SOUTHEND Council has announced it is to bring forward £2million of fire safety works in the wake of the West London tower block fire.

Southend council’s cabinet agreed to bring forward the capital funding to allow South Essex Homes to complete planned fire safety improvements in its high rise flats faster than planned.

A programme for South Essex Homes’ contractors to install new fire safety entrance doors and frames, along with communal doors and panels across all 13 of the borough’s council owned tower blocks has been underway since 2011, with the programme now nearing completion.

Ten blocks are fully completed, with contractors currently on site at the Chiltern town centre tower block.

It was planned to complete work on the Pennine and Quantock tower blocks, which do have fire doors installed, in 2018.

Speaking at the meeting, council leader John Lamb, said: “In light of the devastating Grenfell flat fire last week, I am very pleased that we are able to bring forward £2million from the 2018/19 Housing Revenue Account future programme budget into the 2017/18 financial year.”

Mr Lamb added: “This will enable the on-going programme of fire safety installation works to be accelerated by South Essex Homes and finished earlier than planned and within this financial year.

“This not only makes financial sense because we already have contractors on site carrying out works, but it is also the right thing to do to ensure that our residents have the latest and highest specification fire safety equipment installed in their homes.”

South Essex Homes executive director, Mario Ambrose, said: “The safety and welfare of our residents has always been a very high priority for South Essex Homes, and we are pleased that we are able to complete the last stage of the works in our tower blocks, earlier than planned.

“Working in partnership with the Essex Fire and Rescue Service, we are continuing to consult and reassure residents about fire safety.”

The council is currently reviewing planning applications to ensure materials being used in a number of office block refurbishments in the town are safe.

A number of tower blocks in Victoria Avenue are being renovated and will require cladding to update the drab exteriors.

The number of people dead or missing following the Grenfell Tower tragedy has risen to 79, police have said.

Theresa May has apologised for the failures by local and national government in responding to the fire.

The Prime Minister said the initial support on the ground for families was “not good enough” with people lacking basic information about what they should do and where help was available.

Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May said this was a failure to help people “when they needed it most.”

She said: “As Prime Minister, I apologise for that failure.”

Mrs May made her remarks following the Queen’s Speech yesterday, which included plans for a civil disaster taskforce.

She added there was “a failure of the state, local and national, to help people when they needed it most.”