By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
An opposition councillor has called for Mansfield District Council to end a “sorry saga” and sell off its London building found with £20m fire safety issues.
Councillor Andre Camilleri (Con), who represents Berry Hill, has urged the Labour-led authority to cut its losses after serious concerns were found at the Clapham building.
The council, then led by the Mansfield Independent Forum, officially bought the building, in Bedford Road, as an investment in 2017 for £5.95m.
The purchase came amidst significant budget cuts and following Government advice to councils on diversifying income streams.
However, investigations in 2018 following the Grenfell Tower disaster and updated fire safety regulations meant a “number of” issues were discovered.
This included an absence of 60 minutes’ fire safety resistant material in escape routes and issues “inside the walls” meaning a fire could easily spread.
‘Waking watch’ security was hired to monitor the building 24/7 and the site’s fire protocols were changed to ‘simultaneous evacuation’ in the event of a blaze.
This security, which costs slightly above £126,000 for six months, was extended in May this year amid delays to repairs at the building.
Once underway, residents in all 40 apartments will leave their homes and be moved into temporary accommodation, with a £2.2m contract approved earlier this year with London-based agency Lambert Smith Hampton.
The walls, floors and ceilings will then be ripped out so the building can be rebuilt internally, with re-cladding work also on the cards.
Overall, the wider project is expected to cost the council just shy of £20m between 2018 and 2025.
Now issues at the building have been mentioned for the first time in a public meeting during the authority’s full council meeting on July 4.
In the meeting, Cllr Camilleri raised concerns with the £126,000 security extension and said continued spending could bankrupt the authority.
He said: “It’s apparent to everyone this open-ended commitment and liability could easily tip the council into bankruptcy.
“This £126,000 [for security] is a lot of money to find from the general fund every six months when the council hasn’t got any money.
“Therefore, something must be done to end this sorry saga.
“Can the deputy mayor tell us when MDC will be able to sell this property in Clapham, so we can hopefully recuperate some of these losses and the losses going forward?
“[This would] enable us to spend millions of pounds which would have been wasted on these ill-thought-out investments and improve the lives of our long-suffering residents.”
In response, Cllr Craig Whitby (Lab), the authority’s deputy mayor and portfolio holder for finance, said: “The priority is to improve the lives of the residents we are looking after.
“The £126,000 and all money for the programme are budgeted for and we’re confident we’re pitching at the right levels in terms of what the maintenance costs will be for refurbishing that building.
“In terms of selling it, that would be a decision we would take if it comes to that position. It may well be keeping the property would generate more revenue than it would otherwise by selling it.
“That could be a decision we would take but there would be a full business case put forward in the future if that should ever be part of the [plan].”
Speaking after the meeting, he added: “It’s not working as an investment because it comes with huge liabilities.
“It comes down to us as responsible landlords to ensure that is corrected. Once it is corrected, we will look at it again.
“Investing outside Mansfield was a mistake but we have to remember the pressures on the Mansfield Independent administration at the time.
“Tory austerity absolutely crippled local government finances.”
Read more:
Council facing £20m bill to fix fire safety concerns in apartment building it owns in London
Unanswered questions from company behind council’s London building with £20m fire safety concerns
Former mayors defend investments after council’s nearly £20m bill for London building revealed
Timeline outlined for planned £20m fire safety works at council’s London flats
Residents in Mansfield Council’s London flats with £20m fire safety issues to leave building in May
Mansfield Council’s £20m repairs to London building delayed again until ‘at least September’
Mansfield Council to spend £126k on 24-hour fire security extension at London building
Residents inside the building have faced repeated delays in leaving their homes due to issues with repair works getting underway.
Works were initially due to start in August last year but the authority’s building control application was rejected by Lambeth Council in July 2022.
The works were then rescheduled for May 2023 but residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they had again been delayed until “at least September”.
The council said the latest delay was caused by the “magnitude” of the project because it is still yet to receive building control permission or appoint a contractor for the works.
