The Government’s second progress report on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Recommendations

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report made 58 recommendations (the “Recommendations”), all accepted by the Government, across the following themes:

• the construction industry;
• fire and rescue services;
• response and recovery; and
• vulnerable people and Phase 1 recommendations.

In its most recent quarterly report, on its progress in implementing the Recommendations, the Government provided the following updates.

Single Construction Regulator

In June, MHCLG announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (“BSR”), aiming to reduce delays to building new high-rise homes.

Pending the establishment of a new body to take on the functions of the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive, Andy Roe, former London Fire Brigade commissioner, has taken on the role of non-executive chair of a new MHCLG shadow board.

A new Fast Track Process was implemented in July 2025 to speed up new-build application approvals, bringing building inspectors and engineers directly into the BSR. In addition, the BSR is working to publish industry guidance to provide support to applicants early in the process.

To increase internal capacity in the longer term, the BSR will recruit more than 100 new staff by the end of the year.

What is of note is that applications for remediation projects continue to face delays obtaining BSR approval; however, the BSR has announced it intends to clear the backlog of Gateway 2 applications by the end of January 2026.

Chief Construction Adviser

Thouria Istephan was appointed as interim Chief Construction Adviser in September 2025; she

previously served as panel member for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

In this new, 12-month appointment Ms Istephan will:

• act as an independent adviser to the Secretary of State on matters affecting the construction industry;
• monitor and advise MHCLG’s work in relation to Building Regulations, statutory guidance and the construction industry;
• engage with the industry;
• support the design and implementation of the single regulator; and
• advise on delivering the response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations.

Approved Documents

In July 2025 the BSR appointed an expert panel to assist with the review of the Approved Documents and provide guidance on how to meet the Building Regulations, including advising on how to support designers in demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations.

Interim findings are to be provided in Spring 2026, with a final report in the Summer of that year.

Construction Products Reform

Consultation on the Construction Products Reform Green Paper closed in May 2025. The White Paper, setting out policy on test data, the construction library, and oversight of conformity assessment, is to be published before Spring 2026.

Fire Engineers

The Fire Engineers’ Advisory Panel was established in April 2025 to advise the Government on the fire engineering profession.

The panel’s priority is drafting an authoritative statement of skills and knowledge expected of a competent fire engineer, following which a regulatory system can be proposed.

The panel is engaging with the sector on the drafting of the statement. Further steps are to be set out by the end of the year.

Fire Risk Assessor Competence

When Parliamentary time allows, legislation is to be brought forward making it mandatory for the competence of fire risk assessors to be independently verified by a UKAS-accredited certification body and overseen by a regulator.

In August, the British Standards Institution published BS 8674:2025 Built Environment Framework for Competence of Individual Fire Risk Assessors – Code of Practice setting out the skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours for fire assessors.

MHCLG has developed a cross-government board to support delivery of this recommendation, and from September a new Four Nations and Crown Dependency Forum will meet regularly to support a consistent approach to fire risk assessor competence across the UK.

Delivery plans and key milestones are to be set out by the end of the year.

The building safety landscape has changed dramatically and continues to do so; there were bound to be transitional issues given the scale of building safety reform and it is positive to know that those issues are being addressed. While the latest progress report does not necessarily provide full details of what those upcoming changes will be, it is useful to have an idea as to the work going on behind the scenes and to be aware of the projected time frames for future industry change.

If you have questions about the Building Safety Act and/or building safety issues, please contact Zoë Deckker, Brenna Baye or any other member of our Building Safety and Cladding Team.