2017 – a look back at the year of Fake News and flashy jackets
With a brand new year just underway, we reflect on what was a busy 12 months in the borough
Grenfell
Grenfell: ‘No plans’ for resident-led fire safety panel, says Hackney Council
Camden setting up fire safety panel ‘led by tenants’, but Hackney to rely on ‘existing network’ of resident groups
Mayor praises council’s ‘transparency’ post-Grenfell – despite blocking release of old fire safety checks
Glanville speech lauds council’s response, but admits new FRAs are ‘not perfect’
ACM cladding found in Hackney schools is safe, says Mayor Glanville
Report sheds light as council blocks fire ratings release
Leader – Mayor Culpa
As ‘all up to date’ claim made post-Grenfell falls apart with a welcome apology, we call for the fire safety information blockage to be cleared
Mayor apologises for misleading public over fire safety on day of Grenfell blaze
Claims that all fire risk assessments were ‘up-to-date’ and that priority work has been done were false
Grenfell: Fire hazards at council block still not fixed after four years – and Town Hall cannot explain why
‘Priority 2’ risks picked up by assessors in 2013 should have been addressed within six months
Grenfell: Hackney U-turned on releasing old fire safety checks for tower blocks, says housing chief
Council review says Town Hall changed its mind about publishing FRAs
Grenfell: Confusion as experts contradict Hackney Council on Fire Risk Assessment gaps
Surveyors and Town Hall at odds over documents which appear to counter Mayor’s claim that FRAs are ‘up to date’
Grenfell: Hackney Council has no deadline for expert cladding tests and is ‘unsure’ of cost
CladTech Associates ‘have not given a specific date’ for report ordered in June
Grenfell: Town Hall refuses to release fire safety ratings for Hackney schools
Council says Red-Amber-Green ratings are ‘not intended for public use’
Council has ‘no plans’ to publish old Fire Risk Assessments and is ‘redoing’ ones it claimed were ‘up-to-date’
Town Hall had previously rejected Freedom of Information requests on grounds it would publish FRAs
Fire Risk Assessment error blamed on bungling safety expert
According to the council, a surveyor wrongly put 24 June 2017 as the date of an FRA for one of its blocks – despite carrying out the test on 4 October 2016
Leader – Hackney Council now must put fire safety first
To take a lackadaisical approach – missed deadlines, delays to checks, a trickle of information – is to neglect one of the council’s absolute duties
Town Hall misses high priority blaze threat targets three times
Guidance set by safety experts on dealing with ‘P1’ risks is that they must be fixed within a month
Fire risks at council property left unchecked for over five years
When an assessment was eventually carried out this year, it found there was no fire detection or alarm system.