The safety of Scotland’s high rise tower blocks will be examined by a Holyrood Committee, following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee will scrutinise accommodation in Scotland’s high rise communities, by expanding an on-going inquiry into housing and building regulations in Scotland.
In a letter today to the Minister for Local Government and Housing Kevin Stewart MSP, the Committee welcomes the Scottish Government’s investigation of tower blocks in Scotland and outlines its own plans for further scrutiny of building standards and conditions.
Local Government and Communities Committee Convener, Bob Doris MSP, said: “There are thousands of families and individuals living in high rise accommodation across Scotland and they are understandably looking for reassurances at this deeply worrying time.
“Whilst both the Scottish Government and our social housing providers have moved quickly to take action and to allay fears, it is important that our Committee provides an additional layer of scrutiny both in terms of fire safety and building standards. That is precisely what we intend to do.
“All parts of the UK must learn from the disaster at Grenfell Tower and we must do all we can to ensure no-one has to experience the loss of a loved one in such tragic circumstances.
“Our Committee will be reviewing building safety standards in full, particularly in highly-dense urban areas with many high rises. We will speak to local authorities, landlords, tenants and of course the Scottish Government as part of this inquiry.”
Edinburgh Tenants Federation issued the following statement on the Grenfell tragedy last week:
The tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire is deeply felt by all at Edinburgh Tenants Federation. We continue to offer our sincere condolences to all affected by this heart-breaking incident.
A week on, many questions remain unanswered about what caused and escalated the fire in Grenfell Tower.
For tenants and residents in Edinburgh, especially those living in high rise blocks, we know there are some concerns about fire safety and that reassurance and information is needed. Thank you to all who have contacted the Federation office already about this.
The City of Edinburgh Council has acted quickly to reassure tenants that the type of over-cladding used in Edinburgh’s properties is not the same type of material that was used at Grenfell, and has issued a special Tenants Courier to all tenants living in high rise blocks (see below). Furthermore Council staff have been out and about speaking to tenants across the city. We hope the information issued by the Council will help answer some of the questions you may have.
The Executive Committee of Edinburgh Tenants Federation today met with senior officers in the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss some of the points tenants have already raised with us, and we had a very positive and reassuring dialogue.
Edinburgh Tenants Federation will continue to work closely with the City of Edinburgh Council to review fire safety. The Federation’s High Flats Group will be organising a meeting to enable tenants and residents in high rises to come together to talk about fire safety, and will publicise this in due course.
You can contact the Federation office on 0131 475 2509 or email info@edinburghtenants.org.uk if you would like to get involved in the High Flats group. The Council also wants to hear from tenants who would like to be involved in a Fire Safety Tenant and Residents Panel. If you are interested, please phone 0131 529 7172 or email Tenant.Panel@edinburgh.gov.uk.
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