Nottingham City Council is preparing to spend £8.4 million installing sprinklers in 13 tower blocks after the Government turned down a request to provide the money.
The authority plans to put the systems in all the high-rise property run by Nottingham City Homes after the disaster at Grenfell Tower in London, where around 80 people died in a council-run block which had no sprinkler system.
The changes were announced by the council and its arms-length housing company Nottingham City Homes in the weeks after the June fire, which called into question the safety of high-rise buildings across the UK.
Councillors requested funding from the Government – which promised support to councils wanting to pay for extra safety measures after the disaster.
But the authority is now expected to approve spending £8.4 million of its own money at an executive board meeting next Tuesday (October 24) because the Government said it considers the sprinklers ‘additional not essential’ to make the buildings safer.
None of the 13 blocks in Nottingham, which include the Victoria Centre Flats, have been found to contain the same type of cladding which appeared to contribute to the spread of the fire at Grenfell Tower.
But a lack of sprinklers in communal areas in the block in the North Kensington complex was also been blamed for the intensity of the fire, leading councils to consider installing them.
(Picture: Natalie Oxford, cc-by-sa-4.0)
Councillor Jane Urquhart, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May asking for extra money to pay for the work.
A reply sent by Alok Sharma, Minister for Housing and Planning, made public by the council, reads: “The Government expects building owners to fund measures designed to make a building safe, and to draw on existing resources to do so.
It adds in “limited circumstances” money might be provided – such as where a fire service has recommended certain work must be done to make a building safe.
Mr Sharma adds: “At this stage, it would appear that the work you want to carry out to buildings does not meet either of these categories, and the fire safety measures you outline are additional rather than essential. On that basis, any costs would have to be borne by your authority without any further financial flexibility.”
Cllr Urquhart responded by accusing the Government of “backtracking” on statements made in the wake of Grenfell.
The dispute relates to comments made in July by the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, who said lack of financial resources would not prevent necessary works going ahead – but the Government has since emphasised this applies to ‘essential’ works to make a building a safe.
Cllr Urquhart said: “This issue is so important that we simply have to go ahead with the recommended improvements as a priority, despite the impact this will have on other planned housing schemes which will now have to be reduced or delayed.
“Along with other councils up and down the country, we will continue to press Government ministers to be true to their word and come up with the financial support promised.”
Nick Murphy, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes, said: “The safety of our residents is our over-riding priority. Following the devastating Grenfell Tower tragedy, we believe the installation of sprinkler systems in all our high rise blocks is now necessary for tenants to feel as safe as they can be in their own homes.
Other work expected to be covered in the £8.4 million includes replacing intercom systems, installing public address systems and making changes to how fire alarms work.
Wayne Bowcock, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Sprinklers are the most effective way to ensure that fires are suppressed or even extinguished before the fire service can arrive.
“They save lives and reduce injuries, protect firefighters who attend incidents and reduce the amount of damage to both property and the environment from fire.”
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “Public safety is paramount which is why, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, we set up a comprehensive building safety programme to ensure a fire like this can never happen again.
“Building owners are responsible for ensuring their buildings are safe for residents and we expect building owners to fund fire safety measures. But councils should contact DCLG as soon as possible to discuss their position if they have any concerns about funding fire safety works.”
