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Fire Safety Bill will fund just 12 extra fire safety inspectors
Government funding estimates to support the new Fire Safety Bill will only pay for an extra 12 full-time inspectors a year despite covering more than two million homes, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has claimed.
A Home Office impact assessment said that as little as £700,000 a year will be needed for inspections required by the legislation.
FBU analysis found that would pay for just 12 extra full-time qualified fire safety inspectors.
The government’s higher estimate of £2.1m would pay for just 35 extra inspectors – less than one per fire brigade in England, the FBU said.
The Fire Safety Bill, introduced in March and currently at the committee stage, will place a legal requirement on building owners to inspect cladding, balconies, windows and fire doors in blocks of flats or they will face enforcement action.
Ministers estimate that anywhere between 1,189,200 and 2,198,600 flats will be covered by the legislation.
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The union said the Home Office’s assessment does not include any additional enforcement cost despite “clear testimony” from tenant organisations and housing campaigners that fire inspectors are likely to find breaches when they carry out audits.
Inspectors for the Fire Door Inspection Scheme found that of more than 100,000 doors in around 2,700 buildings across the UK checked last year, 76% were not fit for purpose.
The number of buildings with unsafe cladding is not known, but industry estimates put the figure for residential tower blocks alone at around 1,700.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said: “Three years after Grenfell, Britain’s fire safety regime remains a national disgrace and politicians are responsible.
“The bill in its current form is a gross underestimate of the realities of the crisis. Without funding a significant increase in fire inspector numbers, this change in the law will not ramp up enforcement on rogue landlords. Ministers need a serious reality check.”
Mr Wrack urged government to immediately double the number of fire safety inspectors in England, of which there are currently 951.
The FBU will be appearing today before the Fire Safety Bill committee today.
The Fire Safety Bill amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and provides a foundation for secondary legislation that incorporates recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase one report.
A government spokesperson said they are "committed" to learning lessons from the Grenfell Tower fire.
They added: "It is inaccurate to suggest that the government is only funding 12 new fire inspectors. We have made £30 million of funding available to the sector, including at least £60,000 for the 43 fire and rescue services in England, so they can potentially recruit at least one additional inspector each."
Update at 11:01am 25/06/20: Story edited to include response from government
