Report says it caused ‘lasting harm’
Families leaving Barton House(Image: Paul Gillis)
An independent review of the circumstances surrounding the shock evacuation of hundreds of residents from Bristol’s oldest tower block has concluded that, while the council leaders at the time were right to order the evacuation, it was badly mishandled and caused ‘long-lasting harm’ to the residents.
Hundreds of people were evacuated with no notice from Barton House, the 1950s tower block in Barton Hill, after a series of emergency meetings with fire chiefs and surveyors led to increased fears that the structure of the tower block could be vulnerable if there was a fire, crash or explosion at its base.
All the residents were ordered out on November 14, 2023, and the majority had to be put up in hotels for months over the winter, until the council gave the all-clear in the spring of 2024.
But the trauma of the evacuation, and issues with their temporary accommodation, sparked a residents’ campaign for justice, which included the council honouring requests to be re-housed from families who did not want to return.
The residents commissioned their own medical review into the impacts of the evacuation, which found many people living there were suffering from PTSD and mental health issues, because of the way the city council handled the evacuation.
Part of that campaign was to call for an independent review, and one was commissioned by the Green-led council after it took over City Hall back in May 2024, and has now been published.
The review found that the council leadership team at the time – which was then Mayor Marvin Rees, deputy mayor Asher Craig and other senior councillors in the Labour administration – were right to make the evacuation decision, but the council didn’t have the capacity to do it well.
The scene at Barton House in Bristol which houses some 400 people and is being evacuated, November 14 2023. (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
The review found that concerns about Barton House dated back years, but were ‘not shared widely or acted upon’.
Instead of organising a plan for future potential evacuations, or work to sort out the issues with the building itself, in the years leading up to the evacuation, council leaders were more focussed on the idea of redeveloping the site.
“The council had identified technical risks to the building during 2019–2022. The risks included potential structural and fire safety concerns,” the report said. “The council failed to turn technical findings into risk management actions.
“There was no documented risk assessment or mitigation plan. The focus shifted prematurely to redevelopment options, rather than the immediate safety risk,” it added.
When the evacuation eventually did come, it ‘caused severe disruption and long-lasting harm, especially to the mental health of residents’, the report published tonight found.
Barton House residents demonstrate at City Hall(Image: Bristol Live)
“The council mobilised a major incident response quickly, with coordination structures and support in place, however information about residents was poor, limiting support and the initial response was reactive rather than planned.
“Support improved, but the council did not initially realise the scale and complexity of need,” it added.
The residents of Barton House – and those who used to live there at the time of the evacuation – were presented with the findings of the report at a special meeting with council chiefs on Tuesday evening.
Chaos
The report is damning about the way Bristol City Council handled the emergency evacuation, and communication with residents as the days and weeks continued. It reported that: “Each resident we spoke to could recall in detail their experience, and that of their family on being told they needed to leave the building, with many finding out about the evacuation through social media, media reports or other residents.
“Many described a period of chaos on the evening of the evacuation, which was markedly challenging for parents and children.
“Residents talked about a range of health impacts at different phases of the evacuation and after the return to the building. Residents staying in the hotel reported outbreaks of illness and infectious disease.
Barton House residents demonstrate at City Hall(Image: Bristol Live)
“Many residents spoke about the impact on sleep, including months of unsettled sleep for some children staying in the hotel and difficulties in sleeping on the return to Barton House due to concerns about the building’s safety. Residents consistently spoke of severe mental health problems since the evacuation, and many attributed this to uncertainty about their safety and the future of the building.
“Residents were not fully informed of the technical reasons for the evacuation until a meeting at City Hall on 18 December, the length of time before this had a significant impact on the relationship between residents and BCC,” it found.
Leadership
One of the criticisms from the independent review was that there was no one at executive director level solely in charge of housing and the council’s responsibilities as landlord to people living in 27,000 homes across Bristol.
“The lack of a dedicated Executive Lead for Housing during the review period had substantial impact on BCC’s focus on the landlord service,” the report said.
“Without a dedicated Executive Lead for Housing focus on housing was limited at an Executive level. In the dynamic and complex operating environment, the lack of a Housing Executive lead was a significant weakness in the oversight of key risks, complex statutory duties and in the exercise of delegated powers,” it added.
The council said one of the lessons learned from the Barton House inquiry – along with a damning report into the state of council housing in Bristol, which put the council into special measures, back in early 2024 – was that Bristol City Council needs an executive director whose only responsibility is housing – and that position has now been created.
Council leadership response
The man in charge of housing now is the chair of the homes and housing delivery committee at City Hall, Cllr Barry Parsons (Green, Easton ).
He said the decisions made by his predecessors were made to protect residents in ‘exceptionally challenging and fast-changing circumstances’.
“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this review, particularly the residents of Barton House who shared their experiences so openly and honestly,” he said.
“Reliving such a difficult period will not have been easy, and their willingness to speak candidly was essential in helping us understand both the strengths of the response and where things could have been better, and the lasting impact this had.
Bristol City Councillor Barry Parsons (Green, Easton)(Image: Paul Gillis)
“This report reflects the reality of a situation. Although concerns about the structure of the building were raised in 2022, they were not escalated or acted on quickly enough. However, when new information suggesting a fire could result in the building collapsing was shared, those involved were determined to protect residents and made the best decisions possible in exceptionally challenging and fast-changing circumstances,” he added.
“The review rightly recognises the impact the evacuation and the months that followed had on residents, and we acknowledge the distress and uncertainty many people experienced.
“We accept the report’s findings and recommendations in full. The report provides clear recommendations which we will learn from.
“The changes already being made across our housing services, alongside our new Resident Voice Strategy and strengthened governance arrangements, demonstrate our commitment to doing that. Our focus is on continuing to rebuild trust, listening to residents, and making sure the lessons from Barton House contribute to meaningful and lasting improvements for all residents across Bristol,” he added.