Owners of high-rise buildings who fail to make fire safety checks following the Grenfell Tower disaster will be named and shamed by Nottingham City Council.
The authority has written to the landlords of 500 private tower blocks in the city, asking them to review safety standards and building materials in the wake of the June tragedy.
As of Friday only 50 owners had responded – prompting Council Leader Jon Collins to warn those who ignore the letters could have their details made public.
After being contacted by the Government, the council has already made checks on 13 residential tower blocks it owns and runs through Nottingham City Homes, and found none had the same cladding thought to have contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire.
“We have taken appropriate steps to improve safety measures and reassure residents,” said Cllr Collins.
“We hope that private landlords will take the same approach and are pleased with those who have responded positively to our request.
“It’s disappointing that some haven’t and we’ll be writing to them again, publishing the details of those who haven’t responded on our website and passing those details to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, who have agreed to carry out risk-based inspections in these cases.”
(Picture: Natalie Oxford, cc-by-sa-4.0)
The council did not say how much more time landlords would be given to respond before their details were made public, but said more replied are coming in ‘daily’ and reminder letters are already being sent to those who have not replied.
Last month Nottingham Trent University students were moved out of three blocks of flats at the campus’s Byron House development, on Hampden Street, while tests are carried out on cladding installed on all three.
Nottingham City Homes and Nottingham City Council have both also said all council tower blocks in the city will have sprinkler systems fitted as an added precaution.
Although around 70 people have been confirmed dead or missing presumed dead since the June 13 London fire, the full death toll is not expected to be known for months.
Survivors have been campaigning for answers asked about why the fire spread so quickly, amid suggestions new cladding fitted during a recent overhaul could have been to blame.
