FIFE Council has stressed its focus on tenant safety by agreeing a comprehensive response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Part 2 report.
The local authority has already taken steps since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, including fire safety upgrades and cladding reviews across 12 tower blocks. Councillors have now endorsed a series of actions to further enhance fire safety across its housing stock – particularly in high-rise and sheltered housing.
The Grenfell Inquiry report Part 1 focussed on the fire outbreak and how it spread rapidly up the building. The Grenfell Inquiry Part 2 report, published in September 2024, focused on the causes of the events leading up to the fire, including how Grenfell Tower came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread in the way it did. The report made 58 recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies.
The Scottish Government responded with a commitment to strengthen building standards, improve fire safety guidance, and introduce mandatory fire risk assessments and personal evacuation plans.
Building on this, Fife Council has now agreed a four-stage process to assess fire safety risks and develop a longer-term improvement programme. This will include an analysis of the fire safety gaps, a compliance roadmap with a costed programme of proposed improvement works, a remediation programme and then the delivery of the physical works.
Housing spokesperson at Fife Council, councillor Judy Hamilton, said, “We acted swiftly after Grenfell and we’re now going further. The current improvement work at Swan and Memorial Courts in Methil are an example of how we’re committed to fully mitigate potential fire risks and make long-term improvements for our tenants.
“I visited the tower blocks recently to see the £7 million large-scale works first-hand. The project is replacing external wall insulation, installing fire stopping in each flat, replacing older kitchens and bathrooms, upgrading the heating system and installing a new fire evacuation alarm system.
“We’ll continue to work closely with tenants, the Scottish Government and fire safety experts throughout the process to deliver lasting improvements, ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.”
