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Rowley warned ‘urgent action’ needed over building inspector crisis
The Green Party’s former leader has added to pressure on the government by calling for “urgent action” over the impending building inspector crisis amid fears that construction work could “grind to a halt”.
Siân Berry, who is currently a member of the London Assembly, has written to housing minister Lee Rowley, calling on him to intervene to stop councils hitting a “cliff edge” and being forced to reduce building inspection services.
Building inspectors have to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) by 6 April as part of the Building Safety Act, which was introduced in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
However, concerns have been raised that a “significant number” will miss the deadline, leading to chaos.
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Ms Berry, who sits on the London Assembly’s housing committee, said construction industry members in the capital told her of “a risk that either construction will grind to a halt or work will continue without inspection”.
This is “exactly the opposite of what was intended post-Grenfell”, the source is quoted as saying in the letter.
Her source added: “The whole thing is a mess though and looks like a significant number of inspectors are poised to retire/resign in the next six weeks.”
Last week, the leader of Local Authority Building Control (LABC), a membership organisation representing council building-control inspectors, called for a six-month extension to the 6 April deadline, as it was causing a “critical level of stress”.
However, so far neither the government nor the BSR have publicly responded to this plea.
Ms Berry, who was co-leader of the Green Party between 2018 and 2021, also supports the calls for a deadline extension, Inside Housing understands.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has also voiced its concerns, warning that “a vast number of experts will not register in time”.
Ms Berry wrote that she backed the idea of surveyors becoming registered inspectors, and flagged the example of “construction failures” at Weavers Quarter, a new development in east London where a balcony collapsed last year.
She added: “The risk of stifling this work due to the failure to ensure a smooth transition to the new requirements is potentially dangerous, as well as threatening to the achievement of construction goals.
“Therefore, I ask that you take urgent action to ensure that councils across England and Wales do not reach a cliff edge on 6 April and are forced to dramatically reduce their building inspection services due to lack of registered building inspectors.
“I have no doubt that by working with the Building Safety Regulator and industry bodies, such as [the Chartered Institute of Housing], LABC and RICS, you can reach a suitable and timely solution.”
Ms Berry could be an MP by this time next year, as she has been selected as the Green Party’s candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency. The party’s Caroline Lucas has held the Sussex seat since 2010, but is retiring.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We remain committed to making sure building inspectors are supported during this transition period, but it is crucial that the sector continues to undertake the validation and registration processes in order to meet building control professional standards.”
A statement from the BSR last week said that it recognised the “concerns made across the building control profession and the challenges faced”.
The BSR added that it had been “working closely with representative bodies from the profession over a considerable period of time to prepare for implementation of the new requirements”.
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