Southend Council is writing to private landlords regarding fire safety following the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

The council has researched its planning and building control records to establish a list of high rise and tall buildings that have external cladding attached to them.

This list has been shared with the fire service and cross referenced with the records that they hold – a total of forty eight buildings have been identified as a result. 12 of these are clad.

The council has written to Department for Communities and Local Government to seek their advice to establish Government’s expectations of local authorities liaising with private sector property owners.

As a result of this dialogue with Department for Communities and Local Government the council is in the process of writing to all private sector property owners identified by its review to encourage them to reassure themselves that they have appropriate fire safety measures in place – this relates to both external cladding and internal measures and procedures to manage fire safety matters.

The Grenfell Tower fire occurred on June 14 at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington. It caused at least 80 deaths and more than 70 injuries and definitive death toll is not expected until at least 2018.

As of September 6 2017, 59 victims had been identified by the Metropolitan Police and Coroner. Occupants for 23 of 129 flats died. Around 255 people survived.[4] Inquests for 57 known victims were opened and suspended at Westminster Coroner’s Court.