Haringey Council is investing £690,000 to reinforce fire safety measures at Broadwater Farm. The funding will ensure essential fire safety work continues while the council procures a longer-term contract to manage and complete new actions within target timescales.
The initial contracts were put in place in 2024 to reduce overdue actions from fire risk assessments, as reported to the Regulator for Social Housing via Haringey's Voluntary Undertaking. The council had previously self-reported high-priority overdue actions to the Regulator.
The decision, approved by Councillor Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader), involves varying existing contracts with three suppliers. These contracts, initially part of a wider award to five contractors, will each be increased by 167%, from £499,999 to £833,333.
The move aims to address actions identified in fire risk assessments, ensuring the council meets its legal obligations under the Fire Safety Order (as amended) 2005, the Building Safety Act 2022, the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Housing Acts 1994, 2004 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. According to the Public Reports Pack that was considered, halting the fire safety work for any period would increase the number of actions required and put resident safety at risk.
Several alternative options were considered and rejected, including halting the works, using the Direct Labour Organisation (DLO), procuring new contracts immediately, or using an external framework. The Minutes of Cabinet Member Signing state that utilising the DLO was not viable due to existing pressures and a lack of resources. The Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) is already under significant pressure to deliver the Responsive Repairs Service and lacks the competencies and resources to meet the required standards.
Procuring new contracts without variations would interrupt service delivery. The intention is to procure and award a long-term contract after March 2026 to ensure that new actions are managed and completed within the target timescales. Having a long-term contract in place with a higher spend value will avoid frequent variations to the contract.
The contracts were initially established in 2024 to reduce overdue actions reported to the Regulator for Social Housing. The current contract period runs from March 2025 to March 2026.
