Residential PEEPs ‘fall short’ on ensuring safety of deaf and disabled people, London Assembly warns

It highlighted an apparent loophole in the rules, warning: “The regulations could lead to situations in which RPs deem a mitigation measure ‘reasonable and proportionate’ only if the disabled resident pays for it, meaning if they cannot, it will not be implemented.”

The motion also claimed that the regulations had been watered down, due to requiring building owners to make “reasonable endeavours”, rather than “best endeavours” as DDPOs had been promised.

Inclusion London, a charity that supports 70 organisations for deaf and disabled people across the capital, warned in July last year that the new post-Grenfell laws will create a two-tier safety system where only those who can afford it get protection.

This new motion points out that there is no requirement for person-centred fire risk assessments (PCFRAs) to be carried out by a trained professional and tenants must ensure they are protected as PCFRAs cannot be carried out without consent.

It also argues that residential PEEPs are “arbitrarily” restricted in the buildings they apply to, while funding will be given only to tenants in social housing, rather than those in leasehold or private flats.

Hina Bokhari, a Liberal Democrat assembly member who raised the proposal, told the meeting: “After the tragedy of Grenfell, the inquiry recommended evacuation plans for residents who cannot self-evacuate.

“The new regulations fall far short of delivering that in practice, placing too much responsibility on disabled residents to identify themselves and not enough duty on building managers to proactively plan for their safety.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains that residents with disabilities or impairments will have a PCFRA to identify necessary equipment and adjustments to aid their safety and evacuation and a statement to record what they should do in a fire.

Fire and rescue services will also receive information on residents in case they need to support their evacuation.

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Our new legislation to mandate residential personal emergency evacuation plans will deliver the vital change needed to support the fire safety and evacuation of vulnerable and disabled residents.

“This has been informed by two full public consultations and the government response to the second consultation sets out the different views of stakeholders and the rationale for the government’s decision.

“To support this vital work, we are also funding social housing providers to deliver residential PEEPs for their renters.”

You can read about seven things we learned from the new guidance here.