The Housing Fire and Building Safety Panel of Camden Council met on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, to review the panel's work over the past year, discuss structural surveys and assessments, and receive updates on compliance performance. The panel also reviewed its forward plan for upcoming meetings.

Annual Report - Work of the Panel & Terms of Reference Review

The panel reviewed its activities over the preceding 12 months, noting that the pace of regulatory change had slowed due to the government's work on the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations. The implementation timeline for these recommendations is set to run from 2026 to 2029. It was proposed to defer the review of the Panel's Terms of Reference to a later meeting to allow for any changes arising from the Grenfell recommendations to be incorporated. In 2025, the panel discussed 18 reports and received monthly updates on the Council's performance against the Voluntary Undertaking Action Plan on Fire Safety. A significant development in 2025 was the publication of the Residential Personnel Emergency Plan Regulations (RPEEPS), which were due to come into force in April 2026, and the Council had been allocated grant funding for their development.

Structural Surveys and Assessments

The report detailed Camden Council's intended approach to structural surveys and assessments to meet regulatory requirements and ensure resident safety. This includes a new survey programme, due to go live in April 2026, which will integrate assessments for tall buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022, hazards under Awaab's Law, and internal surveys of tenanted units. The council has 188 tall buildings and is working towards submitting Building Safety Case Files for all of them by 2029. To date, Camden has received five Building Assessment Certificates out of 12 submitted Building Safety Case Files. The report also highlighted specific structural risks, including Large Panel System (LPS) buildings (of which Camden has none in its residential high-rise stock), Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) (which was not found in the council's housing stock), and balconies, with additional surveys being arranged following an incident at Campden House in June 2025.

Performance on Compliance Q2 2025/26

This report provided an update on compliance across fire, legionella, asbestos, gas, electrics, and lifts (FLAGEL) for the housing portfolio for the second quarter of 2025/26. Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) for safety showed strong performance in gas and fire safety checks, with asbestos checks at 100%. Electrical safety checks were at 92.25%, with an action plan in place to achieve compliance with new regulations by May 2026, with access remaining a key barrier. The report detailed progress on the Voluntary Undertaking with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), showing a steady decrease in overdue fire actions, although complex capital works projects were still impacted by gateway requirements. In building safety, Camden had achieved 11 out of 12 Building Assessment Certificates submitted to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), a success rate of almost 100%. Under Awaab's Law, the team had achieved 100% performance on all four key performance indicators for damp and mould hazards.

Forward Plan

The panel reviewed its proposed work programme for future meetings. The April 2026 agenda was noted to be comprehensive, and the panel would consider items for the October meeting in June. Future topics include the LFB Annual Report, Commercial Properties Compartmentation Programme Update, Grenfell Phase 2 inquiry recommendations, a review of the Panel's Terms of Reference, Internal Stock Condition Surveys, and Fire safety training for residents. The work programme also includes updates on the New Decent Homes Standards and serious case incident reviews.