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Government building regulations review focused on cost saving

Fire sector professionals were asked for views on cost cutting when the government reviewed building regulations in 2010, according to letters seen by Inside Housing.

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Government building regulations review focused on cost saving #ukhousing

Officials wrote to construction and fire sector professionals in 2010 when the coalition government was consulting on changes to building regulations.

Inside Housing has today published ‘The Paper Trail’, a lengthy exploration of the failures in regulations in the build-up to the Grenfell Tower disaster.

A letter, sent by the then Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), says responses to the building regulations review will feed into “further discussions” alongside responses to the government’s Cutting Red Tape Review, which aimed to “reduce pointless regulation and unnecessary bureaucracy”.

The letter made several references to cutting costs in making changes to building regulations.


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It states: “Ministers have indicated that they would be particularly interested in views and suggestions about compliance with the building regulations.

“This is in response to concerns that lack of compliance undermines what the regulations seek to achieve. We are keen to ensure that savings are really delivered and that our achievements are real and not theoretical.”

Click here to read The Paper Trail - our investigation into building regulations

The letter adds: “Our work needs to be underpinned by robust evidence so that we can make the right choices and understand clearly the costs and benefits.”

In 2010 the Passive Fire Protection Forum recommended to DCLG that third-party certificates for fire protection products and installers should be made mandatory because it had concerns about the fire safety expertise of these workers.

But in response, a DCLG civil servant said any major change in regulation had to go through the Cabinet Office, which would carry out a cost benefit analysis.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important than keeping people safe.
“That’s why following the Grenfell Tower tragedy we asked Dame Judith Hackitt to undertake an independent review of building regulations and fire safety.
“The letter sent by the department in 2010 made clear that building regulations need to be managed and maintained carefully.”

The Hackitt Review

The Hackitt Review

Photo: Tom Pilston/Eyevine

Dame Judith Hackitt’s (above) interim report on building safety, released in December 2017, was scathing about some of the industry’s practices.

Although the full report is not due to be published until later this year, the former Health and Safety Executive chair has already highlighted a culture of cost-cutting and is likely to call for a radical overhaul of current regulations in an interim report.

Dame Hackitt’s key recommendations and conclusions include:

  • A call for the simplification of building regulations and guidelines to prevent misapplication
  • Clarification of roles and responsibilities in the construction industry
  • Giving those who commission, design and construct buildings primary responsibility that they are fit for purpose
  • Greater scope for residents to raise concerns
  • A formal accreditation system for anyone involved in fire prevention on high-rise blocks
  • A stronger enforcement regime backed up with powerful sanctions

Never Again campaign

Never Again campaign

Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire

Never Again: campaign asks

Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.

LANDLORDS

  • Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
  • Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
  • Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
  • Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents

GOVERNMENT

  • Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
  • Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
  • Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)

We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.

The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.

 

READ MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN HERE

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