Dudley Council has confirmed that its residential buildings remain safe even as it prepares to invest up to £150 million in essential works over the next five to six years. This programme addresses the requirements set out by the Building Safety Regulator through a combination of three enforcement notices and eight contravention notices.
At a meeting of the Housing and Assets Scrutiny Committee on 24 September, councillors were informed that the notices particularly concerned the council’s high-rise blocks, including Kennedy Court, Baylie Court, and Tenbury House. These notices requested specific information relating to the safety and compliance of these buildings.
Cllr Daniel Bevan, cabinet member for development and regulation, emphasised that the notices did not indicate any immediate danger or declare the buildings unsafe. He said, “Neither the building safety regulation notices nor the report before us state that these buildings are unsafe. The notices required further information but did not call for urgent physical works. Any suggestion that the regulator has deemed these buildings unsafe is incorrect and could cause unnecessary alarm among residents.”
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The council has proactively spent £10 million on specialist surveys to compile comprehensive fire safety reports for the 11 buildings subject to enforcement notices, as well as an additional ten high-rise blocks under the council’s ownership. According to Iain Wallace, Dudley’s lead consultant for building safety and compliance, “All required information has now been collated and submitted to the Building Safety Regulator on time. Without such compliance, the council risked further enforcement actions, including the possibility of prohibition notices being served.”
Councillors also noted that numerous high-rise blocks across the country are receiving similar notices as new regulations and stricter safety inspection standards have been introduced following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. These measures aim to ensure the highest levels of safety for building occupants nationwide.