LABC welcomes ‘Hackitt Report’ and vows to help to implement recommendations

LABC has written to Dame Judith Hackitt welcoming her final report following her Independent Review of the Building Regulations and Fire Safety. 

The organisation which represents more than 3,000 public service building surveying staff has pledged to help to implement all her recommendations on buildings in the scope of the review.  LABC has already introduced a ten-point programme focussing on the competencies required to deal with these higher risk projects which will be fully in place by September.

LABC’s Chief Executive, Paul Everall, said, “It is clear that allowing developers to choose their own regulators has to stop. Dame Judith has a clear way forward which LABC supports fully and we have already put in place the steps needed to move to a completely independent and competent regulator.

"Public service building control has the skills, competencies and the capacity to deal with the regulation of all buildings in the scope of the Review and we will be working across the industry disciplines to make the new regime work as effectively as possible.” 

Paul Everall has also written to ministers urging them to adopt of all the Review’s recommendations as quickly as possible, saying, "We’re aware of the criticisms of the report and its recommendations and we believe that this should not distract from the speedy and practical implementation of the proposals. We agree that the system needs a radical overhaul and there is no time to lose.”

The way forward

“We believe that closer ties with the fire services and the HSE through the proposed Joint Competent Authority will benefit standards and enforcement. We also agree with Dame Judith that a ‘whole lifecycle’ view of a building fits with reality and will control the risk of a building’s design strategy being compromised by later works or poor maintenance.”

Paul also praised Dame Judith and her team for the way in which they carried out the review, “I have never seen such comprehensive and well-organised consultation across the wider industry and amongst both the public and private sectors of building control.

"Everyone in the professions, design, manufacturing and construction, has a point of view and all were given the opportunity to give their input and back their views with evidence. A great deal of well-informed expertise has been devoted in a short period of time to focus on the weaknesses and flaws of the current system and to create the systemic reforms to move ahead.”

LABC has spent 18 months working on its ten point plan, investing in standards, competencies and qualifications, drawing on expert advice from the Chartered Institute of Building, the Institution of Fire Engineers and the University of Wolverhampton.

Further information

For media enquiries, or to arrange an interview contact Louise Williams louise.williams@labc.co.uk or call us on 020 8616 8120.

See our full list of documents and articles relating to the Hackitt Report and building regulations since the Grenfell Tower tragedy