Published March 28, 2018
Leeds MP Rachel Reeves insists the Government should ‘urgently rethink’ the decision not to fund the installation of sprinklers in high-rise residential blocks.
She has written to the Communities Secretary after three people were hospitalised following a fire on the eighth floor of tower block in Leeds.
Ms Reeves insists the blaze highlights just why the Government should finance the £32 million of funding required to retrofit sprinklers in all of the city’s tower blocks.
She wrote: “The Government isn’t funding the installation of sprinklers in Leeds high-rises because it has decided they are not essential for fire prevention.
“The Government should urgently rethink its decision and provide funding to protect high-rises in Leeds from the risk of fire.
“By allocating funding to Leeds City Council to retrofit sprinklers, the Government could help alleviate my constituents’ fear and allow them to fee safe in their homes.”
Ms Reeves published her letter in full to Twitter informing the Rt Hon Sajid Javid of the 13 fires in flats and communal areas in the one area of Leeds in the last three years alone.
Leeds City Council have already announced they will spend £1.2 million installation sprinkler systems on eight properties. Six other properties have already seen sprinklers installed.
Six other buildings had systems fitted in the months prior to that.
Announcing the programme of work in January, Councillor Debra Coupar, the council’s executive member for communities, said she believes “urgent consideration by national Government of the need to retrofit sprinklers in all multi-storey blocks” is required.
* image courtesy of https://www.rachelreevesmp.co.uk
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