Decision - Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes

This report follows a Cabinet Member decision on use of Homes England funding, and seeks approval to give delegated decision making to Cabinet Member in consultation with Corporate Director on future allocation of funding.

1) Cabinet delegates authority to Corporate Director for Homes & Adult Social Care, in consultation with Lead Member for Housing, to utilise allocated Homes England Cladding Safety Schemes funding for improvements to fire safety in Brighton & Hove for all buildings with successful future bids. 2) Cabinet approves a HRA capital budget of £6,007,500 (funded entirely by Homes England CSS funding) to be allocated to the fire safety improvement works. 3) Cabinet approves the procurement and award of a team of consultants (as set out in 3.15 below) to carry out the design works and the preparation of the tender documentation for the procurement of construction contractors to undertake the works, as set out in 3.3 below. 4) Cabinet delegates authority to the Corporate Director for Homes & Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to enter into the contracts with the consultants for the 7 blocks that we have currently been allocated funding, the block where funding has been approved but not yet received and for any further blocks where Homes England Cladding Safety Scheme funding may be awarded in future. 5) That Cabinet delegate authority to the Corporate Director (Homes & Adult Social Care), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to procure and award a Brighton & Hove City Council Fire Safety Framework Contract with increased scope to the approval given to the Procurement Forward Plan in March 2026, with an increased value of £11.5m over a 4-year contract length.

The report seeks approval to use Homes England Cladding Safety Scheme funding to improve fire safety in Brighton & Hove City Council’s high-rise homes. It also seeks approval for a £6,007,500 HRA capital budget and a competitively tendered fire safety framework contract worth £11.5 million over four years.