Premier Guarantee will once again host expert speakers, such as Leon Livermore, to discuss the key issues facing the construction industry this year
Attendees at InSite: Building Safety and Standards will hear speakers, including Leon Livermore, debate and discuss the Building Safety Act, the 2025 Future Homes Standard, as well as the industry codes of practice.
Premier Guarantee spoke to the CEO of the New Homes Quality Board, Leon Livermore, who explores his experiences and plans for InSite.
Where did it start for you in the industry?
My background is primarily in the public and not-for-profit sectors. Whilst mainly from a public protection perspective, part of those roles I have had responsibility for supporting businesses and communities, as well as housing standards.
This has given a broad insight into how you deliver much better and sustainable outcomes if you work with a wide range of stakeholders but, in particular, understand the key role that businesses play.
How about the road to where you are today? What was your experience – biggest challenges or proudest moments?
I’ve always been lucky to have good people around me to support me and a job that I love – and the NHQB is no different. The things that I am most proud of are where I can see the real impact that I have had on communities and individuals.
A good example is Community Alcohol Partnerships, where working closely with the sector, we were able to produce some brilliant improvements in people’s lives and their community – all at no additional cost. It was simply by listening and getting everyone aligned to a common win-win goal.
I suppose the biggest challenge – other than never having enough resources – is always ensuring what you are doing is set in the right context. There’s no point us putting in place requirements that are impracticable or disproportionate, as they serve no purpose and bring no benefit.
You are the CEO of New Homes Quality Board. What makes NHQB so important to the industry?
We have a sector that takes a field and, via a building site, turns it into homes and communities – and that’s so important. We get it right the vast majority of the time, yet the whole public and political narrative focuses on where we don’t.
That can have impactful consequences in terms of confidence and policy. So, I think we are important to the industry in many respects but would highlight two.
One is that we are the industry-developed solution to the negative issues that have been highlighted, so this is about controlling your own sector narrative and reputation.
The second is that we are a framework that, by following, you can have confidence that you are doing the right thing and are exposed to less risk/costs where things do go wrong.
What is it about the job that keeps you going, whether it is the challenges, inspirations, or the people around you?
It’s genuinely the chance to make a difference and bring my skillset of balancing business and consumer needs to such a vital sector in the UK. We have a brilliant team highly experienced and supportive board working on your behalf. All that really does excite me.
What is your presentation topic for the InSite event in September. What can attendees look forward to from Leon Livermore?
It will partly bring delegates up-to-speed with the latest developments and hopefully demystify the code and the work of the Ombudsman. But it’s also a chance for me to listen and ensure that the requirements of the code reflect the realities of being a developer in this challenging environment.
What advice would you have for those considering attending our InSite event, bearing in mind the landscape of our industry at the moment and the need for obtaining knowledge and sharing ideas?
It’s clearly a challenging economic environment for the sector at the moment, and that’s before you layer on top of other issues such as the forthcoming election, workforce, etc.
It’s your sector, so it can only be beneficial to get together to learn, share best practices, and help shape the thoughts of organisations like the NHQB so that we collectively build a stronger new build sector in the UK.
Click here for tickets to the event featuring Leon Livermore.
