The FBU has produced a Manifesto for the forthcoming General Election.
The Firefighters’ Manifesto | Fire Brigades Union (fbu.org.uk)
Although it is directed at all Parties, with Labour likely to go into government, the FBU will be fighting for its members interests and for an improved fire service. It is affiliated to the Party. The union is calling for “investment not cuts”.
“Despite saving lives and reducing fire damage, one-in-five (20%) frontline firefighter jobs have been cut over the last decade. Governments and local fire authorities impose malevolent austerity. This is a disgrace and cannot continue. To meet the risks of today and tomorrow, central government and fire authorities must put sustainable investment into the fire and rescue service.”
Clearly the FBU will be demanding of a Labour government that it funds the investment needed to end “malevolent austerity” and improve the service.
Insofar as it touches on housing it deals with fire safety. See the two sections below. For tenants, be they in the private sector, council or housing association, then the FBU’s demands have a relevance to our safety.
The Housing Crisis
Living arrangements have changed significantly over the last half century. Home ownership and private rentals have increased, while fewer people live in council housing. Housing standards vary enormously. In England, 23% of private rented sector dwellings and 13% of local authority dwellings do not meet decent homes standards. Similarly, 6% of private rented dwellings and 8% of social housing are overcrowded. A house in multiple occupation (HMO) has at least three tenants living there, forming more than one household, sharing toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with other tenants. Landlords of HMOs are subject to licencing arrangements across the four administrations, in part due to the increased risks associated with these properties. More than half a million HMOs are licenced. Around three-quarters of all annual fire deaths take place in dwelling fires. A similar proportion of non-fatal casualties were also in dwelling fires. Around a quarter of dwelling fire casualties take place in purpose built flats or maisonettes. A safe home is a fundamental human right. A properly-resourced fire and rescue service is necessary to ensure fire safety standards are maintained and improved.
Safe Homes for All
11. Justice for Grenfell and decent homes for all.
12. Remove flammable cladding and ensure all homes are safe. Tenants and leaseholders must not pay the price for the failures of others.
13. Sprinklers retrofitted to high risk buildings (including buildings over 11 metres, houses of multiple occupation and schools), wherever a risk assessment deems them necessary. 14. Give tenants a real voice in running their buildings.
15. Mandatory fire certificates for designated premises, particularly homes of multiple occupancy and places where people sleep. Independent inspections by professional fire and rescue service inspectors.
16. Ensure fire inspectors are involved in all stages of new buildings, from design to sign off before occupancy.
17. Government-funded research into the resources needed so firefighters can intervene safely at all incidents, from houses to high rise residential buildings, from warehouses to other businesses.
18. Scrap private ‘approved’ inspectors, with all such work brought in house with properly-funded local building control.
19. Bring BRE into public ownership, to create a publicly owned, publicly funded and publicly accountable research and testing house.
20. Statutory underpinning for all fire risk assessors to meet stringent professional occupational standards.
Labour Campaign for Council Housing 