A single regulator for construction is among a raft of measures announced today (26 February) in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report, but it will not be handed product safety functions.
Housing secretary Angela Rayner told the House of Commons today that she would accept all 58 of the inquiry’s recommendations.
However, she said that implementation will not begin until 2028.
Rayner told the House of Commons: “It is fair to say that the building system that we have today is not the same as the one that was justly criticised in the report, the one we had leading up to the tragic events of 2017, but it is also clear that there is still much more to do.
“So I can announce that we will create a single construction regulator and a chief construction advisor.”
She added that Kingspan, Arconic, Celotex and four other firms will be investigated to decide whether they should be debarred from the public procurement regime.
“Their disgraceful mercenary behaviour put profit before people, and exploited the regulatory regime to evade accountability with fatal consequences, to my disgust and their shame,” she said.
A government press release today said that a new single construction regulator would “ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account”.
The phase two inquiry report recommended a new single regulator be given a raft of powers including:
- Regulation of construction products.
- Development of suitable methods of testing the reaction to fire of materials and products intended for use in construction.
- Testing and certification of such products.
- Issuing certificates of compliance of construction products in line with legislation, statutory guidance and industry standards.
- Regulation and oversight of building control.
- Licensing of contractors to work on higher-risk buildings, monitoring the operation of the building regulations and the statutory guidance, and advising the secretary of state on the need for change.
- Carrying out research on matters affecting fire safety in the built environment.
- Collecting information, both in this country and abroad, on matters affecting fire safety, and exchanging information with the fire and rescue services on matters affecting fire safety.
- Accrediting fire risk assessors.
- Maintaining a publicly available library of test data and publications.
The government’s official response, published today, said that the single regulator will deliver all of the functions specified in the report with two exceptions.
“We do not believe it is appropriate for the single regulator to undertake testing and certification of construction products or issue certificates of compliance, as this would create a new conflict of interest within the regulator,” it said.
The government said it will adopt a phased approach to reforming the building safety regime over the course of this Parliament.
- Phase one (2025-2026): “Making sure that we effectively deliver our current programme of regulatory reform and change”. This is understood to relate to solving the teething problems experienced by the Building Safety Regulator, as well as implementing reforms to the Approved Development Document regime.
- Phase two (2026-2028): This phase will focus on “having fully developed proposals to deliver recommendations and wider reform”. In other words, turning the Grenfell phase two report recommendations into regulations, guidance and law.
- Phase three (2028 onwards): The government will begin the process of implementing the reforms.
Construction News will bring you more reaction and analysis of the government’s Grenfell response in the coming hours.
