The Government has today announced (27th January 2022) an additional £27 million to install fire alarms in all buildings where a Waking Watch is in place.
The new funding will pay for the installation of fire alarm systems in buildings of all heights, rather than just being limited to those over 18 metres.
This will mean hundreds of further buildings where leaseholders and residents have been forced by their freeholders to pay for costly fire safety patrols will now be able to install fire alarm systems instead at no cost to themselves, saving people on average £163 a month.
The new multi-million-pound government funding to remove so-called Waking Watch patrols will mean more leaseholders will be further protected from misused fire safety measures.
Today’s announcement goes beyond the existing £35 million Waking Watch Relief Fund (WWRF) which is already supporting 323 buildings to replace the expensive 24-hour fire patrol services and aims to end the unacceptable misuse of Waking Watches.
It follows the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove’s warnings to industry that either they come forward and pay to fix the building safety crisis or the government will impose a solution in law.
Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire, Lord Greenhalgh said:
“It’s unacceptable that innocent leaseholders are still facing fire risks in their own homes, let alone being subjected to the disgraceful misuse of rip-off measures at the hands of their building owners. The extra funding being made available today will be a huge relief to many being forced to pay unnecessary costs. However, fire alarms and Waking Watch are not long-term solutions. Industry must take responsibility and pay to fix their dangerous mistakes, and we are actively pursuing developers and manufacturers at fault to bring this scandal to an end.”
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