Fire safety in your building
Your safety is our top priority. We're investing in fire safety across all our council-owned housing to meet the latest regulations and ensure your home is protected.
What's the issue?
Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, fire safety rules have changed. Like all landlords, we've had to review and improve our buildings. We're updating fire doors, carrying out new fire risk assessments, and improving resident engagement - especially in high-rise buildings.
Fire doors - what you need to know
Fire doors are specially designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke, giving people more time to escape and helping firefighters reach your home safely.
- where are fire doors needed? In the front doors of flats and in communal areas of blocks - not in individual houses.
- why are they important? They help keep escape routes clear and protect lives in the event of a fire.
- what's happening? We're replacing doors that don't meet current safety standards, including some leasehold flats in blocks.
- do they meet regulations? Yes. All new doors are independently tested, installed by trained contractors, and signed off by Building Control.
We'll contact you if your door is being replaced - please help us by allowing access when asked.
Fire door programme - 2022 to 2025
We've been carrying out a major programme to replace fire doors in blocks of flats. This work is required to meet legal duties under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, introduced following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Like many councils and housing providers, we've had to replace a higher number of doors than originally expected as building surveys progressed.
- What's happening? We're replacing flat entrance doors and communal doors in blocks to ensure full building compliance with current fire safety standards.
- Why are these doors important? They are specially designed, fire-tested, and certified to slow the spread of fire and smoke, protecting escape routes and saving lives.
- Who's checking the work? All completed works have been re-inspected by an independent surveyor, and new installations are subject to tighter quality checks.
We expect the programme to be completed by Autumn 2025, in line with the extended contract timeline. We'll contact residents directly when fire door works are scheduled in their block.
You can read more about this in the Full Council paper (opens new window).
Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors
We're also ensuring that all homes have working and tested smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, in line with legal duties and safety standards.
- what are the rules? Smoke alarms must be present on every floor with a living space, and CO alarms are required in rooms with fixed combustion appliances (except gas cookers). These are checked through annual inspections.
- are we compliant? As of June 2025, 92% of our 5,024 homes have compliant, working detectors and we have a programme in place to be at 100% as soon as possible.
- what's happening now?
- in gas-serviced properties, every home already has a smoke detector, and upgrades are ongoing.
- in non-gas properties, we have started a new inspection programme. So far, most properties already have compliant systems, and additional detectors are being fitted where needed.
What's next? We are aligning smoke detector certification with our electrical and gas service programmes and will have full reporting capabilities across all homes by 2025/26.
These systems are crucial for keeping residents safe. If access is required to inspect or install detectors, please help us by ensuring we can get into your home.
Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs)
We regularly carry out Fire Risk Assessments to check the safety of your building.
- what is a FRA? A check of the building's structure, fire alarms, lighting, doors, signage, escape routes and more.
- how often? Every 3 years, or sooner if the building changes or is upgraded.
- what happens after? If your building needs work, we'll let you know and take action.
High-Rise Buildings (Over 18m / 7+ Storeys)
We manage four high-rise buildings. These now have extra safety rules under the Building Safety Act 2022.
- we must provide clear fire safety information to residents
- you'll hear from us every year about safety in your block
- we have a Resident Engagement Strategy (PDF, 286 KB)
What you can do
Help us keep your building safe:
- keep communal areas clear - no bikes, furniture or clutter
- don't wedge open fire doors
- report broken fire doors or alarms
- let us know if you need help evacuating - we'll create a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) with you
Stay informed
We'll keep you updated via:
- letters or emails
- posters in your block
- newsletters
- resident drop-ins and events
Contact us
Find details on our contact us page
Report a repair needed to your council house