In this episode, I’m joined by Mel Little — a Birmingham high-rise resident and health & safety professional — who exposes how fire safety is failing in practice despite being signed off on paper.

We discuss:

• Fire doors failing inspections and redacted fire risk assessments
• Compartmentation failures, lithium-ion battery risks, and stay-put policies
• A council officer accusing Mel of lying when she raised blocked fire access
• Missing Building Safety Act documents and misinterpretation of residents’ rights
• How Birmingham City Council, now bankrupt, claims compliance while avoiding costly works
• Why staff are left stressed, unsupported, and caught between unsafe residents and council failures

Birmingham City Council is responsible for 186 high-rise blocks. Yet inspections are incomplete, enforcement is misdirected, and residents are left in danger. As Mel warns, this isn’t just compliance — it’s compliance theatre.

Eight years after Grenfell, prosecutions are still absent, and the risk remains. If councils cannot afford to make homes safe, who will step in before the next disaster?

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