Panel established in response to Grenfell Inquiry recommendations

As reported by the Fire Protection Association, the UK government has appointed Dame Judith Hackitt to chair a new panel tasked with reviewing the building control sector.

The appointment forms part of the government’s official response to Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Fire Minister Alex Norris MP announced the decision at a Housing, Communities, and Local Government (HCLG) committee meeting.

He said the panel will “assess and bring forward ideas” to improve how local authorities manage building control functions.

The Grenfell Inquiry recommended the creation of an independent panel to determine whether it remains appropriate for parties with commercial interests to carry out building control work.

It also proposed exploring whether all building control functions should be centralised under a national body.

Dame Judith Hackitt to draw on industry collaboration

Dame Judith Hackitt currently chairs the Industry Safety Steering Group and is known for her 2018 Building a Safer Future report, which addressed issues in building and fire safety regulation.

That report followed the Grenfell Tower fire and focused on multi-occupancy high-rise residential buildings.

According to Norris: “We’ve asked Judith to convene her own team.

“She leads an industry group, a coalition of the willing within the construction industry who want to raise and change standards.”

He added: “She is going to pull her group of people from that, so it will be senior leaders from the industry who have put their hands up and said the industry needs to change. That is very positive.”

Capacity challenges and skills shortages identified

Norris addressed the broader challenges affecting building control services.

He highlighted that the system suffers from capacity issues, which mirror similar concerns about the number of qualified fire risk assessors.

He said: “Unless you have enough high-quality building control professionals available in an environment where they do not have conflicts or perverse incentives, you are not going to have a safe environment. We are highly motivated in this space.”

He also acknowledged the long-term risks facing the sector: “We have a workforce profile that means not only do we have problems now, we will have very significant problems if we don’t act.”

Panel formation reflects wider regulatory reform efforts

The decision to establish this panel is part of a broader set of regulatory reforms following the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Inquiry’s Phase 2 findings have focused attention on conflicts of interest in the construction sector, as well as structural issues affecting public safety.

The appointment was first announced in February 2025 and reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to meet the Inquiry’s recommendations.

Norris stated that funding had already been directed toward increasing the number of building control professionals.

He noted that additional investment may be required to address persistent workforce shortages.

Government appoints Dame Judith Hackitt to review building control oversight: Summary

The UK government has appointed Dame Judith Hackitt to chair a panel reviewing the local authority building control system.

The announcement was made by Fire Minister Alex Norris MP during a meeting of the HCLG committee.

It forms part of the government’s response to Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

The Inquiry recommended reviewing the role of commercial interests in building control and assessing whether functions should be centralised under a national authority.

Dame Judith, author of the 2018 Building a Safer Future report, will draw on a group of senior industry leaders for the review.

Norris said that workforce capacity remains a major challenge and indicated further investment may be needed to increase the number of qualified building control professionals.

The government has previously committed funding to this area.

The appointment was announced in February 2025.