FIRE DANGER IN EALING HMOs?
It is not only tower blocks in Notting Hill where there is danger of fire. There was a fire in a large HMO in W3 a couple of weeks ago. Not on the same scale as Grenfell Tower and no one died but with striking parallels: Council failure to heed residents’ representations, Council tolerance of bad management, Council unaccountability and uncaring politicians ignoring warnings. Neighbours of the HMO in question discovered recently that a few years ago it was issued with a licence despite the fact it was badly managed, overcrowded, and lacked adequate fire-prevention and escape provision. It stayed that way for four years. The Council’s Employee Code of Conduct defines as gross misconduct, deserving of immediate dismissal, “serious negligence that causes or might cause loss, damage or injury”. What happened to the officer who irresponsibly licensed this HMO? He was promoted. He then reappointed the same HMO licence holder and manager, knowing their bad record. Of course he did. That was his record too. Neighbours complained to senior officers, ward councillors and Council Leader Bell. They were ignored. The matter was put to MP Huq. Ignored. She was evidently more concerned with protecting Ealing Council from scrutiny than the safety of the lives of constituents. Party before people! Neighbours made a formal complaint. Council officers refused to accept it, suppressed it, covering up the scandal and protecting colleagues from investigation, and thereby corrupting the Council’s complaints procedure.The Council, far from learning from complaints, as it hypocritically claims to do, has endorsed the policy revealed here of banking licence fees and abandoning HMO residents to squalid and dangerous conditions. Anyone living in an HMO should insist that the property is thoroughly inspected immediately. The production of a licence (as we have seen with the W3 HMO) guarantees nothing. It is possible in Ealing for a property to be licensed and dangerous to live in. Ask the landlord to see his licence. The name of the responsible officer is on the first page. Is it one of the officers involved in the W3 scandal? Who is it? Write to Julian Bell and ask him. He knows the names. If it is found that the licensed HMO does not conform to legal requirements, Julian Bell should be asked to explain how a license came to be granted and what action he intends to take against the council officer(s) responsible. Ask him to assure you that your HMO has been adequately inspected. Does it have an up-to-date gas-safety certificate on display? Is the door to your part of the property a proper fire-door fitted with a seal around the edge? Is the building fitted with smoke-alarms and an adequate integrated fire-alarm system? Is there emergency lighting on the stairs. Is there adequate escape-provision? Particularly important if you live on an upper floor.All these things are required by law. Fire-fighters should not be obliged to risk their lives because council officers are indifferent to the safety of human lives and cover up for colleagues, and when our supposed “representatives”, Bell and Huq, are happy to turn a blind eye to anything that might embarrass their party.
vincent paul WRIGLEY ● 2854d0 Comments