Government urged to honour Grenfell pledge
Council bosses have called on the Government to honour its pledge to keep tower block tenants safe in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy.
Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton are among 15 local authorities to write to the Government calling for sprinklers to be retrofitted to tower blocks across the country.
Ministers pledged to provide funding for the work in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017, which saw 72 people killed as fire tore through a 24-storey block in London.
But MPs say the cash has not been forthcoming, leaving councils to foot the bill for work to improve the condition of tower blocks.
The letter by Birmingham Council's housing chief Sharon Thompson was delivered to Downing Street by councillors, West Midlands Labour MP Jack Dromey, and Sarah Jones MP.
It has been signed by Dudley Council leader Qadar Zada, Sandwell Council's housing lead Kerrie Carmichael, and Wolverhampton Council's deputy leader and housing boss Pete Bilson.
Mr Dromey, the MP for Erdington, said: “With the Government engulfed in chaos and confusion, vital real domestic issues are falling by the wayside.
"There are 213 tower blocks in Birmingham with over 10,000 households, their lives are being put at risk by a Government which won’t take vital action on the retrofitting of sprinklers.
"They must act immediately to honour the pledge made in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy to ensure all tenants in tower blocks can live in safety."
Last year the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee recommended that “the Government should make funding available to fit sprinklers into council and housing association-owned residential buildings above 18 metres”.
The letter said the funding would be "vital to safeguard and reassure many thousands of tenants across the country". It added: "Twenty one months after the Grenfell tragedy, tenants are still seeking reassurance that lessons have been learned and we now call upon the Government to prioritise the safety of residents living in tower blocks by funding this essential fire safety work."
Wolverhampton Council is forking out £19.2 million to fit sprinklers to tower blocks across the city, with bosses previously saying requests for Government funding had not been responded to.
