The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has announced a £27 million Waking Watch Replacement Fund.
The fund can pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in residential buildings, and so replace more expensive Waking Watch measures.
Sheffield has received £500,000 of this funding that will be administered by us.
The fund opened on 27 January 2022 and applications must be made before 11:59pm on 28 March 2022. Once the full funding available has been allocated the fund will close.
Waking Watch measures and this fund should not be considered an alternative to addressing the risks that have required the change in fire safety strategy.
Who can apply
You can apply if you:
- are the Responsible Person
- would like to install an alarm system to replace Waking Watch safety measures
- have faced high costs paying for interim safety measures
- you are applying for a building that meets the eligibility criteria
The building you are applying for must:
- be a residential building
- have a Waking Watch in place which has been identified and agreed by either a Competent person (as described in part 2 of the Simultaneous Evacuation guidance) or via FRS intervention to support a move to a simultaneous evacuation fire safety strategy
There are additional eligibility criteria for Social sector buildings.
What it will pay for
The fund will cover the reasonable upfront costs of an alarm system installed on or after 10 January 2022. The common fire alarm system should be designed to meet the standards referred to in the NFCC‘s revised guidance on Simultaneous Evacuation.
What it won't pay for
The fund will not cover:
- project management, management or administrative fees
- costs of Waking Watch
- costs of the maintenance or repair of the alarm system while it is in place, removal costs where this may be incurred or conversion costs if it is to be configured into an evacuation alert system later
- costs of residual fire wardens or evacuation management personnel where they are deemed necessary even where an alarm has been installed. However as mentioned in paragraph 13 applicants can consider installing a BS 8629 system as part of their application
- costs that are unreasonable
How to apply for funding
Responsibility for applying to the fund will rest with the Responsible Person or entity nominated by them to apply on their behalf. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person is:
- the person, group, company or other entity for ensuring the safety of residents in their building from fire, assessing risk and identifying suitable mitigating measures where they are needed
We encourage the Responsible Person to speak to their local FRS about the implications of installing a common alarm in their building and expect them to keep leaseholders informed of their application and progress. Leaseholders should be informed that an application has been made, of the outcome of that application and, where funding is granted, the timescales for installation.
If costs are not deemed to be reasonable, full costs may not be provided by the fund and the Responsible Person will have to consider how any shortfall is covered.
Apply for the Fund
The application form and application guidance document are available on the GOV.UK website. The Waking Watch Replacement Fund application guidance document provides guidance on the application process and evidence requirements. Read it before you apply.
The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on 28 March 2022.
General enquiries about the Waking Watch Relief Fund should be sent to the following email address WWRFenquiries@communities.gov.uk.