New fire alarm rules branded a ‘shambles’

Care and Repair, which received £500,000 from the Scottish Government, has closed its doors to new customers in South Lanarkshire and cannot provide updates to existing clients.

Monica said “This is a shambles. Scottish Government ministers are failing older people by stubbornly pushing ahead with this botched fire alarm law.

If the Scottish Government really cared it would ensure trusted organisations like Care and Repair have enough cash to support vulnerable households, including pensioners who have been turned away.

I am angry that elderly constituents who are trying to comply with this law by February 1st are being told the government funding has run out. This is causing sleepless nights for people who don’t know where to turn.

You can’t do fire safety on the cheap. Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison must increase the funding available to organisations like Care and Repair Lanarkshire.”

When constituents call Care & Repair Lanarkshire they receive this voicemail.
“Thank you for calling Care and Repair. Please listen to the whole of this message if you’re calling about a fire detection service, we are currently working from home and monitoring all calls remotely between 9:30 and 4 pm from Monday to Friday, please leave a message after the tone with your full name, telephone number and a short message and we’ll get back to you soon.

If you’re calling about a fire detection service, unfortunately due to the unprecedent demand for this service, we have reached capacity and have now temporarily closed this service to new clients. We intend to be able to reopen the project to new clients from the 1st April. If you still require help after the 1st April, please feel free to contact us again on this number or email enquiries@careandrepair-sl.co.uk.

If you’re looking for financial assistance with the installation of the fire detection, unfortunately our funding from the Scottish Government has now all been completely used. If your enquiry is about an update on your fire detection case please note that due to the hundreds of calls that we are receiving, we are unable to call you back with an update. We will have you on our waiting list and will contact you in due course. If you have any concerns regarding delays please contact your insurance company directly. Thank you for your understanding.”