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Southwark in climbdown over tower block fire risk
Peter Dominiczak13 Aug 2009
Southwark council was forced into a humiliating climbdown today after claiming its tower blocks were not a fire risk weeks after a fatal blaze.
The council is facing questions over the fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell last month which killed six people.
On 31 July the local authority wrote to residents of Perronet House - a similar block - telling them it had performed full inspections which had "raised no causes for concern" but an investigation by the Standard revealed yesterday that the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority had served enforcement notices around Southwark.
The council was told three tower blocks, including Perronet House, failed to comply with the 2006 Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order and that it must reassess safety measures.
Hours after the latest revelations, the council was forced to deliver letters to Perronet House which said the July inspections had in fact "highlighted certain areas for improvement".
Less than two weeks after assuring residents the block was safe, the council has now committed to installing new doors to flats, communal fire doors, ceiling panels and smoke alarms.
Resident Janet Yatak, 53, a disability rights campaigner, said: "Residents are up in arms about this. One minute the council are telling us there is no cause for concern and the next, we read in the Standard that we're all at risk. It is an absolute disgrace."
Councillor Ian Wingfield said: "The council were fully aware Perronet House was a medium fire risk as long ago as 2000, along with Lakanal House.
"The council seems more preoccupied with protecting its own reputation than protecting its residents.
"There are 230 similar blocks in the borough. How many of the residents are being misinformed like those in Perronet House?"
A council spokesman said: "On 31 July we attempted to give an accurate picture of the situation. Yesterday we moved quickly to explain precautionary works would be going ahead."
Reader views (1)
Southwark coucil spen around £5 Million per year in marketing and PR telling us how goos they are, if they scrapped this sort of obscene spending, they could have re built these blocks over the last 12 years.
- P Staker, London, 13/08/2009 10:14
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