A North East housing organisation has launched a new initiative to help keep residents of high-rise blocks safe from fire and other major incidents.
The campaign by Arms Length Management Organisation Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) sees Newcastle’s largest housing provider team up with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) to deliver a range of resident engagement and communication initiatives to inform residents about the safety features and systems in place in their buildings and raise awareness of the role residents must play in keeping themselves and their neighbours safe.
The campaign is part of a long-term strategy devised by YHN to respond to the requirements of the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 that place greater responsibilities on housing providers to ensure higher-risk buildings, which include those of either seven storeys or over 18 metres high, have the right measures in place to reduce and manage risks associated with a fire or structural incident.
Customer engagement is a core part of the new legislation, with additional requirements that ensure residents are provided with accessible safety information specific to their building, educated about their own role in building safety, and given opportunities to raise questions and concerns about their block.
Your Homes Newcastle manages 42 blocks of flats in the ‘higher risk building’ category covered by the new regulations and is now rolling out a two-year plan of building-safety case reviews and resident engagement activities that will see every block involved in a tailored event that will give residents an opportunity to air concerns with staff from YHN and TWFRS as well as learn more about the safety features installed in their buildings and what they should do in the event of an emergency.
Building-safety initiatives are not new to YHN and its local authority Newcastle City Council who, in the direct aftermath of the Grenfell tragedy, invested around £30 million in a fire-door repair and replacement programme, a pilot project utilising thermal-imaging cameras and a resident education project to raise awareness of fire-safety protocols and evacuation processes.
YHN also stepped up its programme to test all render and insulation materials used on high-rise blocks, with all passing industry standard tests and none of the blocks using the aluminium composite cladding as used at Grenfell Tower. Contractors also replaced decorative panelling in stairwells as a precautionary measure.
A specialist team of experts in building and fire safety was also appointed to provide dedicated resource to carry out extensive fire-risk assessments across YHN’s property portfolio, instigating and overseeing any upgrade projects required and being a point of contact for customers and colleagues with queries about building safety. The team is supported by YHN’s recent investment in insight and engagement that has expanded the organisation’s customer engagement function to respond to the social housing white paper and ensure capacity is available to deliver meaningful engagement and consultation at scale across their housing stock.
David Langhorne, Group Director of Assets and Development at YHN, said: ‘We are one of the largest providers of high-rise social housing in the North so we are very familiar with the specific needs of managing these types of buildings and over the years we have developed a strong working relationship with TWFRS that has helped us develop our expertise around building safety.
‘It’s not enough just to have the right measures in place though – residents are the experts in living in their building and we know they can give us valuable insights into what the risks and priorities are for each block. By delivering our programme of engagement events and developing accessible new safety information, we are providing residents with channels where they can raise concerns and ask questions about what we’re doing to keep their buildings safe, as well as allowing us and our colleagues at TWFRS to educate our residents about common safety risks in a tailored and approachable way.
‘The new legislation empowers residents to seek assurances that their homes are safe and we hope that our approach provides the reassurance that residents deserve that their buildings are safe places to live and their voices will always be heard.’
Louise Coulthard, TWFRS Team Leader for Prevention and Education (North), said: ‘Partnership working for the fire service is really important. There’s lots of vulnerable people out there and by sharing knowledge with each other we can target those who need fire safety advice.
‘Working alongside Your Homes Newcastle means that we can take part in crucial initiatives and deliver joint visits to vulnerable occupiers and provide them with essential advice and fire-safety equipment if needed. We want residents to have general fire-safety awareness that can keep themselves, their neighbours and the surrounding community safe from harm.’
Claire Smith lives in one of YHN’s high-rise blocks of flats and has been involved in a number of regional and national building safety customer consultation and engagement projects. Claire said: ‘YHN’s approach to building safety has been very well received and has been advanced. Any concerns raised are addressed, they go above and beyond to ensure customers are as safe as possible in their homes and this work is continuing.
‘Their partnership with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is crucial. It is a name that is widely recognised and respected. Working directly with the local fire service can identify problems and find solutions quickly and effectively.
‘I hope the work around building safety prompts more customers to get involved in the day-to-day management of their building safety and encourages a safer way of living.’
For more information, go to www.yhn.org.uk
