Today, the London Assembly called for an urgent review into the regulations and processes of self-storage centres.
It follows a fire at the Shurgard Storage Centre in Croydon, in which many lost irreplaceable items.
Florence Eshalomi AM, who proposed the motion said:
“It is impossible to assign a value on a number of the objects that were lost during the fire at the Shurgard Storage Centre, some of which were irreplaceable family heirlooms, photos and mementos.
“The incident exposed a potential vacuum of regulatory framework within the self-storage industry in the UK, with many of Shurgard’s customers feeling that that they were left bereft of any adequate support in the aftermath of the fire.
“We simply cannot afford for this to happen again and this is why I am behind the Mayor in his calls for the Government to launch an urgent review into the wider industry”.
Steve O’Connell AM, who seconded the motion said:
“This was an absolutely devastating fire and my heart goes out to all those residents of Croydon and beyond whose lives have been so terribly impacted by the blaze.
“It is important that we learn from this terrible incident and do all we can to prevent similar fires from taking place in the future.
“The Government needs to take a thorough look at the regulations related to the storage industry and where necessary take steps to tighten up this legislation”.
The full text of the motion is:
“Following the devastating fire at the Shurgard Storage Centre in Croydon, this Assembly expresses its sympathy to those people who lost possessions including irreplaceable family heirlooms, photos and memorable items.
However, this fire and other similar incidents have revealed a deficit in regulation and protection for customers who put their trust in such facilities to hold their most valued and irreplaceable possessions. Customers affected by the fire have raised concerns over fire safety in the building as well as highlighting potentially misleading information and a lack of support given to customers by Shurgard after the fire.
With 40 per cent of Europe’s self-storage being in the UK, the Government must step in. We join the Mayor in calling for an urgent review into the regulations and processes related to this industry so that it is held to account for its responsibility to provide the highest level of service and security for people’s belongings.”
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast
- The motion was agreed unanimously.
- Florence Eshalomi AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.