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Decision details

Estates & Facilities Review and Compliance

Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

This item is for debate and not for decision.

Decision:

Matter for Decision

The report provides an update on the Estates & Facilities Service Review and information on compliance related work within the service, including a summary on gas servicing, electrical testing, recent audit actions and fire safety.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Housing

      i.         Noted the progress of the service review and compliance related work detailed within the report.

    ii.         Agreed that an update report on the progress on the works to be brought to the September Housing Scrutiny Committee.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report. the progress of the service review and compliance related work detailed within the report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Head of Housing Maintenance and Assets.

 

The Head of Housing Maintenance and Assets said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         Confirmed that two council properties were non compliant with gas safety certificates. This was a result of the occupants shielding. Those properties would re visited as a priority as soon as the occupants felt comfortable with other people inside their homes.

    ii.         Fire Risk Assessments had been undertaken in respect of a number of maisonettes that are above ground floor level and necessary work identified would be undertaken as soon as possible.

 

The Committee raised concerns regarding the recent fire at Kingsway Flats. It was suggested that residents had reported problems with communal lighting, lack of internal fire doors, communal alarms not working and blocked stairwells. The Head of Housing Maintenance and Assets responded and stated that the emergency lighting had been tested regularly and no faults had been found. All tenanted flats entrance doors  will be replaced with fire doors that meeting current standards  and orders have already been placed with contractors. There was no requirement for a communal fire alarm. The fire was under investigation and more information would be available at a future date.

 

The Asset Manager stated that there was an on-going program to install heat detectors. Additional funding is likely to be required as this three-year programme also requires work to existing smoke detectors in dwellings.

 

The Committee thanked housing staff for their prompt and caring approach to rehousing victims of the fire.

 

Councillor Porrer proposed and Diana Minns seconded an additional recommendation as follows:

That an update report on the progress on the works to be brought to the September Housing Scrutiny Committee.

 

The Committee supported the additional recommendation.

 

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.

 

 

Publication date: 20/08/2020

Date of decision: 23/06/2020