Bristol: Barton House evacuation a 'mass-traumatising event'
The evacuation of Bristol's oldest tower block over safety fears was a "mass-traumatising event" for residents, health professionals have said in a report.More than 250 people had to leave Barton House in November 2023 after concerns about the safety of the building in the event of a fire or explosion.Medact, a health justice campaign group, has published a report on the evacuation and aftermath, calling on Bristol City Council to rehome residents who still feel unsafe, and describing it as an "exceptional case of failure and neglect".The city council said it takes its duty of care to residents "very seriously", adding "we endeavour to support the residents of Barton House where we can".
On 14 November 2023, Barton House residents were told by the council to leave their homes immediately after "major structural faults" were discovered, and a major incident was declared.The council said "essential work" had to be carried out, and many residents were placed in hotels before being allowed to return on 23 February 2024.The council said at the time that concrete had not been attached properly when the tower was built in 1958 and it had not been constructed according to design plans.However, a structural engineer said it was three flats out of 98 which were structurally compromised.Community union ACORN set up a Barton House branch in the aftermath of the evacuation.In May 2024, Bristol City Council said it was exploring several options for the future of Barton House, including demolition.
Barton House residents and Medact representatives were due to present the report to Bristol city councillors on Wednesday at 15:00 GMT.The report, produced by doctors and other medical professionals from the city, said residents' mental and physical health suffered as a result of the evacuation and by living conditions in temporary accommodation.It claims residents have had letters highlighting their concerns provided by health, social care and education professionals not considered as "serious enough to act on by the council".Medact and ACORN produced the findings after attending community meetings, and interviewing residents between 8 - 23 November 2024.In total, nine households were interviewed, ranging from three to six people in each. Two further drop-in sessions were held earlier this month.The report said it did not "speak for all residents, but certainly a significant number of them".
The report said: "For some households, living in Barton House will never feel safe again no matter how many internal repairs are carried out."Adults and children are triggered by the smallest reminder of the fragility of the building – cracks in the walls, fire alarms malfunctioning, broken lifts."Many households have spent years waiting for their turn to move through the council's banding system. They have asked the council time and time again to be rehoused, but they have been ignored."The result has been generations of people forced to live in a building that they feel is a constant threat to their lives."
Medact has also called for an independent investigation into Bristol City Council, compensation for residents and a public apology."The treatment of Barton House residents constitutes an exceptional case of failure and neglect which must be addressed to avoid further harm and suffering," the report said.It added that the evacuation had been a "mass-traumatising event" causing "profoundly negative effects on adults and children"."In our interviews, residents commonly reported anxiety, low mood and hypervigilance, a distressing and disabling symptom commonly seen following traumatic events," the report said."The physical health of residents has also suffered from the effects of chronic mental stress as well as the appalling conditions of the temporary accommodation."Most notably, we found evidence of worsening respiratory disease, skin conditions, and debilitating impacts on sleep and eating," it added.
'Safe and decent homes'
Councillor Barry Parsons, chair of the council's homes and housing delivery committee, acknowledged the report and thanked Medact for its work with Barton House residents and ACORN. "I was at Barton House during the evening of the evacuation and visited families who had to leave their homes in the weeks afterwards, so I saw first-hand some of the shock and distress that residents felt," Mr Parsons said."That's why I've commissioned the service to review the rehousing options for people who have been affected.""Our priority remains to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all residents living in council housing is supported and we are living up to our promise to ensure they live in safe and decent homes."The authority would consider the conclusions and recommendations over the coming weeks, he added, before issuing a formal response by the end of March and "updating residents on the actions we will take as a result".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Bristol City Council plans to rehome tenants quicker after emergencies
Social housing tenants who have to leave their properties due to a "significant mass emergency event" will move up one housing band level in proposals by a city City Council is holding a consultation on changes to how it allocates social are approximately 22,000 households currently bidding for homes, and each applicant is put into one of four bands based on proposal would see anyone with "significant health or welfare needs" and "whose health is significantly affected by their current housing" automatically moved to band two, the council's second highest level of need. Applicants must bid for housing through the council's social letting service, HomeChoice, where available council or housing association properties are made to the most recent council figures, the majority of applicants sit within band three but the majority of allocations are given to bands one and 3% of applicants are categorised as band one - the group of highest priority. The council has said the new proposals have come after speaking to residents of Barton House who were suddenly evacuated in November, 2023, over fears relating to faults with its construction in were eventually told to return home - but many have since said they now feel unsafe living in the tower and have been trying to be rehomed through the council."It's good news but I was hoping for better news because we have campaigned so hard for the council to listen to us," said ACORN representative and resident of Barton House, Fadumo Farah. "It's better than nothing and it's good that we're influencing policy decisions that all Bristolians will benefit from," she added."In Barton House we have a lot of residents that are in band four and they will go to band three - which takes over seven years to be rehoused so there is no win there for those residents."Mrs Farah believes that more should be done by the council to prepare for the eventuality of another emergency evacuation similar to the one that happened at Barton House and that more should be done to support the residents still affected by it nearly two years later:"They need to make more change. People that were evacuated due to structural issues or fires should go straight to band one, especially families with children," she said.A report published in February found that the evacuation of Barton House was a mass-traumatising event for those living there and that the treatment of residents constituted "an exceptional case of failure and neglect which must be addressed to avoid further harm and suffering," and that it had "profoundly negative effects on adults and children".If the council's proposals go ahead and someone from Barton House moves out as a result, their original property would become available for others to move in this year, all residents of Bouverie Court in Easton were put into band one after they were told their homes would need to be demolished because of serious construction faults.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
The Knowledge is axed in Bristol after only eight taxi drivers pass 'outdated' test
The Knowledge Test, which requires taxi drivers to learn thousands of routes across the city, has been axed in Bristol after only eight drivers managed to pass this year. First introduced in 1865, the 90-minute test ensures drivers know precise road names and locations, routes to hotels, pubs, restaurants and clubs, alongside particular places of interest. But now, city council officials have scrapped the intense exam, deeming it to be a 'significant barrier' for individuals wanting to enter the profession and arguing that increased satnav use has rendered it 'outdated'. It comes after new figures have shown that just eight of the 133 people who have taken the test this year had passed. A new report published to Bristol City Council's public safety and protection committee on June 3 said that 'concerns' had been raised regarding the ongoing relevance of the test. It added: 'All private hire journeys are pre-booked, and the vast majority of drivers rely on satellite navigation devices. 'As such the current requirement to know the location of certain premises or roads is outdated. 'The level of detailed knowledge required to pass the test is significant and represents a significant barrier to entering the trade'. In November 2023, Department for Transport guidance was updated to say that topographical knowledge was no longer necessary. It said: 'Given the availability, reliability and ease of satnav systems, licensing authorities should not require any topographical knowledge or navigational tests for private hire vehicles'. This means that applicants, who typically take up to four years to master the challenging 100 question test, will now only be quizzed on broader aspects of safety that include general road safety and child sexual exploitation. The report also recommended that the test be expanded to include a wider range of issues such as disability awareness, conflict avoidance, management of racial abuse or hate speech, alongside how best to plan routes using navigation devices. In March, it was announced by Transport for London (TFL) that changes were to be made to the 'Knowledge' test required for the capital's iconic black cabs, with fewer than 15,000 licensed taxis left across the city, down a third in a decade. Widely considered one of the world's toughest taxi tests, candidates have to memorise the city's 25,000 streets and 100,000 points of interest within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. The change to the challenging exam was one of 14 pledges laid out in a new action plan under Transport for London in a bid to help support the struggling minicab and taxi industry over the next five years. It came after the Centre for London thinktank warned that black taxis were at risk of becoming extinct within the next 20 years without any changes to the current format. The number of licensed taxi drivers in London in February fell to a new low of just 16,816 - down nearly 10,000 in a decade from the 25,232 in 2014/15.
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- Telegraph
Bristol axes the Knowledge after only eight taxi drivers pass
Bristol has axed the Knowledge test for taxi drivers after only eight passed the quiz. Council officials said the 'outdated' test, which requires drivers to learn road names and locations to get their passengers to their destinations quickly, had become a 'barrier'. Figures revealed that just eight of 133 people taking it in Bristol this year managed to pass. Drivers have to answer at least 75 out of 100 questions correctly and must also achieve a minimum pass mark in all 10 categories – four or five out of 10 questions in each. A report to Bristol city council's public safety and protection committee, the 90-minute test was described as 'outdated'. Test 'should prioritise safety' In November 2023, a decision was taken to update Department for Transport guidance, with the committee report making it clear that topographical knowledge was no longer needed. It said: 'Given the availability, reliability and ease of use of sat nav systems, licensing authorities should not require any topographical knowledge or navigational tests for private hire vehicle drivers.' Instead, the report recommended that the sections that should stay in the test should prioritise safety, including child sexual exploitation, general road safety, along with how to calculate change, policy and legislation, and equality. The committee further suggested the test needed to be strengthened with a wider range of questions and topics which protect public safety, including disability awareness, planning routes using navigation devices, conflict avoidance, and also what steps to take if they face racial abuse, abusive comments or hate speech. The Knowledge was first introduced in 1865 as a requirement for taxi drivers, and it takes between three or four years to master the test. Drivers are taught precise locations and routes to hotels, pubs, restaurants and clubs, along with places of interest or the district of a particular road.
