion on behalf of the Labour & Co-operative Group; but reserved her right to speak at this point.

 

15.25   Councillor Mears formally seconded the joint motion and stated that it was important that the Council made representations to the Government and that the council sought to ensure its own safety procedures were up to date.  She also welcomed the work being undertaken to ensure that any cladding used on council high rise buildings had been checked and tested and that this was taken into consideration for any future procurement process.

 

15.26   Councillor Gibson formally seconded the joint motion on behalf of the Green Group and stated that it was important to listen to tenants and residents who were calling for a review of the regulations.  The council needed to show its support for such a review and to review its own procedures.  He also noted the importance to ensure fire safety for non-public owned buildings and hoped that the good work could be extend licences to private rented properties.

 

15.27   Councillor Bewick stated that he wished to extend his thanks to the sitting MP for Kemptown who had sought to raise the matter in Parliament.  He also noted that as elected representatives, all councillors had a basic social contract to follow-through with action and noted that the NC&E committee had at its last meeting asked the Executive Director to address a number of points in relation to any review by the council in regard to civil enforcement.

 

15.28   Councillor C. Theobald stated that she had been surprised that no mention of the need for sprinkler systems had been made in the notice of motion.  She believed that they were an important element for the safety of high-rise buildings and care homes and hoped that any review of the regulations would take the need for these into account.

 

15.29   Councillor Penn thanked the Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief fire Officer for attending the meeting and stated that there was a need to consider how survivors and the bereaved were treated and support in such circumstances.  She stated that the effects of such a trauma could be life-long and this needed to be acknowledged and accounted for in terms of support services for all those affected including members of the emergency services.

 

15.30   Councillor Deane stated that it was important for the local authority to work with the Fire Authority in dealing with fire prevention and she welcomed the information given by the Fire Officers earlier in the meeting.  She hoped that the collaborative work would continue and noted that it was likely to help to reduce the number of actual fires that may have arisen without it.

 

15.31   Councillor Meadows noted that the council still had a fire safety team which worked closely with the Fire Service and that a sprinkler system had recently been installed in a sheltered housing block.  She also noted that two further blocks had been identified by the fire Authority which was providing the funding to reinstall systems in them.  She hoped that all Members would help to promote the need for fire safety in their wards.  She also noted that Sussex University had installed fire doors which were alarmed and would go off if they were left or propped open.  It was an initiative she hoped could be considered for council owned buildings as well as in the private sector. 

 

15.32   The Mayor noted that Councillor Morgan did not wish to add to the debate and therefore stated that the Notice of Motion had been moved and put it to the vote.

 

15.33   The Mayor confirmed that the motion had been carried unanimously.