Tories accuse Labour of lying over two unsafe tower blocks housing 200 households in Milton Keynes

Sprinkler systems for Bletchley's Mellish Court and The Gables at Wolverton were promised and budgeted for in 2017, say Conservative councillors.

But though £300,000 was allocated in the budget, the sprinklers were never fitted.

Last month the council announced both tower blocks were unsafe because they did not meet current fire safety standards. Inspections showed flames and smoke could spread too easily through the cavity walls in each of the 60-year-old buildings.

The 200 households living in the flats will now have to be rehoused as council officers decide whether to extensively renovate the flats or demolish them and build new homes or the sites.

Meanwhile the council is paying for fire wardens to be at each tower block 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

At last month’s full MK Council meeting, Cllr Emily Darlington, the Labour cabinet member for housing stated that the reason sprinklers were not installed was because: “the fire service said that wasn’t what they recommend”.

However, at this week's Community and Housing Scrutiny Committee, a Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service representative stated: “We will always promote sprinklers... to my recollection, at no point has Bucks Fire and Rescue Service ever said: do not fit sprinklers.”

Tories also claim the council failed to make a bid to the Bucks Fire Service future sprinklers initiative.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Bucks fire promoted a sprinkler fund of £250,000 that was made available to all local authorities to assist in the fitting of sprinklers in new-builds or retrofit situations. Over this period of time, not a single application from any organisation and the funding was removed coming into 2019, said MK Conservative group leader Cllr Alex Walker.

He said: “This scandal is deepening and more is emerging every week. Labour promised the tenants of these buildings sprinklers in 2017 and they have not delivered. Worst still, when asked the simple question ‘why’ they’ve lied to the public.

“They blamed Bucks Fire and Rescue, stating that they were acting on their recommendation to not install sprinklers. What we found out at the Committee meeting was the opposite.

“It’s time the Council took responsibility as the landlord of these properties and owned up to residents about their failure to deliver fire safety upgrades at these properties.

“The safety of residents have been ignored. They deserve honesty.”