Agenda item

This report reviews the H&F response to two major incidents in and around Hammersmith & Fulham that required the authority to implement its emergency planning procedures. These were the fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington in

June and an explosion on a tube train in Parsons Green tube station.  The review also considered the views of local businesses and community organisations that participated in a ‘hackathon’ event convened by the council to examine the views of partners.

The Chair welcomed Peter Smith, Head of Policy, who presented a report, together with Kim Dero, Chief Executive and David McNulty, Programme Manager, HCH Finance and Resources.  The report covered the Council’s response to two recent major incidents affecting residents and visitors to this and the neighbouring borough of RBKC.  The Grenfell Tower fire had resulted in a tragic loss of life and the report acknowledged that there may be criminal charges and on-going enquiries.  The report also examined a second incident which took place at Parsons Green Tube Station.  The report looked solely at the response of the Council as an organisation and had been previously discussed at Audit Committee and Policy and Accountability Committee scrutiny meetings.  The report identified what was done well, and made recommendations for further actions. 

Councillor Joe Carlebach welcomed the report but commented that with regards to the Parsons Green incident, he was aware of children travelling through the area and little assistance being made available to those children.  One child was particularly traumatised.  Councillor Carlebach suggested that where there were reports of people traumatised from serious experiences, the Council should consider what support could be immediately implemented in the aftermath.

Councillor Carlebach also reported that The Real Community Grenfell charity, which worked with survivors living in the Borough, had experienced great difficulties in finding accommodation within the Borough.  He asked if officers could offer any assistance in exploring options for a more permanent location for the group. 

Kim Dero explained that she had worked with Nick Austin, Bi-Borough Director for Environmental Health, and David McNulty, in the preparation of the report.  Referencing earlier comments about which committees had considered the report, it was confirmed that at the Children and Education Policy Accountability Committee, three local head teachers had attended and recounted the incident and resulting trauma.  This was new for all those involved but agreement was reached to work with schools, in future. Council officers and social workers had liaised well with affected schools, particularly Lady Margaret School, located closest to the Station.

Responding to Councillor Carlebach’s second point, Kim Dero reported that 27 families were resident in hotels, located in LBHF, awaiting accommodation offers from RBKC.  She continued, that the Council had wanted to make space available but had been unable to successfully manage a more permanent base for The Real Community charity.

Councillor Mercy Umeh highlighted the work of people based on the Edward Woods estate and the allocation of charitable goods and money raised for survivors.  Kim Dero acknowledged that Hammersmith Town Hall had been inundated from day one, when 10-11,000 items were received.  The Council had never managed donations before and people had spontaneously brought and donated items.  A hackathon was organised, bringing together community organisations, involving 140 people, to discuss community strength and resilience. To illustrate, a lot of fresh food had been donated, much of which was wasted because many were fasting at the time of the incident.  Given the size and nature of the response, the people, community, and businesses involved, the Council had played a small part in responding to what followed. 

Councillor David Morton observed that assistance had been provided to one of the wealthiest Boroughs in the country (RBKC).  He asked if there had been any calculations or assessment as to the cost of the safety checks undertaken following Grenfell; and whether any costs could be reimbursed, referring to Bellwin.  Dealing with the cost of safety question first, Kim Dero explained that there were two aspects to this.  There had been numerous calls from residents on the Edward Woods Estate, who were subsequently reassured.  The second aspect was to conduct fire safety checks, a primary consideration, as set out in the report. David McNulty explained that £20 million in funding had been set aside to ensure safety checks, with 71 blocks in total assessed.  Information was made available on the Council website from August 2017 which included housing management fire safety checks.  A proactive approach was adopted for a capital works programme, to ensure that fire hazards were identified and the requisite fire checks conducted.  Fire Safety Plus was an offer to visit people’s homes to look at arrangements in the home, check electrical goods and smoke alarms.  This reflected an on-going commitment to work with residents.

Councillor Morton commented that the Borough (RBKC) had a small amount of council tenants. There were also many private tenants who would bear the brunt of costs to install safety measures.  He was concerned that there was a hidden cost that was being passed on to residents.  David McNulty agreed, noting that standards across the board would change.  It was anticipated that the enquiry would establish the final cost and that the Bellwin scheme might require an application to central government.

Emily Hill, Head of Corporate Finance, clarified that the aim of the Bellwin scheme was to aid.  RBKC could claim for additional costs under strict rules.  This precluded existing staff, but covered overtime.  It also applied to LBHF, however, claims could only be submitted within a two-week period following an incident.  A mutual aid agreement with London boroughs was in place but it was difficult to quantify actual costs which will need high level analysis.  Given the tri and bi-borough shared service arrangements it was difficult to establish which “hat” they were wearing, placing limitations as to what could be claimed. 

Co-optee Victoria Brignell expressed disappointment as to the lack of explicit reference to people with disabilities, for example, any wheelchair users evacuated in the emergency.  She suggested that the Council explore what resources and facilities such as lifts, hoists and additional equipment might be needed. It was recommended that the Council speak to local people with disabilities.  An app had been produced to see what resources were available to help disabled people, in an emergency. David McNulty agreed that they would make the report more specific.  They also planned to identify vulnerable people from existing Council records and were currently reviewing emergency and continuity plans, which would benefit from a co-production approach. Councillor Coleman endorsed Victoria Brignell’s suggestion and emphasised the importance of co-producing this work. 

Given the difficulty for elderly and vulnerable people to get to street level without lift or escalator access at Parsons Green station, Jim Grealy suggested that the Council approached Transport for London, and strongly advocate the need for more suitable access to station platforms. David McNulty welcomed the suggestion but explained that in an evacuation, lifts and escalators would not be operational. 

Councillor Coleman welcomed the report and expressed hope that the Grenfell enquiry would seek evidence from the Council.  The report clearly portrayed the challenges for the Council, with considerable pressure resulting from shared service issues and costs.  He commended the remarkable response of Council officers and the wider community. 

Referencing section 3.3 of the report, Cllr Coleman highlighted the Leader of the Council’s statement that any survivor would be regarded as a resident of the Borough in terms of immediate support.  Council officers had visited hotels across the Borough, finding displaced people, offering support and assistance, such as food vouchers. Officers had taken the initiative to arrange vouchers with local restaurants so families could have varied food.  Cllr Coleman said that hoteliers had not been equipped to deal with traumatised people, about which he had received daily reports.  

Councillor Coleman said that the £20 million which LBHF had allocated would cover the cost of fitting of fire doors both for tenants and for leaseholders.  He was delighted that the money was being invested in ensuring the safety of residents and welcomed the report’s recommendations of having a clear policy for supporting Disabled people.

Cllr Coleman said he was very impressed by the way in which the Council and local community had responded during a difficult time. He commended officers, who had done an extraordinary job under challenging circumstances, and expressed his personal thanks to officers and residents. 

Councillor Vaughan welcomed the report, and echoed Councillor Coleman’s thanks to officers and residents.  The importance of this detailed report was to learn lessons, so that the Council was well equipped to respond. Referring to an earlier point regarding the evacuation of Disabled people, he hoped and anticipated that this could be addressed, particularly in light of the recent Disabled People’s Commission’s work on co-production. 

RESOLVED

1.   That the Health, Adult Social Care and Social Inclusion Policy and Accountability Committee endorse the recommendations of the report; and

2.   That the Committee note the report.