A COMPREHENSIVE fire risk assessment is to be carried out on premises owned by Tavistock Town Council after members were last week warned it would be a 'criminal offence' not to do so.
The council's properties committee heard the health and safety and fire risk assessment for premises owned by the council dated from January 1997 and needed to be brought up to date.
Cllr Brian Trew said the law had changed recently and the council could be sued if it was found it was not complying with the new statutes.
Cllr Trew said: 'Not to do so would be a criminal offence. I believe that all employees and people who come into our premises deserve the same kind of protection as employees in any ordinary company.'
Cllr Trew proposed the council employ a consultant 'as soon as possible' to get an updated risk assessment programme under way — it would be an 'extraordinarily bad example' to the town not to act because of the expense involved, he said.
Cllr David Best said he appreciated Cllr Trew was an expert in this field but said he found himself 'in a quandary' over the situation.
Cllr Best said: 'When I spoke to the fire officer, he didn't feel we had to go to the expense of a professional company.
'I just feel there is no point spending money unnecessarily — we have enough trouble raising it.'
Cllr Iain Andrews suggested a 'halfway measure' would be to ask a consultant what was required initially.
Cllr Caroline Keane, chairman of the properties committee, said there was 'no question' of trying to minimise expenditure at the expense of safety — but the council had to scrutinise its finances carefully.
The committee agreed the town clerk should seek advice in engaging a professional consultant for advice, in advance of professional fire risk assessment reports being prepared. The costs were estimated at £500, followed by several thousand for the full reports.
The decision will go before the full council when it meets on January 6.