Author: Jodie Phillips

Robert Jenrick MP – The new Secretary of State for Housing’s speech on building safety
In July 2019, Robert Jenrick MP was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. During September he delivered a speech updating the House on the government’s progress on building safety.
In the interest of improving fire safety regulations for high-rise residential buildings, Mr Jenrick and his team are looking at reducing the building height at which sprinklers are required to 18 metres (currently 30 metres). This will increase the number of buildings with sprinklers massively. In addition, they’re looking into improved signage and evacuation alert systems to support effective firefighting.
The “Building a Safer Future” consultation was completed in July 2019, and draft legislation is expected early in the New Year. Robert Jenrick believes in the need to establish a new building safety regulator to oversee the new regime for buildings.
However, in the interim a temporary legislator has been set up during autumn 2019 in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive prior to new legislation.
In order to increase the speed at which existing buildings across the country can be inspected for building safety, it is intended to create a new protection board. Mr Jenrick expects all high-rise buildings to have been inspected by the time the new building safety regime is in place. This should happen no later than 2021. Residents of these buildings should be informed of the results quickly and any changes and improvements acted upon as soon as possible.
New building safety funding is being provided
In addition to the new requirements, £4 million of funding will be provided to ensure improved inspections for high-rise buildings not clad in aluminium composite materials (ACM). An additional £10 million will be provided to help local authorities improve their inspection capabilities and support the work of the aforementioned protection board.
ACM clad buildings owned by the private sector will be eligible for funding to remove/replace cladding materials with owners now able to formally submit applications for funding (deadline December 2019). Any building owners not taking action during the autumn will face serious consequences if they cannot show exceptional reasons for their inaction. Mr Jenrick will support local authorities in their efforts to enforce this. In his view, “failure to act, particularly now that the funding is provided by the taxpayer, would be frankly disgraceful”.
The overall tone of the speech being that people’s safety in their homes must be paramount and no one should feel unsafe in their homes.
You can read the whole speech here.
How MGR Consultants can help with building safety
We can advise and guide on all building safety related issues and provide physical solutions where required. Please contact us for a complimentary 30-minute telephone consultation by emailing [email protected] or call us at 0116 260 8630 or 0782 444 2159. You can also leave a message on our Contact Page.
30th October 2019
Happy 1st Birthday, MGR Consultants – An Interview with Martin Ryan
This month we celebrate MGR Consultants first birthday. What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about that?
Firstly, the old saying of how fast time goes by, but also how blessed I have been to work with so many great organisations and people over the last year. Also, just how far MGR Consultants have come when I think back to last October and starting out.
What made you start MGR Consultants?
I started MGR for 2 reasons to give me more control over my time and how and when I spend it. Although I have been very busy, I have also been able to get in some lovely breaks along the way.
The second reason was to put all of the extremely hard work of the last 8 years to some good use, I genuinely believe in ensuring the safety of the people whose buildings I assess and the advice that I give to make those buildings a safer place to live.
What were your visions in 2018 and how have you met or even surpassed them?
I have to say my main vision for the end of 2018 was to be able to pay the mortgage and to start to create a business built on expertise and integrity.
What do you see as the biggest accomplishments since you started last year?
Since starting MGR Consulting, I believe that my biggest achievements are
- working with a number of highly regarded organisations,
- representing my profession in the consultation process with IWFM to ensure a safer future for buildings,
- and also certainly being asked to speak at this month’s National Construction week at the NEC.
However, I believe my greatest accomplishment over the last year to be being able to now employ my wife and fellow Director Jane, but also in the very near future my son Callum who has been studying hard to get the required qualifications to join the business.
What is your favourite part about your job? What excites you most?
I am going to sound like a real anorak now but what excites me the most is the thought of how much better we can be, if we start to put some of the lessons learnt from the tragedy of Grenfell Tower and ensuring that nothing like that ever happens again.
I know that this will not be a quick fix but more of a concerted effort by all involved in the built environment and also those who live in the buildings they create. Also, I find it incredibly exciting that we are about to embark on a new chapter of building and fire regulations which has been a truly collaborative endeavour by huge amounts of really committed professionals sharing the one goal that of a “safer future”.
Do you have a business role model?
Not so much a business role model but more role models in respect of those who I think are exceptional with their efforts and find the sheer will and determination to succeed.
The three main people (in business) that come to mind immediately are:
- Graham Sheil, my fire risk assessing guru and mentor, an incredibly knowledgeable and wonderful person.
- Julie Kortens, I have had the pleasure of meeting Julie a number of times although I do not “know her” as such, she is simply an absolute inspiration to a lot of people in the Facilities Management discipline. A true professional and really nice person to boot!
- And finally, but by no means least, Nichola Lathbury (Hexagon FM). Well, what can I say? An absolute star, complete inspiration and a relentless campaigner for Women in FM (oh, and she is a very good recruitment consultant as well!). I have the utmost respect and affection for “Nikki” and all that she does and stands for. Long may it continue!
What is the best piece of leadership advice you would give someone setting up a new business?
Always focus on the here and now. Operate within an area you are passionate about (above all) and experienced in. Ensure that you give your clients the absolute best you can at all times and maintain the highest standards yourself. The rest will happen. Have full trust in your abilities and set yourself realistic goals (mine was as basic as paying the mortgage initially).
Where do you expect MGR Consultants to go in the next 5 (or 10) years?
Over the next 5-10 years I expect the business to grow and to be a true family run concern with my daughter and son-in law joining the business over the next year to 18 months.
We have some very exciting times ahead in our industry and MGR Fire and Facilities Consultants Ltd are going to be at the spearhead of the new regime to come.
Above all, I would like to thank the following for their invaluable support:
- City of Lincoln Council (Andrew McNeil)
- College of West Anglia (Aaron Nicolls)
- Daemon Fire & Security (Simon. Chris & Julie)
- Fortress Build (Dan Weller)
- Hexagon FM (Nichola Lathbury)
- Leicestershire County Council (Stephen Linnett)
- Manchester Metropolitan University (Ian Seddon)
- Mezzino Ltd (James McGrath & Jamie Eustace)
- Molson Coors Breweries (Various)
- Northampton General Hospital NHS trust (James Stewart)
- Safesmart
- YMD Boon (Pooja Dhama)
16th October 2019
Exciting times at MGR Consulting
A lot has been happening at MGR Consulting over the past few months and today we’d like to share some of our good news.
Welcome Jane Ryan
First up, I would like to welcome Jane Ryan, my lovely wife, to the business. She will be taking on the position of Commercial Director at MGR Consulting and will take care of a lot of the work behind the scenes.
Jane has been providing years of behind the scenes business development support for my previous business. In addition, she is a volunteer member of the management committee as well as treasurer for a registered charity. Her extensive experience will be invaluable.
Exciting New Clients
Leicestershire County Council
Next, I would like to welcome Leicestershire County Council (LCC) as a new client.
LCC have a number of third-party providers supplying accommodation to Services for Vulnerable People. These are currently not reporting a fire safety position which needs to be addressed.
We’ll be delivering an updated overview of existing third-party providers and potential providers to ensure the council has a complete overview of their position of fire safety across all areas.
We have also been tasked with delivering a complete evaluation of current fire safety delivery and suggest improvement.
In addition, we need to assist LCC in creating procedures for assessing new providers’ fire safety policies. We’re also helping in the creation of procedures and assessments to ensure correct levels of fire safety.
This is a short-term contract, running between 3 and 6 months.
Lincoln City Council
We would also like to welcome Lincoln City Council as a new client.
Lincoln City Council have several high-risk sites which have been fire risk assessed and have outstanding actions for remedial works. We have been tasked with delivering an assessment of current required actions and agree suitable work streams.
We will also manage the Safety Assurance Team (SAT) to deliver safety assurance across all areas of the housing directorate. In addition, we will assist the Council in setting a direction for the SAT team and ensure that all sites are brought up to standard with all works completed.
This is also a short contract (3 to 6 months).
Speaking at National Construction Week in October
I have been invited to speak at “National Construction Week” at the NEC on 8th October 2019. I will be giving a talk on “Fire and building safety after Grenfell” at 1:15pm; this talk will be repeated at 2:30pm.
The talk includes the 1st phase of implementation relating to the “Hackitt Report” and the subsequent consultations with professional bodies.
I will also be covering requirements for new high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) following the consultation “Building a Safer Future”. This includes the process of “Gateway Points” as well as the roles of “Accountable Person” and “Building Safety Manager”.
If you’re interested, come along. It’s free to attend. If you just want to find out more about the Hackitt Report, you can find a summary here or have a look at our previous blog posts about the government consultation that ended in July.
26th September 2019
Government is urged to prioritise building safety
Two years after the Grenfell disaster just over a quarter of high-risk high-rise residential buildings have been remediated (42 out of 158). London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton is urging the government to prioritise urgent action as thousands of residents are still living in buildings cladded with flammable materials.
At present, ‘waking watches’ are put in place in buildings with flammable cladding. These are 24/7 watchmen whose job it is to be alert for any compromise in safety. They are, of course, necessary at present but mustn’t be seen as a long-term alternative to remediation work.
In addition to removing flammable cladding from existing buildings, installing sprinkler systems into high-rise residential buildings should be commonplace. Unfortunately, developers often ignore the advice of fire and rescue services and choose not to install them in new developments.
Following on from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review and the ensuing government consultation in June/July 2019, the government is now urged to put legislation in place to make high-rise residential buildings safer to live in.
Local officials are approaching government to improve building safety
Throughout this year (2019) open letters have been sent to the government in this respect. The deputy mayor for fire and resilience of London, Fiona Twycross (May 2019), the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (July 2019) as well as leading council figures from around England (March 2019) have urged the government to implement stricter fire regulations.
These considerations should, of course, not only apply to high-rise residential buildings but any other buildings where vulnerable people are housed such as care homes, schools and sheltered accommodations. In his letter, Sadiq Khan talks about “a specific policy that requires all development proposals to achieve the highest standards of fire safety and it encourages the use of automatic fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers”.
We live in times of austerity and budget cuts are commonplace but that should not come at the expense of saving lives. People have a right to feel safe in their own homes. This means that spending money on removing dangerous building materials, retrofitting existing buildings with sprinkler systems and ensuring their installation in new builds needs to go to the top of the priority list.
This blog post is based on the article “LFB urges government to prioritise building safety” by Fire & Security Matters.
How MGR Consultants can help
We can advise and guide on all building safety related issues and provide physical solutions where required. Please contact us for a complimentary 30-minute telephone consultation by emailing [email protected] or call us at 0116 260 8630 or 0782 444 2159. You can also leave a message on our Contact Page.
11th September 2019
An important new role: the Building Safety Regulator
One of the suggestions of the “Building a Safer Future” consultation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is the installation of a Building Safety Regulator. In this article we discuss this new role as well as the importance of the Safety Case.
The role of the Building Safety Regulator
The main role of the building safety regulator is to oversee the enforcement of the new, more stringent building safety regulatory regime for buildings within scope. Another function is to oversee the competence of professionals and trades working on buildings as well as building safety and the wider regulatory system as a whole.
The idea is to achieve this by reinforcement of operating standards and provision of professional guidance, proactive intervention and monitoring as well as enforcement actions in case of non-compliance.
The intention is that the building safety regulator and dutyholders work towards the same goal: ensuring safety of residents.
Here are some examples of how this could be achieved:
- Maintaining a register of all buildings in scope and who the dutyholder(s) are for those buildings
- Ensuring an effective system is in place for inspecting buildings and building safety information to ensure that dutyholders are complying with the regime throughout the lifetime of the building (using gateways, safety cases and other mechanisms)
- Ensuring that whistle-blowing, resident concerns and mandatory occurrence reports are effectively collected and acted upon by regulators and industry appropriately
- Establishing a committee, comprising of industry bodies, independent experts, building owners, and residents to provide cross-discipline peer review, support and challenge functions to drive competence
- Championing building safety and quality, and the interests of residents, including working with the construction industry to spread best practice and encourage innovation
Another important role of the building safety regulator is to examine safety cases for all building within scope.
What is a Building Safety Case?
The Accountable Person (AP) has to make a case to the building safety regulator demonstrating that hazards have been identified, risks assessed and appropriate mitigation put in place.
Creating a safety case is an evidence-based approach in which the dutyholder identifies, assesses and understands the hazards and risks involved in a building. It describes how risks are controlled and mitigation measures are put in place. This is to reduce those risks as far as is reasonably practicable. The safety case also describes the safety management system in place, including emergency procedures in the event of an incident. The safety case is tailored to each building and is proportionate because the level of detail and amount of information required is determined by the level of risk. It needs to be reviewed every 5 years.
Of course, a safety case needs to be prepared for existing buildings as well. In this case, slightly less information may be required.
It is estimated that the preparation of a safety case takes 12 to 24 days.
This is the final article in our 3-part series about the government consultation on building safety. In part 2 we covered the Building Safety Certificate and the Golden Thread. Part 1 was all about the critical role of the Building Safety Manager.
How MGR Consultants can help
We can advise and guide on all building safety related issues and provide physical solutions where required. Please contact us for a complimentary 30-minute telephone consultation by emailing [email protected] or call us at 0116 260 8630 or 0782 444 2159.
28th August 2019
How the proposed Building Safety Certificate impacts building safety
One of the key points of the government’s consultation on a far-reaching building safety reform is the scope of the proposed new regime. It now includes multi-occupied residential buildings of 18 meters and higher (as opposed to previously 30 meters and higher). A Building Safety Certificate must be issued for any high-rise residential building within scope.
What does the Building Safety Certificate include?
The Accountable Person (AP) needs to register the building with the Building Safety Regulator and secure a building safety certificate. This document identifies the AP, the building safety manager (BSM) and the obligations and conditions for ensuring the building is safe for residents. It needs to be displayed in a prominent part of the building.
The registration process will ensure that the AP has sufficient control of the building to safeguard that the obligations of the building safety certificate may be met. In addition, the process ensures that
- The accountable person is complying with the requirements of the building safety regulatory regime and the obligations attached to the building safety certificate;
- The building safety manager is competent and suitable to perform the role;
- The building safety manager is discharging their functions competently and in accordance with the obligations in the building safety certificate.
There are a variety of conditions that apply to all buildings in scope. Some are mandatory, some are voluntary and there are also special conditions imposed by the building safety regulator under certain circumstances.
The mandatory conditions will set out the key requirements of the new regime. This includes engaging with and delivering key information to residents as well as maintaining the golden thread of information. In addition, it includes the delivery of the safety case.
Voluntary conditions would be proposed by the AP as additional conditions under which they will operate to mitigate identified safety risks. These volunteered conditions will be agreed with the building safety regulator.
Special conditions may be imposed by the building safety regulator and will be specific, measurable and time bound. These could be imposed as a result of an industry-wide issue or because the building safety regulator feels there are specific risks within a building that the accountable person must act on. A special condition can include a requirement which the goes beyond that which accountable person had volunteered to do.
The duration of the building safety certificate is linked to duration of safety case.
As mentioned above, one of the mandatory conditions is to maintain the Golden Thread of information.
What is the Golden Thread of information?
As part of the proposal, Dame Judith Hackitt talked about a “golden thread” of building information which is created, maintained and held digitally to ensure that the original design intent and any subsequent changes to the building are captured, preserved and used to support safety improvements. The important part here that this promotes openness, transparency and accountability throughout the life cycle of the building. In addition, a key dataset must be kept in a specific format that will enable the building safety regulator to analyse data across all buildings in scope. The golden thread of information and key dataset will enable building safety information to be available to the right people at the right time during design, construction and occupation.
For new buildings, it includes information collected through gateway points which will feed into the safety case. For existing buildings, it includes information collected during the building safety registration process as well as information required to build and evidence the safety case.
This article is the second in our series covering the ongoing government consultation on building safety. You can find part 1, all about the critical role of the Building Safety Manager, here. In part 3 we talk about the new role of the Building Safety Regulator and explain the Safety Case.
How MGR Consultants can help
We can advise and guide on all building safety related issues and provide physical solutions where required. Please contact us for a complimentary 30minute telephone consultation by calling 0116 260 8630 or 0782 444 2159 or email us at [email protected]
14th August 2019
The critical role of the Building Safety Manager (BSM)
The final report of Dame Judith Hackitt on building regulations and fire safety in May 2019 states that a ‘clear and identifiable duty holder’ an accountable person (AP) who is responsible for the safety of the whole building needs to be appointed. This person must in turn nominate a building safety manager (BSM) or declare that they will take on the role themselves.
What does the role of Building Safety Manager entail?
A building safety manager works under the supervision of the accountable person. They support them by carrying out the day to day functions of ensuring that the building is safely managed with regards to fire and structural risk. This would include:
- Ensuring that those employed to maintain and manage the building have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience;
- Maintaining information management systems to facilitate safe management of the building;
- Maintaining the safety case for the building so that risks are proactively identified and mitigating measures put in place and maintained;
- Ensuring that necessary and appropriate building remediation is undertaken to ensure that the conditions set out in the building safety certificate are met;
- Engaging residents in safe management of their building through a Resident Engagement Strategy that includes routes of escalation for resident concerns;
- Ensuring that fire risk assessments for the whole building are undertaken and reviewed regularly and any recommendations are undertaken in a timely manner; and
- Being responsible for reporting mandatory occurrences to the building safety regulator.
Their role would also entail the promotion of openness, trust and collaboration with residents which is fundamental to keeping buildings safe.
They would also oversee safety works as well as others employed in management, maintenance or checks of the building. In addition, they’re accountable for the performance in complying with obligations under the building safety certificate unless there is a case of proven negligence or obstruction from the AP.
If an organisation fulfils the facility management role, they must have nominated an individual within the organisation to be the competent BSM.
Necessary preconditions for the success of a BSM
The building safety manager needs access to occupiers’ premises to fulfil their role. The proposal includes the requirement for residents to cooperate with the AP and/or the BSM with regards to fire and structural safety issues and any issues relevant to the abilities of the AP (or their agents) to fulfil their duties. This includes the requirement of residents to provide reasonable access and information regarding works carried on their homes within a reasonable time frame.
The BSM also needs to have access to all necessary and up-to-date building information. With regards to the ‘Golden Thread’ (a single source of information from design through construction to the occupation of the building), the BSM’s functions are
- Maintaining information management systems to facilitate the safe management of the building
- Maintaining the safety case for the building so that risks are proactively identified and mitigating measures put in place and maintained
It is imperative that the Building Safety Manager has relevant competence, experience and qualifications to undertake functions in compliance with the building safety certificate.
This is part one of a series of articles covering the ongoing government consultation on building safety. Part 2 covers the Building Safety Certificate and the Golden Thread of Information. In part 3 we talk about the new role of the Building Safety Regulator and explain the Safety Case.
How MGR Consultants can help
If you have any questions regarding your building’s fire regulations or health and safety matters, we provide a complimentary 30-minute telephone consultation. You can either call us on 0116 260 8630 or 0782 4442159 or enter your details on our Contact Page and we will get in touch with you.
30th July 2019
FM providers could be prosecuted for building safety breaches post Grenfell
After the Grenfell disaster, building safety has become a hot topic. This is not only relevant for fire safety but for the general safety of everyone working or living in the building. Facilities managers, often contracted either by the construction company or the management company, play a key role in providing this kind of safety.
What are the responsibilities of facilities managers?
Facilities managers have a diverse set of far reaching responsibilities. These include all building and facility related services such as dealing with security, parking, cleaning, catering, technology, utilities, and budgeting. The most important aspects in this context are meeting safety regulations and health and security standards.
Companies providing facilities management as a service (FM providers) could possibly be in breach of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (2005) – applicable to England and Wales – if they fail to meet their obligations for maintenance and building safety.
This obligation creates a responsibility to the safe operation and control over the building. Unfortunately, many FM providers are unaware of the levels of responsibility and liability surrounding these obligations.
The FM providers’ responsibility does not relieve the outsourcing organisation of their overarching responsibility for compliance, but they are assisting with it. Within this framework, the FM provider must be competent and meet any safety requirements, risk assessments and maintenance needs.
What does the current government consultation on building safety include?
In June 2019, the government published a consultation for a fundamental reform of building safety requirements. This builds on proposals in Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations in her ‘Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’.
These recommendations include the concept of a duty holder. This is the person with clear responsibilities in all areas from the design through construction up to occupation of a building. Other important points are making sure that residents’ concerns are never ignored as well as stronger enforcements and sanctions in case of non-compliance with the new regime.
The consultation into building and fire regulation reform closes on 31 July 2019.
The document talks about the ‘golden thread’ of information. This is a digital record of all relevant building information from the beginning of the building works. It also includes a Fire and Emergency File. Both will need to be maintained throughout the life cycle of the building.
Another important factor is that safety must never be compromised for the benefit of cutting costs. We must learn from the lessons that Grenfell provided.
How MGR Consultants can help
If you have any questions regarding your building’s fire regulations or health and safety matters, we provide a complimentary 30-minute telephone consultation. You can either call us on 0116 260 8630 or 0782 4442159 or enter your details on our Contact Page and we will get in touch with you.
16th July 2019
News updates
Here are the latest updates in the world of fire safety and the on-going roll out of recommendations from Dame Hackitt’s full report from May 2018:
October 2018:
Government releases funding to replace unsafe cladding – The government has released the first tranche of an estimated £400 million to remove and replace unsafe cladding on social sector high-rise housing.
The government has started distributing an estimated £400 million to remove and replace unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding systems on social sector high-rise housing in England owned by social landlords. Twelve local authorities and 31 housing associations are being told today (17 October 2018) that they have been allocated the money they need to cover the cost of removing and replacing unsafe ACM cladding from social, residential buildings they own which are 18 metres or higher.(Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Oct 2018)
“In the private sector, I want to see landlords protect leaseholders from these costs. I am pleased that a number have stepped forward to do so, including Barratt Developments, Legal & General, Taylor Wimpey, Mace and Peabody. However, there are some who are not engaging in this process. If they don’t, I have ruled nothing out”. (Brokenshire 2018)
November 2018:
Government bans combustible cladding materials and allows local authorities to strip cladding materials from privately owned residential tower blocks – The UK government has banned combustible cladding on new high-rise residential buildings and given new powers to councils to rid private buildings of unsafe materials and recover the costs from landlords.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire made the announcement in Parliament on 29th November, when the regulations were laid to give legal effect to the ban made public earlier this year.
The use of combustible materials is now prohibited on the external walls of tower blocks taller than 18m, as well as new hospitals, residential care homes, dormitories in boarding schools and student accommodation over 18m.
Brokenshire also said he was acting to speed up the replacement of unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on existing buildings, like that used on the Grenfell Tower. He pledged to give local authorities “full backing, including financial support if necessary” to removal ACM cladding from private buildings. They will be able to recover the costs from landlords, ensuring that buildings will be made permanently safe without delay.
A total of 159 social-sector residential tower blocks have been identified as using ACM cladding, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Cladding on 76% of these buildings has either been replaced (22 buildings) or is in the process of being removed (99), corrective action plans are in place for the remaining 38 buildings.
There are also 295 private-sector structures that are clad in ACM, including 205 residential blocks. Statistics show that replacement work has finished on just ten of these buildings and remediation work is underway on a further 26. The government is fully funding the replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on social sector buildings above 18m. (ioshMagazine, Jan 2019)
Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Circular 02/2018 – INTRODUCES NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATION 7 OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS 2010, INTRODUCES ADDITIONAL CATEGORY OF MATERIAL CHANGE
OF USE IN REGULATION 5 OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS, 2010 AND REQUIREMENTS IN RESPECT OF THIS CATEGORY IN REGULATION 6 AND AMENDS APPROVED DOCUMENT B, VOLUME 2 AND APPROVED DOCUMENT
December 2018:
Amendments to Approved documents – amendments were made to approved document B (fire safety), relating to wall and ceiling linings, space separation and performance of materials, products and structures
January 2019:
Building owner describes government’s cladding removal plans as “hollow threat” – The owner of a private block with Grenfell-style cladding has slammed government plans to force building owners to pay for the work as a “hollow threat”, in emails seen by Inside Housing. (Inside Housing, Jan 2019)
William Procter, the director of Citistead Ltd which owns the freehold on the aluminium composite material (ACM)-clad Northpoint building in Bromley, south-east London, said in an email to residents it could not be forced to pay for remediation work, and that the responsibility for the costs was the government’s.
Mr Procter said the powers the government “claimed to have granted to local authorities” were not new and had existed for a number of years, and councils would be loathed to commit funds unless they were confident of repayment. Mr Procter, who is also the chief executive of Consensus Business Group which holds over 300,000 freeholds across the country, said he found it “not strange but bizarre” that the government would point the finger at freeholders rather than accept responsibility itself.(Inside Housing, Jan 2019)
I will keep you all updated with any further developments as they happen, have a great week.
16th January 2019
Happy New Year!
Apologies for the late salutations, I have been rather busy.
I am proud to say that I have just completed a big project for the college of West Anglia, carrying out fire risk assessments to all buildings within their campus sites (Kings Lynn, Wisbech & Cambridge). All reports are complete with photographic back up within 2 months of inspection start date.
Having completed the above project quicker than anticipated I now have some extra capacity to carry other work, so today I am launching my January sales!
The following services carry a 10% – 20% (depending on numbers) discount, if booked and confirmed by 28th February:
Fire training:
Fire awareness
Fire marshal / Warden
Fire equipment (can only be carried out on site)
Fire risk assessment
H&S training:
COSHH
Risk assessment
PEEP
Working at heights
Manual handling
General:
Policies & procedures
Lone working
Testing & checking
All training can be carried out on site or at a separate venue (where required), standard costs for training are as follows:
Off site:
£85 +VAT per delegate per session (minimum & maximum numbers apply)
£750 + VAT for full day (delivery of a mix of 3 of the above, maximum numbers apply)
On site:
£300 +VAT half day course (2 sessions, maximum numbers apply)
£500 + VAT for full day (delivery of a mix of 3 of the above, maximum numbers apply)
£POA for fire equipment training
We also have extra discounts on general & fire risk assessments currently until the end of February, so give me a call or drop me an email for a specific quote to deliver expert, concise, engaging and enlightening training sessions for all staff and all sites.
Thanks Martin
15th January 2019