The chairman will make any specific announcements and advise of any late items which due to be special circumstances will be given urgent consideration under agenda item 9 (a) or (b).
Apologies for absence will be received at this point.
Minutes:
Mrs Hamilton alluded to the fact that the agenda for this special meeting did not include the usual standing item of Questions to the Executive. This was because in the case of special meetings Chichester District Council’s (CDC) Constitution provided that certain agenda items were not to feature unless the Chairman of the Council otherwise directed. She had decided to permit the inclusion of Public Question Time, in view of the nature and importance of the three recommendations to the Council in agenda items 5, 6 and 7 and Late Items. She had not so directed, however, with respect to Questions to the Executive.
She outlined the emergency evacuation procedure.
Mrs Hamilton then invited the Chief Executive, Diane Shepherd, to make the following statement with respect to the recent fire in London and CDC’s response to this terrible tragedy.
Statement by the Chief Executive – Grenfell Tower North Kensington London
A detailed e-mail was sent to all members on Friday setting out the current position in Chichester District. I do not intend to read the contents of the e-mail today but I would like to reassure members of the public that we have robust fire safety measures in place and I, along with the senior management team, are reviewing these procedures to double check whether there is anything further that we can do to ensure the safety of residents. We are also complying with any advice coming from the government.
We no longer manage our own housing stock and there are no high-rise buildings within the District. However, all of the accommodation that we do own, including our temporary accommodation at Westward House, meets safety standards.
We are required by law to complete fire risk assessments for all buildings where we have landlord responsibilities and we are required to identify hazards and people at risk and evaluate, remove or reduce fire risks. This places a clear duty on the person responsible to ensure that fire hazards are removed and that precautions are provided such as detection and warning, fire-fighting equipment, escape routes, lighting, signs and maintenance and maintenance. We have in place fire risk assessments for all our buildings.
We are also responsible for licensing houses in multiple occupation. We do not issue a licence until we are satisfied that the appropriate fire safety standards are met. However, it must be emphasised that it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that the building is free of fire hazards. In addition we operate a private letting scheme, Homefinder. All accommodation situated within the District is inspected by a member of the Environmental Housing Team to ensure that it is free from category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and such assessments consider the issue of fire safety.
We have buildings in the Estates portfolio with residential accommodation either at ground-floor level or arranged as maisonettes at first/second floor level. We carry out annual fire risk assessments (FRA) of common user areas and regular inspections to ensure exit routes are clear etc.
We have recently audited the three Westgate leisure centres and all their FRAs are up to date.
The safety of our residents and businesses is paramount. We work very closely with West Sussex Fire and Rescue and together we actively promote fire safety and encourage businesses, landlords and residents to make sure that they are meeting the correct safety standards. West Sussex Fire and Rescue have issued guidance for residents and businesses since this dreadful incident and we really would urge people to visit their website https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire-emergencies-and-crime/west-sussex-fire-rescue-service/ to make sure that they are aware of the latest fire safety advice.’
Mrs Shepherd added that CDC would be publishing a media release today which would include details of where and how the public could access that information. In addition, its emergency plans and business continuity procedures were all correctly in place having all been reviewed following the recent terrorist incidents. Those two areas were also the subject of scrutiny by CDC’s Corporate Governance and Audit Committee. The risk register was fully updated. She wished to reassure the public that SLT was checking all relevant issues and matters to be absolutely sure that all extant systems and procedures contained the correct mitigation measures. She intended to e-mail members with an update during the next week or so.
Mrs Hamilton thanked Mrs Shepherd for making the foregoing statement.
Mrs Hamilton advised that the following apologies for absence had been received: Mr Barrett, Mr Barrow, Mr Budge, Mrs Duncton, Mr Dunn, Mr J W Elliott, Mr Hicks, Mrs Keegan, Mr Lloyd-Williams, Caroline Neville, Mr Ridd, Mrs Tassell, Mrs Tull and Mrs Westacott.
Mrs Hamilton informed members that there were no late items for consideration under agenda item 9 (a) and (b).