Council faces £13m bill to replace 11,000 fire doors
BUYING thousands of new fire doors for council properties in Kirklees could cost an eye-watering £13m.
The staggering amount – that will come from tenants’ rents – was revealed following an investigation by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), which has challenged Kirklees Council to release an independent fire safety compliance review that highlighted the issue.
Officers said a lack of reliable certification meant fire doors installed all across the borough over a nine-year period from 2003 to 2012 had to be removed and replaced.
However, a senior figure said it was actually due to changes to regulatory standards in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Housing chiefs intend to replace 11,447 fire doors at 870 sites across the borough as part of a mammoth safety upgrade. They will cost between £500 and £1,200 per door depending on size, type and configuration.
The total bill could be anywhere from £5.7m to £13.7m.
Moreover those figures are just for fire doors and do not include installation or other costs.
The money will come from the council’s housing revenue account.
People who bought council properties or who rent from private landlords could be threatened with court action if they refuse to let the council carry out work – and they may have to pay for a new door.
Opposition Lib Dem councillors have urged the council to check existing records and carry out new surveys and assessments to reduce waste and cut back on the costs.
Last month officers and councillors said there had been a “recording error” by companies that supplied doors without the appropriate third-party test certificates required by local authorities such as Kirklees.
That version of events has now been contradicted by senior councillor Cathy Scott, the council’s cabinet member for housing. She said proof of certification had been provided and that the council had complete records.
She said: “The fire doors in our highrise residential buildings were fitted at various points between 2003 and 2012.
“At the time of purchasing the current doors, they met the fire safety standards of that time, achieving a minimum fire resistance of 30 or 60 minutes on the outside face of the door.
“At the time of purchase, standards were checked, with suppliers providing proof of certification for their doors and training was given to installation teams ensuring strict compliance to manufacturer installation instructions.”
She added: “Since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, fire safety standards have undergone significant review resulting in an increased requirement for all fire doors to achieve 30 or 60-minute fire safety rating on both sides.
“Despite complete records of current fire doors installed, we cannot, in all cases, say that they would meet current requirements.
“It is for this reason that a decision has been made to replace them.”
Clr Anthony Smith (Lindley) sits on the panel that considered a summary by officers of the compliance review and improvement plan. He has not seen the independent review that highlighted “severe” failings. It has still not been released by the council despite multiple requests from the LDRS.
He said: “The question I have is: if, as the Local Democracy Reporting Service has been informed, we have full, complete and compliant records in terms of fire safety why are we taking this particular approach?
“There appears to be a contradiction between the information we have been given by officers previously and what Cathy Scott has told the LDRS.
“We were given the impression that this situation had been caused by problems with record keeping. Clr Scott is now positing this has been caused by changes to regulatory standards.”
He added: “We must have complete clarity, transparency, and accountability when we face a problem of this size. If not we risk losing the trust of not just tenants and leaseholders, but every resident of Kirklees.”
HTHE council has allocated more than £600,000 to buy new fire doors for its four tower blocks in Huddersfield.
Two of those high-rise blocks - Holme Park Court and Bishops
Court, both in Berry Brow - are set to be demolished as part of a huge scheme budgeted at £57m.