Council STILL Failing on Fire Safety in Tower Blocks

Research and evidence gathered by Southampton Independents shows that despite:

1. the fatal Grenfell Tower tragedy in London on 14th June 2017, which killed around 100 people but for which the investigation has not concluded, and
2. the fatal Shirley Towers tragedy in Southampton 5th April 2010, in which two firefighters were killed and the Coroner making recommendations to the Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS), and
3. the Redbridge Towers fire in Southampton on 9th April 2017, which thankfully killed nobody

that fire safety in the Southampton City Council’s tower blocks is lacking in several ways, including a lack of sprinklers, a lack of adequate signage and a lack of standard cabling. 

Leader of Southampton Independents, Denise Wyatt, says:

“Southampton City Council claims to have fire assessments done “regularly”, and that its fire assessments are up-to-date.  

Yet these flaws in fire safety are very clear to residents and Southampton Independents has provided evidence to the media this week. 

Southampton Independents is calling for fire safety in tower blocks to be properly and independently assessed in the City’s tower blocks, NOT by the Council and NOT by 3SFire which is not “independent”, as claimed by the Council. 

More evidence on the lack of fire safety will be published by Southampton Independents in the near future. 

It seems that Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council are not the only Council to fail on fire safety. Southampton City Council has failed to take action, whether under Labour or Conservative control since Shirley Towers in 2010. 

Why did it take pressure from Southampton Independents and public opinion following the Grenfell disaster to make the Council take action? That is totally wrong.”