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Sir Keir Starmer has announced that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will lead on fire safety responsibilities in a post-Grenfell overhaul, taking over from the Home Office.
The prime minister has confirmed that “responsibility for fire” from 1 April will be given to housing secretary Angela Rayner within the MHCLG, which already oversees the Approved Documents regime in the Building Regulations.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report, published in September, called on the government to appoint a single secretary of state to lead on fire safety.
This responsibility is currently held between the Home Office, MHCLG and the business department, the report noted.
Starmer said in September that the government would respond to the phase two report “in full” by 4 March 2025.
Other recommendations to the government in the report include the appointment of a chief construction adviser; a review of fire safety building regulations in Approved Document B; and the empowerment of a regulator to assess the conformity of construction products with legislation.
Reflecting on the government’s fire safety move from the Home Office to MHCLG, Jaclyn Mangaroo, chief communications officer at The Property Institute (TPI), commented: “Aligning fire safety with building safety under one department is vitally important, allowing clearer guidance and legislation for those responsible for managing fire safety and protecting people in their homes. TPI welcomes this move as both sensible and long-overdue – enabling a more joined-up approach to building fire and structural safety.
“We await the government’s response to the Grenfell Phase 2 Inquiry report, and hope that this will address the lack of regulation for residential property management agents. It is crucial that those responsible for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people living in private sector flats and other multi-occupied buildings are properly qualified, professional and competent.
“We urgently need more action to avoid repeating past mistakes that leave people at risk in their homes and communities.”
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