Fire safety work on hundreds of homes to begin

Fire safety work will be carried out on hundreds of back-to-back homes in Leeds over the next four years

Fire safety work on hundreds of homes in Leeds is to begin as part of an £8.2m maintenance project.

Works will be carried out on around 600 back-to-back homes over a four-year period after a contractor was appointed by the city council.

An estimated 140 properties, which have been converted into flats, will also have improvements carried out by fire protection firm Ventro Ltd.

A council report said "compartmentation" works to prevent fires spreading through buildings would be carried out as part of the scheme, set to start in September.

Fire doors, detection systems and emergency lighting will also be installed to bring the council's housing stock into line with current regulations.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the report stated: "These works contribute to the ongoing strategy to undertake repairs and improvement works to the council's housing stock, which includes improving fire safety."

Ventro will be hired for a three-year period, with the option of extending the contract for a further 12 months. The annual spend is estimated at just over £2m.

Council bosses decided Ventro offered the best value for money after three tender submissions were received.

Tenants and leaseholders were consulted on the scheme after a procurement exercise was launched, the council said.

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