As part of our ongoing commitment to resident safety, we have been contacting residents of high-rise buildings in respect of Hightown's High-Rise Building Resident Engagement Strategy, developed in line with the Building Safety Act 2022.

This strategy has been created with the goal of ensuring our high-rise homes are safe and secure for our valued residents. The Building Safety Act 2022 is a set of rules that helps keep your homes in tall buildings safe. This strategy is designed with residents in mind, to involve and empower you in making your living spaces even safer.

Throughout this strategy, we will explain how you can learn about building safety, emergency procedures, and how you can play an active role in keeping your home and building safe and secure. We'll do this by explaining how you can get involved with discussions on building safety matters and providing you with the information you need to become well informed.

Your participation and feedback is extremely important to us. Hightown strives to create an environment where everyone feels confident and safe for all. Thank you for taking the time to participate in our strategy, on reading the strategy please complete the survey and together we will continue to build a safer community.

Why Hightown wants to engage residents

Following the tragedy at Grenfell in June 2017, the Government commissioned the ‘Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’. From this review came the ‘Building a Safer Future’ report which has led to a new building safety regime for all high-rise residential buildings. High-rise buildings are defined as buildings that are 18 meters and above, or seven storeys.

The Building Safety Act 2022, which came into force in April 2022, is the main piece of legislation that governs the new safety regime and represents a significant step forward in safeguarding residents, addressing potential risks, and promoting a secure living environment for everyone within the community.

How will this be achieved?

Our key aims for this strategy are as follows;

  • Promote resident engagement in building safety matters.
  • Ensure residents are aware of the building and fire safety information
  • Explain how residents’ feedback and views, will be taken into account, following engagement.
  • Explain when this strategy will be reviewed.
  • Ensure residents understand their responsibilities in making sure their homes remain safe.
  • Inform residents of how to raise a building safety concern or a complaint if they feel their concerns are not being listened to.

By achieving these key goals, residents should feel empowered and valued in playing an effective role in ensuring their building is, and continues to be, safe.

We recognise that residents may want to be involved or provide their feedback in a variety of ways, on differing issues and at different levels of activity. We will put arrangements in place to allow views to be expressed in a collaborative and inclusive way that is convenient to residents and makes best use of modern technology.

Here are some ways residents can get involved with building matters:

  • The creation of a resident champion who will attend quarterly inspections of their building and estate, alongside the Property Services Inspector for their estate
  • Apply to be part of the resident scrutiny committee. This is where residents sit alongside other residents to review matters including building safety on high rise builds.
Other ways residents voices can be heard

Hightown promotes a range of other ways of contact that residents can get involved with building safety matters, in high-rise residential buildings via:

How are residents being informed

Hightown is committed to keeping residents up to date on relevant budling safety information. Hightown updates residents on an annual basis on any matters relating to high-rise builds, or sooner as necessary. Hightown communicates this to residents via the following forms of communication;

  • Drop-in sessions and roadshows
  • Letters, leaflets, and newsletters in a range of accessible formats
  • Attendance at resident groups
  • Electronic notice boards (On some sites)
  • Information provided at sign up for new tenants on building safety.
  • Hightown's website where further building safety information can be found.

Hightown will always look to accommodate specific requests, if you would like to receive information in a particular format or in a different language, please inform Hightown via the Housing Services e-mail address as per the following e-mail address; housing.services@hightownha.org.uk

Our Strategy

Hightown adopts a three phased strategic approach to resident engagement:

  • Listen and communicate: Communicate with our residents in high-rise buildings in ways that meets their needs. Keeping residents up to date and well informed, ensuring residents’ voices are heard and acted upon.
  • Involve: Involve and empower residents to play a key role in helping keep their homes and building safe. As part of this we will make sure that residents are aware of their responsibilities.
  • Evaluate: Continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of engagement opportunities and participation so that we can continue to maintain and strengthen our relationship with residents.

Hightown is committed to continuing to ensure residents homes and buildings are safe, also improving the look and feel of internal and communal areas through our major works programme of improvements and replacements. Creating bright and modern spaces to welcome visitors, both in communal areas, all the way to residents front doors.

Hightown is committed to providing the highest levels of safety in its buildings, working in partnership with its residents to ensure they have up to date information to ensure their safety.  Responsibility for ensuring building safety falls within a number of Hightown teams, at different stages of development, mainly being Housing and Asset Management.

The strategy incorporates a co-ordinated approach through Housing and Asset Management in managing this, ensuring there is clarity across the whole organisation, through clear accountabilities and responsibilities.

Information on your building

Hightown recognises that residents may need access to building information so that residents can make information decisions and suggestions on improvements. This information will also help residents understand the various measures in place that keeps their building safe.

The survey asks residents if they require information about their build, if you select yes to this, you will receive various data on the information of your building. Residents can also obtain this information via the following methods of communication;

On request, Hightown will provide the following information on your building:

  • The measures we have in place to prevent and mitigate potential fire and building safety risks to residents.
  • The different roles and responsibilities of the accountable person, principle accountable person and the Building Safety Liaison Team and their contact details.
  • Information for residents detailing how they can reduce the risk of fire in individual dwellings, for example, by not storing flammable materials.
  • A process for reporting the risk of fire spread and a structural safety issue.
  • Procedures to follow where a fire occurs in the building.
  • The current fire risk assessments for their building.
  • Outcome of building safety inspection checks where available.
  • How assets in the building are managed.
  • Details of preventive measures such as smoke alarms.
  • Fire protection measures in place, such as fire doors.
  • The fire strategy for the building.
  • Structural assessments, where available.
Strategy review

As part of our strategy, we have implemented an in-depth survey to engage residents on areas of safety. The survey asks residents what they know about their building and allows Hightown to provide residents with additional information on building and fire safety, targeting specific areas where a lack of knowledge maybe lacking.

The survey opens Tuesday 17 September and closes Monday 30 September.

Letters have been distributed to all residents in high rise builds, residents can respond via the survey using the stamped addressed envelope and return covering letter, or complete this form and return it by email to propertyservicesteam@hightownha.org.uk

Following the review of the survey, the strategy will be reviewed and re-posted on the Hightown website in November.

The resident engagement strategy will be reviewed every 2 years, to ensure that it meets its objectives in delivering improved services that meet the needs of residents and addresses the key priorities identified around resident engagement. If resident participation is low, then the strategy may be reviewed to address the key aim of promoting engagement with residents on building safety matters.

Any information collected by Hightown, will be stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

How to report a complaint relating to Building Safety

Hightown has a separate complaints policy regarding high-rise buildings. This includes identifying and reporting hazards that may impact on the safety of the building and meeting their responsibilities to ensure their own safety and that of their neighbours. Residents can instigate a complaint via the following methods of communication;

The Building Safety Act 2022 defines a relevant complaint as a complaint in relation to a ‘building safety risk’. For example, a risk to the safety of people in or about the building arising from either the spread of fire or structural failure. Residents can also raise a complaint regarding the performance of Hightown in fulfilling its duties under the Building Safety Act 2022.

Hightown will acknowledge and investigate issues in a timely manner, providing findings to the complainant, ensuring remedial actions are taken as appropriate.

In the event a resident is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, they can escalate the complaint to the Building Safety Regulator. Information on how to do this will be shared with the complainant at the appropriate stage in the process.

Survey

We are grateful to residents taking the time to complete the survey, which has been posted to all residents in high-rise buildings. We look forward to your feedback and working in partnership with you to further enhance safety across Hightown buildings and inside your homes.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and engage with Hightown.