Dame Judith Hackitt appointed to lead building control group

At a recent meeting of the Housing, Communities, and Local Government (HCLG) Committee, Fire Minister Alex Norris MP announced the formation of a new panel chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt. The panel has been tasked with assessing and proposing ideas to improve local authority building control.

Dame Judith Hackitt

Minister Norris stated, “We’ve asked Judith to convene her own team. She leads an industry group—a coalition of willing professionals within the construction sector—who are committed to raising standards. She will be drawing on this group to form the panel, comprising senior industry leaders who recognise the need for change. That is very encouraging.”

Dame Judith Hackitt currently chairs the Industry Safety Steering Group and is best known for authoring the 2018 Building a Safer Future report, which reviewed building and fire safety regulations in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Her work has focused on improving compliance, enforcement, and safety standards in high-rise, multi-occupancy residential buildings.

This new appointment is part of the government’s ongoing response to the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report, which advised:

• The establishment of an independent panel to assess whether it is in the public interest for building control functions to be carried out by organisations with commercial interests in the process.

• Consideration of whether all building control functions should be transferred to a national authority.

The government confirmed Dame Judith's appointment to this role in February 2025.

Discussing current capacity challenges within building control, Norris acknowledged the strain on the system, comparable to shortages in fire risk assessors. He emphasised the need for a sufficient number of high-quality, impartial building control professionals to ensure a safe built environment.

“There are real challenges in this space,” he said. “Funding has previously been allocated to train more building control professionals, and we recognise that further investment may be necessary. With our current workforce profile, we’re facing not just immediate shortages but also long-term issues if action isn't taken now.