Kensington and Chelsea Council Admits Fire Safety Failures in Public Buildings
A West London council has conceded that some of its buildings fail to meet its own safety standards, following data revealing that libraries, schools, and properties near Grenfell Tower have missed crucial fire safety checks for years. Kensington and Chelsea Council acknowledged the lapses but insisted it takes building safety "very seriously" and acts promptly when acute issues are identified.
Widespread Non-Compliance with Statutory Obligations
Data obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a Freedom of Information request, covering checks from 2018 to October 2025, shows a long list of non-residential buildings overdue for essential assessments. These include fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, flood risk evaluations, and asbestos surveys. Councils are legally required to conduct these checks within agreed timeframes, with Kensington and Chelsea aiming for annual fire risk assessments, six-monthly fire door inspections, yearly asbestos surveys, and biennial water risk assessments.
The affected properties span nursing homes, children's play centres, nurseries, youth centres, museums, schools, charities, and commercial units. Notably, buildings on the Lancaster West Estate, home to Grenfell Tower, are among those with overdue checks. For instance, Barandon Walk was four months overdue for both a fire risk assessment and fire door inspection, though the council claims a recent assessment may have been completed but cannot confirm due to a cyber attack impacting its systems.
Specific Cases Highlight Systemic Issues
Several examples underscore the extent of the problem:
- Grenfell Nursery Centre: Two months overdue for a fire door inspection.
- Baseline Studios: Common areas five months overdue for a water risk assessment.
- 12 Latimer Road: Used by charity Kids of the Green, this property is two years overdue for fire safety checks, with the last assessments conducted in late 2022.
- Lancaster Youth Centre: Hasn't had a fire risk assessment since July 2022 and is four months overdue for a fire door inspection.
- Kensal Library: Missing three assessments, including a fire risk assessment last done in January 2023 and fire doors not inspected since October 2022.
- 81 Southern Row: Unit 5 hasn't had an annual fire risk assessment since April 2018, making it six-and-a-half years overdue.
- English National Ballet School building: Fire risk check overdue since May 2023 and nearly a year overdue for a water risk assessment.
Other facilities like Golborne Youth Centre, Flashpoint Play Centre, and St Quintin nursery also show significant delays, with some fire door inspections not conducted for nearly three years. The Pepperpot Day Centre and a residential care home on Knightsbridge Road are additionally due fire risk assessments.
Former Council Worker Alleges Ignored Concerns
A former senior council worker with direct knowledge of the issue claimed that staff repeatedly raised concerns about these failures with senior management, only to be ignored. They stated, "The council management has been fully aware of the significant failures to comply with statutory duties but consistently failed to act. Many officers attempted to escalate the issues but were suppressed or pushed out." The worker added, "The fact that this is the council that suffered the Grenfell tragedy is simply unforgivable."
Regulatory Scrutiny and Council Response
The Health and Safety Executive has conducted several inspections at council buildings between November 2025 and January 2026 as part of a national campaign on asbestos management and is considering further action. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson emphasised that local authorities have a legal duty to carry out and regularly review fire risk assessments, with enforcement possible for non-compliance under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
In response, Kensington and Chelsea Council highlighted that it does not rely solely on formal inspections, also conducting informal checks by facilities managers. However, the cyber attack has hindered the uploading of recent data, with paper reports yet to be processed. A council spokesperson said, "We take safety very seriously, but some premises don't meet our standards. We have changed our approach to be more proactive, with a programme for regular testing and preventative maintenance. All affected buildings are fully staffed during opening hours, and we would close any where risk cannot be safely managed."
This revelation follows recent reports by the LDRS on the council's failure to inform staff about legionella in showers, raising further questions about safety protocols in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
