Fixes for thousands of fire risks in council homes are overdue, report shows

Fixes for thousands of fire risks in Camden’s council homes are overdue, council figures show.

According to a report based on the borough’s fire risk assessments, 6,785 risks are waiting for a solution.

Two thirds of these are deemed “medium” risks, with the rest classified as “low”.

The council has, however, confirmed that all high-risk issues have been addressed.

It hopes to have dealt with all the outstanding problems “by the end of the calendar year 2025”.

Risks can range from broken smoke alarms and to doors that are not fire-safe.

Leader of the opposition, Liberal Democrat councllor Tom Simon, said he expected to have seen a “fairly significant drop” in the number of outstanding medium risks since April, because “the number seems to be pretty high”.

In April, there were 5,213 overdue medium risks, compared to 4,675 in July.

Gavin Haynes, director of property for Camden Council, denied there had been any delays.

A report published by his department said the main challenge was gaining access to properties.

It states: “Part of the council’s response has been to implement a street property universal keys programme to enable our staff and authorised contractors to access communal areas to carry out safety checks.

“The delivery teams have also revised their access processes in consultation with legal services and, once it is exhausted, will apply for court orders for access if absolutely necessary.”

Approximately 2,000 of the overdue medium risks have been overdue for more than two years.

According to Haynes, this is due to the “large scale” of the works required to bring properties up to the required fire safety standards.