Agenda item

Report of the Director of Property Management

The terms of reference (TOR) for the Fire Safety and Compliance Advisory Panel (section 9.1) require that they are reviewed annually. It is proposed that the Panel bring forward this review and consider proposals to amend their TOR and title as part of the Council’s work to update its governance and the changes brought about by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Property Management

Melissa Dillon, Resident Safety Engagement & Government Lead, took the meeting through the report and she along with Councillor Meric Apak, Cabinet Member Better Homes, and Gavin Haynes, Director of Property Management, gave the following key responses to questions:

·       Councillor Meric Apak welcomed the proposal to have an independent expert co-chair, and he felt that with him standing down as one of the co-chairs this would allow the panel to better hold him to account.

·       The Council would be using its position as an early adopter to sound out industry experts on some of the advisory groups for government departments and the building safety regulator, British Safety Council, the National Fire Chiefs Council, University College London (where the Council has had historic links to their academic fire safety team), the building research establishment, along with and a range of other fire industry experts who've been advising government on the production of legislation to find candidates to take on the role of co-chair of the panel.

·       The candidates would need to be able to help and advise the panel regarding the wide ranging areas identified in the Building Safety Act, the Fire Safety Act and the Social Housing (Regulation) Act.

·       The proposal was that initially it was hoped that the independent expert co-chair would be in place for one year then the proposal would be reviewed.

·       The Council was working with consultants to help it prepare its self- assessment and would see whether they would also be interested in undertaking the role of independent expert co-chair, even if this was just for a limited period.

·       The Panel had a membership of Councillors, residents, officers and the Fire Service as it was felt that having all parties involved as members of the panel would help improve fire safety in the borough.

·       Officers agreed to set up a briefing session for new panellists, which would be open to all panellists to attend, to provide them with information regarding the operation of the panel.

ACTION BY: Director of Property Management (MD)   

RESOLVED –

1.    THAT approval be given to increase the number of councillor places on the panel to 7 and for 4 of the places to be for leaders of party political groups on the Council and our Green Party councillor and the 5^th to be reserved for the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, as detailed at paragraph 2 of the report;

2.    THAT the Cabinet Member for Better Homes to step down as co-chair of the panel from January 2024 and for the replacement co-chair to be an independent safety industry expert as set out in paragraphs 2.6 and 2.7 of the report;

3.    THAT approval be given to adopt the remuneration proposals for resident panel members set out in paragraph 2.8 of the report;

4.    THAT training and support for resident panel members be provided as proposed at paragraph 2.10 of the report; and

5.    THAT approval be given to change the name of the FSCAP to the ‘Housing and Fire Safety Advisory Panel’ as set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report

ACTION BY: Director of Property Management/Committee Services