A £42m package has been announced to support the recruitment and training of building control and fire inspectors working with the Building Safety regulator, and support the delivery of building safety reforms in the UK
Over the next three years, more than £42m of funding will be allocated to support the delivery of building safety reforms in higher-risk buildings under the new Building Safety Act.
The package consists of a £16.5m grant to Local Authority Building Control (LABC), and £26m to support the Fire and Rescue Services in England and the National Fire Chiefs Council.
The grant will enable regulators to recruit and train new building control and fire safety inspectors
Local partners will support the work of the new Building Safety Regulator in overseeing the safety and standards of the.
110 building inspectors and 111 fire protection officers will need to be recruited and trained in a three-year programme to direct skills and resources to areas with a greater distribution of high-rise buildings.
The new package will support the work of the Regulator in making buildings safer
Commenting on the new package to support building safety reforms, Minister for building safety, Lee Rowley, said: “The Government is delivering important reforms under the Building Safety Act, including introducing the new Building Safety Regulator to oversee building safety and performance. This taxpayer funding will give additional resource to local regulators who will support the work of the Regulator in making buildings safer.”
LABC welcomes the role that local authority building control will have in ensuring building safety reforms are met
LABC chief executive, Lorna Stimpson, added: “We are delighted to have secured this funding to provide much needed additional resources for our local authority members in England. Building control surveyors are a scarce commodity and so it’s important that we start to invest in this previously underfunded but vital public service role.
“We welcome the role that local authority building control will have as part of the new building safety regulator’s multi-disciplinary teams, and in helping to implement the reforms recommended by Dame Judith Hackitt.”
NFCC Chair, Mark Hardingham, concluded: “NFCC welcomes confirmation of the three-year funding for fire and rescue services to recruit additional staff to support the new Building Safety Regulator.
“We will be working collectively with others to ensure that the new Regulator delivers on the policy intent set out by Dame Judith Hackitt, and as part of that, establishes a sustainable funding model for fire and rescue services that goes beyond the initial financial package.”
