New £70m building safety package backs inspectors and fire engineers
Iain Hoey
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Building safety funding announced for key professions
New £70 million funding has been announced to address shortages in building safety professions and support the delivery of 1.5 million homes.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on 26 March 2026 that the three-year programme will increase the number of Registered Building Inspectors by up to 700 and expand fire engineering education.
The funding is split between Building Control, which will receive £55 million, and Fire Engineering, which will receive £15 million.
It is intended to increase the number of Registered Building Inspectors, including those in Class 3H who can inspect High-Risk Buildings.
The programme will also increase the number of Fire Engineers and the availability of Fire Engineering education.
How the funding will be used
Funding for Building Control will support local authorities’ building control teams in England to recruit new Registered Building Inspectors and train them to the required Class 2 standard.
It will also fund the upskilling of existing Registered Building Inspectors, with many training to the standard needed to inspect High-Risk Buildings in Class 3H.
Additional funding will support the training of new entrants in Registered Building Control Approvers and local authorities.
For Fire Engineering, the funding will develop higher education provision through postgraduate bursaries, along with research and academic development.
The mechanisms for applying for the funds are currently under development and more information will be published in the coming months.
Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy Samantha Dixon said: “We’re boosting the building safety workforce to get more skilled building inspectors and fire engineers into the system quickly to keep people safe and unlock the new homes this country needs.
“This is a vital step in building 1.5 million safe homes and ensuring we continue to deliver on lessons from the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”
The government said the programme responds to recommendations from the House of Lords regulatory committee, along with concerns raised by the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel, responses to the Building Control Independent Panel’s call for evidence and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.