Fire Safety to be Discussed at Community Meeting

Fire safety in high-rise buildings and accommodation for older people will be discussed at a community meeting this week.

Residents who live in West Shields, Cleadon and East Boldon can hear about what is happening in their local community at the next meeting of the Community Area Forum (CAF).

Members will be given an update on South Tyneside Council Housing Services' work to make sure that high-rise and Housing Plus buildings are safe for residents. This includes the installation of sprinklers in the Borough's tower blocks.

The measures were taken in response to the tragic Grenfell Tower fire and, although the buildings were deemed safe, the council made the decision to invest £1.4m to install the sprinkler systems and protect the safety of the residents.

Chair of the CAF, Councillor Olive Punchion, said: "Ensuring that residents are safe in their own homes is a key priority of ours.  

"Sprinkler systems are vital in preventing fire damage and injury to residents in high rise buildings and although our tower blocks were safe, we knew people were looking for extra reassurance following the Grenfell Tower disaster.

"I'm looking forward to discussing how we can continue to monitor and ensure our buildings are as safe as they possibly can be."

The meeting will take place on Thursday 23 January at 10am at Chuter Ede, Galsworthy Road, South Shields. The public and press are both welcome to attend.