As a housing provider, the council has a range of responsibilities which helps to keep tenants' and leaseholders' homes safe – this includes completing regular safety checks.
Following an internal review of compliance work in 2021, the council identified some cases where these checks, and some follow-up work, had not taken place as they should have. This work relates to electrical, fire and water safety in council homes.
During our review, we reported ourselves to the Regulator of Social Housing. The regulator subsequently published a notice outlining why we hadn’t met their requirements in some areas of the ‘Home Standard’.
See our FAQs for background and further information.
Progress to date
A comprehensive compliance plan has been developed to return council homes to full compliance. This is complex with many different areas requiring different solutions. The situation is constantly evolving as new inspections and associated remedial work become due.
Regular updates will be presented at the council’s cabinet meetings which are held in public. The latest information was presented to cabinet in September 2022.
Fire risk assessments in tower blocks – update (16 December 2022)
Part of our compliance work involves a thorough review of our fire risk assessments. These help us to understand what the risks are if there were to be a fire in a block.
In our tower blocks, we found that some front doors fitted may not stop the spread of fire and smoke for as long as they should. We will therefore replace any doors where necessary over the coming months. This will be free of charge for all tenants and leaseholders. We will be in touch with anyone affected to book an appointment to install new doors as soon as possible.
We will also provide new heat alarms in all tower block flat as a temporary measure ahead of the replacement of front doors. These heat alarms will be wirelessly linked to other homes on the same floor within the same lobby area. In the event of a fire, it would mean that all residents living nearby are given a very early warning to allow them to escape safely.
Our team will be available in the tower blocks from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday while the heat alarms are being installed. If it isn’t convenient for the team to visit during these times, please email backlogrepairs@norwich.gov.uk or call 01603 989656 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday), and we’ll make an appointment that suits you.
If you would like to schedule an additional home fire safety visit with Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, please call them on 0800 9178137.
