Kensington & Chelsea fire – letter to DMCs and TRAs
Dear colleagues,
As important partners in providing information and reassurance to residents and tenants, we would like to inform you of some of the actions we have taken following the fire in West London this morning. First and foremost, our thoughts are with all of those affected by this tragedy and our condolences go out to those families who have lost loved ones.
We know that Camden tenants and leaseholders living in and nearby high-rise blocks may be concerned at this time. We therefore wanted to write to you to provide some reassurance about residential fire safety in Camden.
We have confidence that our fire safety procedures are appropriate but, as always, after an incident such as this, additional checks will be made. Camden has an ongoing programme of investment in fire protection and we carry out regular fire risk assessments on all buildings, with specific assessments and support for vulnerable people and families. We also work closely with the London Fire Brigade who provide important fire prevention advice and we will be ready respond to any new advice that may emerge from today’s incident.
London Fire Brigade have advised that people who live in high rise properties should have a working smoke alarm and make sure that they know their escape plan and what to do if there is a fire or somewhere in the building. More information can be found here.
Today we have been reaching out to residents through the housing team. Housing Officers and caretaking teams have been on tower block walkabouts to talk to tenants and leaseholders. This work will continue over the coming days and we will continue to work with you through your forums.
A message of reassurance, including a statement from the Camden Borough Fire Service Commander Steve Tuhill, has been published on our website. Please feel free to share this link with residents.
Camden has offered support to Kensington & Chelsea at this extremely difficult time and we are determined to address the concerns of Camden residents as quickly as possible. If you have any concerns or if you receive any enquires from residents you can pass these to Graeme Beedham, Head of Tenant Participation. Graeme can be contacted on 0207 974 7056 or on email at Graeme.beedham@camden.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Georgia Gould – Leader of Camden Council
Cllr Pat Callaghan – Deputy Leader of Camden Council
