Council criticised for handling of tower block evacuation

A resident of Barton House has slammed the council’s handling of an emergency evacuation that saw 400 people displaced from their homes.

Shaban Ali has questioned why those who live in Bristol’s oldest tower block weren’t told about the need to leave until around 5pm on Tuesday evening after it emerged city leaders were informed of the situation at 11.30am that day.

The resident, who is also a member of housing campaign organisation ACORN Bristol, has accused Bristol City Council of “playing fast and loose with people’s lives” and he – along with ACORN Bristol – will be calling for an independent investigation into the incident.

It was just before 5pm on Tuesday evening that residents of Barton House heard they needed to leave their homes immediately because of structural issues, with no knowing yet if or when they will be able to return.

The evacuation followed a building survey which discovered that “in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact, there is a risk to the structure of the block”.

In a video published by Ali, deputy mayor Asher Craig said city leaders got the call from the fire service about the tower block at 11.30am on Tuesday.

Kye Dudd, cabinet member for housing services and energy, told the BBC he had a briefing about the report on Monday, stating that “it looked really bad”, but that further advice needed to be sought from the fire service.

He said the issues lay with the tower block’s construction, adding that the building, which was completed in 1958, wasn’t built to design specs.

“If the building was built to design we wouldn’t have this problem,” said Dudd.

“The issue is within the construction of the building and the job that was done at the time, it wasn’t built to the design specs – that’s the problem we’re dealing with.”

Some residents of Barton House have chosen to remain in their home – photo: Martin Booth

Speaking to Bristol24/7 about the moment he found out about the evacuation, Ali said: “I didn’t hear anything until around 5pm. I came home and saw a lot of people downstairs.

“I saw lots of media, a lot of police presence and a double decker bus. There was absolute chaos and a lot of contradiction in information. Some people are refusing to leave as well, so I’m trying to support others.”

Shaban says he was promised a phone call to arrange accommodation for the night but he didn’t hear back so ended up staying up all night helping people at Barton House and Wellspring Settlement, where residents were seeking support.

“There was a leadership vacuum. We were not getting adequate information,” says Shaban.

“It’s nothing new this treatment and that’s why, as a community, we have to be well organised. We could only rely on ourselves.

“From the conversation I had with councillor Craig, it’s quite clear that they only evacuated the building because emergency services said they wouldn’t come out. They are playing fast and loose with people’s lives. We will be calling for an independent investigation into what happened.”

In a blog update on Wednesday, mayor Marvin Rees said the council team is “working at pace” to determine when it might be safe for residents to return.

In the blog post, the mayor, who is currently out of the country, said: “Council leaders made the difficult decision to evacuate residents of Barton House. While there is no evidence of an immediate risk to life, this precautionary decision was taken following receipt of results from surveys undertaken to assess the building’s structure.

“These surveys were ordered as part of work to assess potential future options for Barton House given its age and method of construction.

“A survey of three out of 98 of the flats has indicated that the building may not have been built to the specification set out in its design. A number of issues have emerged that suggest the building’s construction is sufficiently different to its blueprints that there is a material risk to the structure of the block in the event of a fire, explosion or large impact.

“This includes the apparent lack of structural ties between the floors and the load-bearing external walls. There is lower fire resistance of these structural elements and less concrete cover than set out in the original plans for the floors. Even if there was concrete cover as thick as set out in the original plans, this would still be less than would be used in a building built today.

“We are working at pace to complete further surveys now, to go deep into the structure and understand when it would be safe for residents to move back into Barton House.

“The surveys will take us some time to complete, so you will need to be away from home while they are carried out. We are working as quickly as we can to find everyone suitable temporary accommodation.”

Rees urged residents of Barton House to contact the council with their details so they can receive updates.

He said 57 hotel rooms were provided to families in need and four people stayed at a rest centre inside City Hall. Nine households decided to stay in their property and 29 households did not answer their doors, so may not have been home.

Rees added: “We are working throughout the day and evening to make contact with those households we couldn’t speak to yesterday and continue to have an ongoing dialogue with those who chose to stay inside Barton House. All other households chose to stay with friends and family.

“Officers have made every effort to acquire and prepare emergency accommodation for residents. More rooms are becoming available by the hour with further expected to be secured by the weekend.

“I’m grateful to so many organisations and businesses across the city who offered accommodation or to provide support and rest in their buildings for those displaced by this evacuation.

“Likewise, we’ve been inundated with offers of donations and volunteer support. This overwhelmingly positive response from communities across the city demonstrates clearly the kindness and care inherent across our city. However, donation are not requited and for volunteering we’re asking people to visit the Can Do Bristol website with their offers of support. This way we will be able to ensure our efforts are best coordinated.”

Residents of Barton House are advised to call a free helpline on 0800 694 0184. Outside of office hours, they can call 0117 922 2050.

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

Read next:

• Fear and uncertainty in wake of sudden evacuation of Barton House 
• Hundreds of residents evacuated from Bristol’s oldest tower block 
• Barton House residents ‘in a state of shock, panic and disbelief’ 

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