Building more homes is vital, but it must not come at the expense of fire safety. Birmingham City Council’ s recent search for contractors to carry out residential jobs worth almost £ 3bn should be a wake-up call for the industry. With the demand for new homes increasing, and Angela Rayner’ s pledge to build 1.5 million homes over five years, we must ensure fire safety remains a priority.

At the same time, data from the Office for National Statistics( ONS) shows that construction output fell in October 2024, driven by a 1.3 % decline in repair and maintenance work. This raises serious concerns about how councils, contractors, and industry professionals approach the long-term safety of existing and new housing stock.

The Hackitt Report, published in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, made it clear: the UK’ s building safety culture has been fundamentally flawed. Progress has been made with initiatives such as the funding to remove dangerous cladding, but a critical gap remains in ensuring that maintenance, repair, and inspection are consistently carried out to a high standard. If contractors are rushing to win major council contracts without sufficient

oversight of their qualifications, the risk is clear: fire safety could once again be compromised in the pursuit of rapid development.

Ensuring fire safety in new builds

While the Hackitt report and the government’ s £ 1bn commitment to cladding removal funding are steps forward, the industry still has much to do to prioritise safety in every project – from start to end. Sufficient training in fire safety installation, maintenance, and inspection are not optional extras. They are fundamental to saving lives. Every contractor involved in these builds must have a thorough understanding of these requirements and be held accountable for compliance across the lifecycle of each product.

One of the biggest risks in large-scale housing projects is the inconsistent level of skills across contractors. Inadequate training in fire safety installation and maintenance leads to vulnerabilities that might not be identified until it’ s too late. Councils must ensure that any contractor undertaking work on new or existing buildings meets stringent fire safety competencies.

Fire door inspections, for example, are still frequently overlooked

or carried out by individuals without the right expertise. A fire door that is incorrectly installed or maintained can be as ineffective as having no fire door at all. This issue extends beyond just doors- it applies to passive fire protection systems throughout buildings. Without properly trained and accredited professionals, gaps in safety will persist.

Council responsibility in maintenance and repair

The ONS data highlighting a decline in repair and maintenance work is alarming. Many councils are focusing on new developments while allowing essential safety improvements to fall by the wayside. But aging housing stock presents just as much risk as poor new builds. A strong maintenance programme is critical to ensuring that properties remain safe, especially in the wake of increased fire regulations.

It’ s clear councils must adopt a proactive approach. This includes:

• Ensuring contractors have been properly trained, accredited, and can demonstrate competence in fire safety installation and maintenance

• Regular fire safety inspections by certified professionals

• Transparent reporting on the state of fire doors, alarms, and emergency exits

• A commitment to ongoing maintenance, rather than reactive repairs when issues arise

Addressing symptoms won’ t tackle the root cause

The failures of Grenfell Tower, and more recently, the Dagenham tower blocks were the result of a broken process- one where safety was sidelined in favour of cost-cutting and speed. Fixing symptoms of the problem like poor cladding is simply papering over the cracks of a much deeper

problem. The industry must commit to fundamental change, ensuring fire safety is integrated at every stage of planning, construction, and maintenance.

Councils, contractors, and fire safety professionals all have a role to play in ensuring that new developments and existing housing stock are as safe as possible. The investment in new homes is welcome, but it must be matched with an investment in safety. The industry has a duty to step up and ensure that fire protection is built in from the outset and not left as an afterthought.

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