What NFCC’s new remediation warning means for safety reform

Building remediation hindered by broken safety system

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has warned that building remediation is being delayed by deep-rooted problems in the UK’s building safety regime.

Launching its Remediation Position Statement, the NFCC said that relying on fire and rescue services to enforce a system that is not functioning properly is unsustainable.

The organisation urged ministers to create a centrally coordinated programme to address compliance, funding, accountability and workforce shortages.

It said that without such an approach, serious safety gaps would remain unresolved.

NFCC warns of barriers to government remediation targets

According to the NFCC, the Government’s Remediation Acceleration Plan is a step forward but faces major obstacles.

The plan aims to complete remediation of all high-rise buildings over 18 metres by 2029 and medium-rise buildings over 11 metres by 2031.

NFCC said that fluctuating government estimates of affected buildings, ranging from 5,900 to 12,000, have made it difficult to plan.

Of the 5,554 buildings within the public remediation programme, almost two-thirds remain incomplete.

The Government’s current working estimate is around 9,000 buildings.

Funding inconsistencies have also limited progress, NFCC said, with existing schemes often covering cladding but excluding other major defects.

The organisation added that fragmented funding arrangements, based on factors such as tenure, height and materials, have left many buildings stalled in uncertainty.

Financial and workforce pressures strain fire services

NFCC highlighted the financial pressure on fire and rescue services if they are required to inspect all buildings that may need remediation.

Depending on the final number of buildings within scope, the council estimated costs between £29.86 million and £61.77 million, with a working figure of £46.11 million based on 9,000 buildings.

NFCC said that this financial demand comes as many services face real-terms budget cuts, reducing their ability to oversee other high-risk sites such as hospitals and care homes.

Workforce shortages are also compounding delays, with fewer than 30 fully competent fire engineers currently working within English fire and rescue services.

The council said that training for such roles takes years and that recruitment has been made harder by experienced staff moving into the private sector.

Fire safety and building protection staff currently make up just 2.7% of the total fire and rescue service workforce in England.

The wider construction sector faces similar challenges, with the Chartered Institute of Building reporting a 250,000-person shortfall at a time of rising demand for new homes and infrastructure.

NFCC said its calls for a cross-departmental Construction Skills Strategy to address these shortages have not yet been acted upon.

NFCC chair calls for stronger regulation and accountability

Phil Garrigan, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said: “The Grenfell Tower fire was a national tragedy that exposed fundamental flaws in how we design, build, manage and regulate our homes.

“Fire and rescue services have played a vital role in making buildings safer, but enforcement alone cannot fix a broken system.

“Eight years on, progress is not where it should be. We must tackle the root causes – fragmented oversight, weak regulation, and chronic gaps in workforce, funding and data.

“Fire risk must be embedded into every stage of building safety, not left to emergency response.

“Underpinning all of this must be tougher regulation. The Grenfell Tower fire showed us, in the most devastating way, what happens when building regulations are too weak to protect people.

“We cannot allow that lesson to be ignored. The Government must implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations in full and strengthen regulation to ensure no community is ever put at such risk again.”

NFCC outlines six priority actions for reform

The council’s position statement calls for six core actions.

It has urged the Government to establish a centrally led, risk-based remediation programme with defined roles, responsibilities and timelines.

It also wants a construction skills strategy to address shortages of fire engineers, surveyors, risk assessors and related trades.

Funding should be kept under review to ensure both internal and external defects are covered without costs being passed to leaseholders.

NFCC called for an urgent review of building regulations guidance to make sure safety standards are enforceable, risk-based and realistic.

It said that recently introduced enforcement powers must be clarified so that the Building Safety Regulator can coordinate action effectively.

Finally, NFCC said that the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations should be implemented through regulation of relevant professions, a large-scale product testing regime and publicly available compliance data.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

This development affects several key groups within the fire and building safety sectors.

Fire and rescue services are directly impacted, as NFCC’s estimate shows potential inspection costs exceeding £46 million depending on the final scope of remediation.

Building control professionals, fire engineers and risk assessors face growing demand for skilled expertise amid workforce shortages and increased regulatory expectations.

For construction and facilities managers, the NFCC’s call for a risk-based remediation programme highlights the operational challenges of coordinating funding, timelines and compliance under fragmented schemes.

The proposed reforms also have implications for policymakers, regulators and those responsible for enforcing the Building Safety Act, particularly where responsibilities overlap with the Building Safety Regulator.