• ANOTHER aspect of the cuts to public services and deregulation which has happened over the last 40 years (Tackle this scandal now – not tomorrow, June 16) is the complexity of modern building, which requires very sophisticated examination to check that buildings are safe.

In July 2015, I moved into a flat built 10 years ago, and last year all the lights in one room failed. The electrician who looked into the problem told me that the ceiling lights should have had a heat shield installed, which would prevent the halogen bulbs from burning cables.

In my flat, of 44 ceiling lights only one had a heat shield installed. My solicitor had obtained the certificate from the council certifying that the building works had been completed satisfactorily.

Presumably, the one light with the heat shield was shown to the inspector. As posts have been cut, staff are under pressure to do reports as quickly as possible and I was appalled to read that this work has now been outsourced.

The electrician told me that the cost of the shield was about £20 so with labour for installation the developer would have saved about £1,000 for one flat but left a fire hazard for the unsuspecting flat owner.

Calls to cut ‘red tape’ disregard the importance of ensuring that work is carried out properly and does not pose a risk to those living in houses, flats or high-rise apartment buildings.

WENDY SAVAGE
Featherstone Street, EC1