The Executive Councillor for Housing, Partnerships and the Local Plan, Stephen Conway, approved the new Housing Services Fire Safety Policy. This policy aims to ensure all fire safety systems within Wokingham Borough Council's housing stock are monitored, maintained, and compliant with current legislation.

Housing Services Fire Safety Policy

The Leader of the Council and Executive Councillor for Housing, Partnerships and the Local Plan, Stephen Conway, approved the new Housing Services Fire Safety Policy. This policy establishes a framework for managing fire safety risks within the council's housing stock, defining roles, responsibilities, and governance to ensure the safety of tenants, staff, contractors, and visitors. The policy is a crucial update to the previous version from 2019 and is designed to meet the strengthened consumer standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing, which came into force in April 2024.

The development of this policy is a response to legislative and regulatory requirements, including the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Building Safety Act 2022, the Housing Act 2004, and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. These laws mandate landlords to assess, manage, and reduce fire risks in their properties. The policy will be supported by a Fire Safety Management Plan, which will detail operational procedures for monitoring, risk management, and emergency protocols.

The report highlighted that no changes to existing budgets for fire safety operations were anticipated as a result of approving the policy. The policy's implementation is expected to strengthen the council's overall governance framework and complement the Housing Landlord Service Assurance Framework. Performance monitoring of fire safety will be reported to various internal teams, including the Housing Leadership Team, Housing Innovation Partnership, Corporate Leadership Team, and the Council's Overview and Scrutiny panel.

The policy was subject to consultation with the Asset Management and Compliance Team, Repairs and Maintenance Consultative Panel, Local Housing Companies (Loddon Homes Ltd and Berry Brook Homes Ltd), Legal Services, Housing Leadership Team, and Housing Innovation Partnership. An Equality Impact Assessment was also conducted, concluding that a full assessment was not required, as the policy was found to have a neutral or positive impact on all protected characteristics. The policy will be effective from 14 August 2026.