Ashfield council flat doors still 'not fire regulated' after contractor went bust

Entry doors on council flats must comply with the Fire Safety Regulations 2022, which say all flats must have fire-resisting entrances to certain standards.

This is designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke and was brought in following the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.

However, not all entrance doors to council flats in Ashfield comply with the current fire safety regulations, according to documents released ahead of an Audit Committee meeting due to be held on Thursday, January 30.

This is because Nottingham construction firm J Tomlinson Ltd, which was contracted to install fire safety doors compliant with the new rules across all Ashfield District Council flats, went into administration in 2023.

The project has since been left unfinished.

A total of 39 fire safety doors have already been fitted on flats identified as needing them, leaving a remaining 65 doors left to complete.

Thousands of other doors on council properties across the district have already previously been checked and replaced or assessed as not needing replacements.

Coun Tom Hollis (Ash Ind), deputy leader of the council, and in charge of Strategic Housing and Climate Change, said the authority is tendering for a new contractor to install the remaining fire-regulated doors.

The expected start date and end date of the project has not been revealed.

Coun Hollis said: “We’re revising the estate to make sure the doors comply with current regulations.

“This is a legislation change since Grenfell, so we need the doors that aren’t fire-regulated to be refitted.

“The council doesn’t have concerns about the fire safety in flats, but we’re happy to receive the audit report.

“We’ve been working on this project for four years and we’ve had more than 7,500 doors to assess under the new legislations.

“We can’t change all the doors we need to straight away.

“Since the contractor went bust we’re tendering for a new contractor now.”

Coun Hollis said some residents do not want their doors to be refitted, which has caused a delay in works.

The council also faces ‘legal complications’ to build doors for flats that have been sold to other landlords, such as housing associations.

He added: “We have just a few doors left to finish. Ashfield Council is a step above most other councils across the county, in that we’re prioritising this and putting the safety of the building first.”

The council’s progress on the matter will be discussed at the Audit Committee meeting on January 30.

The committee will recommend the council reviews all flat entrance doors to identify those which do not comply with fire safety regulations, including those that “failed recent Government tests”.

They will also recommend the council take action to ensure the “appropriately accredited fire doors are installed” to entrances of flats.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 were placed on the statute book on May 18, 2022, and came into force on January 23, 2023.

The regulations implement the majority of recommendations made to government in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report, which required a change in the law.

J Tomlinson Ltd went into administration in July 2023, leading to the loss of hundreds of jobs.