I was saddened to hear news of the tragic events of the fire at Grenfell Tower in London yesterday.   My thoughts and sympathies are with the friends and families of all those affected.

I would like to reassure Council Tenants that the Council and Avon Fire and Rescue Service work extremely closely on fire safety and all our tower blocks have Fire Risk Assessments in place which are checked annually.   We also have a number of other safety measures in place, such as smoke detectors in every home.

We do not believe that there is any cause for concern about the council’s housing blocks, but the Council will of course consider the details of the fire in London as they emerge, including whether there are any other steps which may need to be taken.

You can hear my Cabinet Lead for Housing, Paul Smith, speak on BBC Radio Bristol this morning about the safety of high-rise blocks in the city via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p054dcbb (2:06:30)