A local authority programme to upgrade fire doors on flats remains stalled more than 18 months after contractor J Tomlinson went into administration.
Ashfield District Council in Nottinghamshire’s project to replace 104 fire doors on properties it owns that do not comply with fire-safety regulations was left unfinished after the £106m-turnover local contractor went under in July 2023.
A report from the council’s audit committee ahead of a meeting tonight (30 January) recommends the council sets out how the door replacement programme was “left unfinished by J Tomlinson when they ceased to trade”.
J Tomlinson was appointed to the job through a Fusion21 framework. Its contract was due to run until March 2026. The firm was also carrying out social-housing decarbonisation works for the local authority.
Ashfield Council deputy leader Tom Hollis told local news site West Bridgford Wire that procurement for a new contractor was ongoing.
However, the audit committee report states that a new contractor has been identified and that it is working on a delivery timeframe for the job.
An October 2023 paper produced by the council executive proposed using contractor United Living, via the Fusion21 framework, to take over J Tomlinson’s work. It noted that negotiations over pricing would need to take place.
Construction News has approached Ashfield District Council for comment on the current state of the procurement process.
Hollis added that its estate was being upgraded in line with the Fire Safety Regulations 2022.
“This is a legislation change since Grenfell, so we need the doors that aren’t fire-regulated to be refitted. The council doesn’t have concerns about the fire safety in flats, but we’re happy to receive the audit report.”
He added: “We’ve been working on this project for four years and we’ve had more than 7,500 doors to assess under the new legislation. We can’t change all the doors we need to straight away.”
The audit committee report added: “Due to uncertainties around the manufacture, testing, certification and subsequent affected supply of composite fire doors, it is currently not possible to identify a definitive timescale for completion.”
An alternative option of using timber fire doors was being examined, it said.
Nottingham-based J Tomlinson employed 400 people when it went under, owing £33m to creditors. Administrators from FRP blamed “severe inflationary pressure on costs” for its demise.
They later added that it had initially been rocked by “overdue retentions and other debtor balances, inflationary pressures and disputes regarding completion payments on large construction projects” in early 2022.
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Ian Weinfass