In the full response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report yesterday, the government accepted the findings and set out its plans to act on all 58 recommendations, driving a sweeping transformation to enhance building and fire safety standards.
Under the proposals, industry will be held to account for failure, with new regulatory measures to prevent a tragedy like the events at Grenfell Tower from ever happening again.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. The final report exposed in stark and devastating detail the shocking industry behaviour and wider failures that led to the fire, and the deep injustices endured by the bereaved, survivors, and residents.
“We are acting on all of the Inquiry’s findings, and today set out our full response, detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system to ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again.
“That means greater accountability, stronger regulation, and putting residents at the heart of decision-making. We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country, and to the memory of those who lost their lives.”
The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report exposed a system that ignored safety risks and failed to listen to residents. The report laid bare ‘systemic dishonesty’ in the industry, failures in the construction sector and by successive governments, and poor regulation in the run up to the disaster.
The government has apologised on behalf of the British state for its part in these failings and introduced significant changes to fix the worst issues exposed by the tragedy.
Reforms set out yesterday include:
+ A new single construction regulator to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account.
+ Tougher oversight of those responsible for testing and certifying, manufacturing and using construction products with serious consequences for those who break the rules.
+ A legal duty of candour through a new Hillsborough Law, compelling public authorities to disclose the truth, ensuring transparency in major incidents, and holding those responsible for failures to account.
+ Stronger, clearer, and enforceable legal rights for residents, making landlords responsible for acting on safety concerns.
+ Empowering social housing residents to challenge landlords and demand safe, high-quality housing, by expanding the Four Million Homes training programme. Make it easier for tenants to report safety concerns and secure landlord action by taking forward the Make Things Right campaign.
+ Ensuring lasting transparency and accountability by creating a publicly accessible record of all public inquiry recommendations.
As well as changes in regulation, in December 2024, the government launched its Remediation Acceleration Plan which sets out tough new measures to get buildings fixed quicker and ensure rogue freeholders are held to account.
Building safety minister Alex Norris commented: The Grenfell Tower fire was a preventable tragedy, and the failings it exposed demanded fundamental change.
Our response today to the Inquiry’s findings sets out a comprehensive plan to reform the construction sector, strengthen oversight and make sure that residents are the priority when deciding on building safety issues.
“We will continue working closely with industry, local authorities and the Grenfell community to make sure these reforms deliver real, lasting change and rebuild trust.”
Responding to the UK government’s statement on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report, Andrew Bulmer, CEO of The Property Institute (TPI), commented: “The Grenfell Tower fire was a preventable tragedy – one that exposed systemic failures and regulatory loopholes with devastating consequences.
“We fully support the government’s decision to take forward all the recommendations made by the Phase 2 report and welcome its commitment to publish quarterly progress reports as it implements those recommendations.
“Today’s response makes it clear that building safety reforms must go further and faster. While the introduction of one single Construction Regulator is a step in the right direction, the slow pace of remediation and the narrow focus on cladding have left many buildings only partially fixed. Thousands still live in unsafe buildings, burdened by unaffordable insurance premiums, the costs of other safety issues, and uncertainty about their futures.
“We urge the government to implement actions swiftly – accelerating and widening the scope of remediation efforts and putting resident safety ahead of bureaucratic and financial disputes.”
Paul Woodhams, managing director for building safety and refurbishment at McLaren Construction, said: “The government’s response to the Grenfell Inquiry final report could have gone further to ensure that competencies, materials and contractors are fit for purpose to deliver and refurbish buildings to the highest safety standards through the creation of a single construction regulator. One of the biggest challenges we face from a cladding remediation perspective is appropriate licencing of construction products and contractors.
“A single regulator for the entire construction industry could have driven out ambiguity to set a universal standard for acceptable quality of products and competent contractors to deliver the work. However, the Government’s commitment to reform of the regulatory regime covering construction products is one step in the right direction to ensure that all companies in the supply chain work to the same rigorous standards as main contractors.”
Benjamin Ralph, head of building safety and fire at built environment consultancy Hollis, remarked: “Mandatory accreditation for fire risk assessors and the regulation of the fire engineering profession is a crucial step forward. With a skills shortage already challenging building safety, an abrupt shift could delay vital work. The government must provide clear timelines and fund upskilling to ensure residents are prioritised.
“Without a structured transition, we could see unnecessary disruption, like we did with the shift to building control being a registered profession.”
RICS’ head of professional practice – building, Gary Strong, said: “RICS welcomes the UK government’s statement on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report, and we look forward to continuing to support these crucial reforms going forward. A new, dedicated construction sector regulator and Chief Construction Adviser is welcome, and RICS will continue to offer its expertise to the government to support plans for the new regulator as it takes shape.
“New rules on product safety should further raise manufacturing standards, whilst new laws empowering tenants in the social housing sector will help protect some of the most vulnerable. It is reassuring that the government plans to provide updates every quarter and RICS will support the implementation of these reforms every step of the way.”
Anil Sawhney, head of sustainability at RICS, added: “RICS is pleased that the UK’s Climate Change Committee is focused on decarbonising the built environment and committed to supporting the transition from gas boilers to heat pumps for both residential and commercial properties. Reductions from existing residential and commercial buildings rely on heat pumps and energy efficiency measures like insulation. For these installations to reach their potential, we must uphold good installation standards through the greater inclusion of skilled professionals in government-backed installation programmes.
“Delivery must also be scaled up. The committee highlighted in its 2022 report to parliament that 500,000 retrofits are required in 2025 and approximately one million each following year to meet 2030 decarbonisation targets. A comprehensive retrofit scheme would prove vital towards achieving this goal, among many other recommendations in the RICS Decarbonising UK Real Estate report.
“Further to these latest developments, RICS calls on the UK government to introduce legislation requiring the measurement and reporting of embodied carbon in line with RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) standard, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee. Setting targets is crucial, but accurately measuring progress lights the path towards reaching them.”
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/safety-reforms-must-go-further-and-faster-industry-reacts-to-governments-grenfell-inquiry-response/
