A Prohibition Notice has today come into force at Beech and Willow Rise in Kirkby in response to serious fire safety concerns in both blocks, which are privately owned.
Residents discovered in May 2025 that the buildings’ management company no longer had the funds to carry out fire safety improvements, or continue their ‘waking watch’, where a team of trained officers patrol the building 24/7 in the absence of a working fire alarm.
Without these measures, Merseyside Fire and Rescue had advised the buildings’ managers that they would have no option to Prohibit the buildings for the safety of the residents, meaning that everyone would need to immediately move out.
Both blocks are privately owned and comprise of 160 flats, which are either privately owned or rented.
In order to give residents more time, Knowsley Council agreed to step in and provide a waking watch for an additional two months, giving residents more time to make arrangements for alternative accommodation. In those two months the council has also been supporting residents who are at risk of homelessness to help secure temporary or permanent accommodation.
Today (Monday, 21 July), that waking watch has come to an end and residents in need have been allocated temporary accommodation whilst longer term arrangements are made.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council said: “This has been a terrible situation for these residents, and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected.
“As soon as we became aware of the severity of the safety issues at Beech & Willow Rise our absolute priority was to do whatever we could to support the residents who were suddenly facing homelessness – starting with keeping them safe whilst they made arrangements to move out. These are not council buildings and the residents are not our tenants – but they are Knowsley residents and we felt very strongly that we needed to step in to assist in whatever way we could.
“We have had a large team of officers from services across the council working on a daily basis to support the residents since May, ensuring we understood the different needs of those individuals and families living in Beech and Willow Rise. We’ve been helping them access support and advice, and to identify alternative accommodation in the short and/or long term. It has been a really distressing time for these residents and I pay tribute to their resilience in the face of a really stressful and difficult set of circumstances.
“We will continue to offer support to anyone impacted by what has happened here.”
Since May 2025, Knowsley Council has:
- Held daily meetings to consider the support it can offer to residents, involving offers from teams from right across the council including housing, adult social care, children’s social care, environmental health and more.
- Put in place a Waking Watch (24/7 building patrol) from 21 May until 21 July in order to give residents an additional two months to find alternative accommodation, at a cost of more than £2,700 per day.
- Worked with the local MP and lobbied Government for support for affected residents.
- Held numerous meetings with partner agencies and private sector parties involved in the ownership and management of Beech and Willow Rise to try and agree a positive way forward for residents.
- Provided weekly updates to residents to keep them informed in the absence of such information from the buildings’ owners and managers.
- Created a bank of information for residents on its website with sources of support and information for residents.
- Cleared rubbish and bulky items from communal areas to prevent the threat of an immediate prohibition order due to additional fire safety concerns.
- Supported 25+ vulnerable residents to move out of the building into suitable accommodation.
- Held 12 community surgery events offering residents personalised advice and support with next steps.
- Arranged temporary housing for 26+ households who have no other arrangements for 21 July.
- Helped 38 households to register on Property Pool Plus, where their applications for alternative housing are being processed as quickly as possible.
- Secured 20 new properties to be used as temporary accommodation for people displaced from Beech and Willow Rise.
Cllr Morgan added: “I want to pay tribute to the many Council staff – from across departments – who have dedicated their time and efforts into supporting those who were living at Beech and Willow Rise. It’s been a real team effort and I for one am really proud of the care and compassion shown and the collective determination to help our residents in such a difficult situation.”