Concerns as Council spends millions on prolonged fire-safety watches
Tower Hamlets Council has spent over £4 million on waking watches since 2022 some lasting up to two years despite quick repairs, prompting concerns over efficiency.
Tower Hamlets Council has spent over four million pounds on waking watches across the borough since 2022 while carrying out fire safety repairs.
A ‘waking watch’ is a temporary measure whereby buildings with fire safety issues are patrolled 24/7 by trained staff to spot fire risks and assist with evacuations in the case of an emergency.
Though intended as an interim measure following the tragic Grenfell fire in 2017, which claimed 72 lives, there have since been many instances London-wide of waking watches being implemented long-term.
In September 2024, City Hall figures showed Tower Hamlets to have the highest number of tower blocks, including those privately owned, where an ‘interim simultaneous evacuation strategy’ was in place. This includes but isn’t limited to waking watches.
In some cases, repairs shown to be carried out under waking watches only required weeks or even days of work despite a watch being in place for nearly two years, prompting concerns over the inefficiency of the costly watches.
A resident at Waterview House claimed that repairs taking place under a waking watch did not begin until December 2024, despite the waking watch starting ten months earlier in February 2024. The resident also claims that the repairs were completed in less than a week, yet the watch continued for a further three months until March 2025 due to inspections of the works.
At Latham House in Stepney, a two-year waking watch was in place, costing over £1.6 million, during which time a new alarm system was listed as the only repair.
Repairs at other buildings included removing cladding and fireproofing window panels.
Whether or not building owners, such as Tower Hamlets Council, can pass on non-remediation and interim costs, such as the cost of waking watches, depends on factors such as the value of the property, the landlord’s financial standing, and their relationship with the developer.
In the past, leaseholders have been required to pay extra service charges during the period that waking watches are in place however, the Building Safety Act 2022 introduced stronger protections for leaseholders to prevent them from being unfairly charged.
But aside from economic concerns, which also include difficulty selling property, waking watches can cause emotional turmoil for residents, with many feeling trapped in unsafe housing.
According to a recent Freedom of Information request, the only council-owned property still under waking watch is Randall House in Popla,r where unsafe cladding was rediscovered in December last year despite previous assurances of its safety.
The Slice has acquired the following data on the length and cost of waking watches at buildings owned by the Council.
| Block | Duration | Cost of Waking Watch | Repairs Carried Out During Waking Watch | Cost of Repairs (Excl. VAT) |
| Latham House | 30.5.22 to 15.12.24 | £1,643,791 | New alarm system | £185,340 |
| Anglia House | 15.8.22 to 26.9.22 | £61,610 | Fireproofing internally to communal window panels | £32,730 |
| Waterview House | 5.2.24 to 3.3.25 | £725,352 | Fireproofing internally to communal window panels | £24,975 |
| Randall House | 2.8.24 to present | £523,205 | Removal of most of the cladding | £500,000 |
| Odette Duval House | 19.6.23 to 15.7.24 | £700,371.96 | Replacement of cladding panels | £185,399 |
| Johnson House | 19.10.23 to 15.7.24 | £502,460.34 | Removal of cladding panels on the staircase | £91,826 |
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced significant measures to improve tower block fire safety, including the appointment of named responsible persons for high-rise buildings; stronger financial protections for leaseholders against paying for fire safety works, and greater powers to enforce remedial works for private owners.
The Building Safety Act 2022 also introduced three separate gateways for approving new projects, including remediation works at high-rise buildings, defined as over 18 metres or seven stories tall.
At a Council meeting in February, Tower Hamlets’ Head of Asset Management & Compliance said: ‘We were almost ready to start work on 5 or 6 blocks, but new regulations now require an application, which can cause delays of 6 to 8 months.’
A continued reliance on waking watches as a result of delays has left residents in a state of uncertainty. On a wider scale, repairs are proving slow across London, with the government addressing delays in the Remediation Acceleration in 2024.
Tower Hamlets Council said: ‘The safety of our residents is our key priority. Waking watches are an important measure to protect residents in buildings with significant fire risks until permanent solutions are in place. Based on advice from an external fire engineer, the waking watch at Waterview House has now been lifted. We appreciate our residents’ patience as we work towards finding a solution for the outstanding necessary works.’
Tower Hamlets has spent millions on waking watches, while vital remediation work remains unfinished at council-owned property and private developments.
Randall House has since entered its seventh month of waking watch with unsafe cladding still in place and the final bill yet to be seen.
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