Improving Building Control: LABC Standards ISO ready to go

Last year LABC (Local Authority Building Control), consulted with our local authority members to establish a single set of consistent national standards.

And we're pleased to say that the ISO which will help make this happen is now ready to go. The Head Office audit has been passed, and the local authority building control teams are testing it as we speak - we're expecting a full launch in the new year.

What does this mean for our customers?

The ISO will help us provide a consistent service to all of our customers throughout England and Wales, with the reassurance that no matter where you are you'll be satisfied.

Why did we start this journey?

Watch a video explaining the reasons behind going for ISO, along with further information on where the LABC network of building control professionals is heading: Improving Building Control

History of the ISO consultation

When we opened the ISO out for consultation, feedback from members was positive. And after a process of formal discussions, proposals were created to establish a separate Standards Committee with the option for an Independent Chair.

The Terms of Reference for the Committee also linked Standards with compliance outcomes, surveyor competencies, surveyor learning, consistent service levels and common processes. With Anthony Oloyede (Head of Building Control in Hillingdon) as interim Chair, the new Standards Committee started work early in 2017 and set four objectives:

1. That the LABC Standards should have a 2015 ISO under a UKAS accredited provider and should be audited by that external provider.
2. That the Standards should define all the essential functions of public sector building control including enforcement, public safety and consumer protection.
3. To document a quality system based on the definition of what “good” local authority building control should look like.
4. To provide SMART measures of performance and include the performance measures required by the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group (BCPSAG) that collates performance returns for the DCLG and the Welsh Government.

The LABC Board took an early decision that LABC would subsidise the ISO and that it should cost less than local authorities would pay to run their own.