Councillors reassured over cladding

LOCHABER councillors have been assured there are no local authority buildings in their areas with the sort of exterior cladding which has been blamed for the rapid spread of the fire at London’s Grenfell Tower in June.

Members of the Highland Council’s Lochaber Area Committee met earlier this month and were briefed by Fraser Nixon, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s local senior officer for Highland, who provided an update on progress against the priorities outlined in the service’s Area Committee Plan for Lochaber for 2016-2017.

He also gave a presentation on the future transformation of the fire service, its role in the future and how it could be fit for purpose.

Group manager Nixon said there was a need to transform the fire service as there were changing risks and challenges for the service to meet. This is an initial stage in the consultation process on the transformation, which would be followed by formal public consultation.

In the discussion which followed the briefing, various main points were raised including a question on the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Billy MacLachlan, councillor for Caol and Mallaig, asked about cladding on buildings.

Group manager Nixon replied: ‘I am not a buildings expert but I have been given an assurance than none of the local authority’s buildings in this area has got cladding similar to that which was used on Grenfell Tower.’

Group manager Nixon also told councillors there was no intention under the future transformation of the fire service to centralise services in Fort William.

He said the aim was to enhance the current services provided, including in outlying areas, in order to provide a better service for communities to meet the changing risks and challenges. He added that there will be a formal public consultation to include the use of social media, leaflets, public meetings, staff engagement and on-line surveys.

The committee noted the terms of the report as circulated.