Agenda item

This report updates the committee on the implications for the building control service of the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Bill.  

Councillor Shama Tatler (Lead Member for Regeneration, Property and Planning) introduced the item. Following the tragedy that took place at Grenfell Tower in 2017, there had been extensive coverage around fire safety in buildings, particularly in high- rise buildings. Councillor Tatler outlined how the new fire safety bill would impact on the building control service in Brent.

The Committee was then invited to raise questions on the update provided, which focussed on a number of key areas as highlighted below:  

·                Detail was sought as to how the due diligence process had changed since the events at Grenfell Tower, to which it was answered that there had been more onus on Councils to provide building control support, as well as the fire safety regulator. There were also more rigorous checks and fire risk assessments required in buildings, throughout the construction process.

·                The Committee asked what implications the legislation would have on new builds, and what impact this would have on leaseholders; it was clarified that there was a new regulatory regime in place that would have checks in place in three stages, namely the planning, construction and pre-occupation stages of buildings.

·                Clarification was sought as how this would affect residents in housing, to which it was clarified that the legislation currently covered buildings above 18 metres high, though this may be coming down to buildings of 11 metres high. It was also noted that the legislation is not final, and that the Council would wait for the final legislation before being able to enforce any powers. 

·                It was asked what measures had been taken to improve fire safety in Brent housing stock, to which it was responded that this query would be best directed to Housing and the portfolio held by Councillor Southwood (Lead Member for Housing and Welfare Reform).

·                Regarding Brent’s private Housing Stock, it was asked what role the Building Control Team played in the enforcement of regulations in private housing blocks, to which it was clarified that in existing private blocks the team did not have a role as they were not the designated building control authority. However, for future blocks, the Council could play a role as the service was deregulated, meaning that the Council could be appointed as an accredited regulator for buildings in the future.

·                The Committee asked what role the Brent Planning Committee would have in implementing the fire safety regulations, to which it was answered that as part of the new legislation fire safety would be considered throughout a planning application, and  would form part of assessment of applications by the Committee. 

·                It was asked what mechanisms would be in place to ensure clear lines of communication between Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and council building control services with the fire service, to which it as clarified that this would be covered as part of the secondary legislation of the bill, though it was expected that the building control services at the council would work with the fire safety regulator and the fire service as part of a multidisciplinary team.

·                In terms of staffing, it was raised whether the Building Control Department was currently understaffed, to which it was responded that there were enough staff to deal with the current levels of work in the Borough, but that a recruitment exercise was underway to recruit Surveyors of varying experience levels. There was also a focus on younger Surveyors and apprentices in this recruitment exercise, to enable effective succession planning.

·                Additionally to this point, it was asked whether negotiations were in place with other London Councils around filling staff shortages, as well as the cost that the new legislation would place on Councils. It was answered that the levels of expertise in building surveyors was a national issue though Brent were focused on recruiting new Officers with competency around the new legislation.

·                It was asked whether a publicity campaign would be undertaken to promote the new legislation across the Borough, which was noted as being taken on board going forward.

·                It was asked that whether under the new legislation a surveyor would be held professionally liable for making a mistake, to which it was clarified that this would be the same as with any professional role in the council, and that there were elements in the surveyor qualifications to ensure that competencies and standards were maintained.

·                In terms of funding for the implementation of the new legislation, it was asked how this would be paid for and who would provide the funding, to which it was responded that there was no details as of yet on wider funding or fee levels for applications, though it was clarified that the cost of Officers being trained and sitting exams would be covered by the Government.

·                Responding to a point around Brent sharing its expertise with other Boroughs in London, it was clarified that Brent do work on some of the tallest towers in London and currently do sell building control services to other Boroughs in London.

·                Regarding opportunities for career progression for new surveyors, it was updated that entry level roles would be provided as well as the apprentice scheme following on at a later stage in order to first build professional resilience within the team. It was also updated that there would be routes for employees who wanted to make a career shift into the building control sector.

·                 In the event of a shortage of staff, and whether there were mechanisms in place with other London Councils to share staffing resources; it was answered that Councils were looking to work collaboratively on this issue, and that Brent worked with the West London Alliance (WLA) and would also have conversations with the Local Government Association (LGA).

It was RESOLVED:

(1)     The Committee made the following information requests:

·         To receive information on London Fire Brigade fire safety awareness communication plans and the work undertaken through the Safer Brent Partnership to develop and promote these plans

The following information requests were made which related to the remit of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee. It was noted that these information requests would be sought in consultation with the Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee:

·         To receive a breakdown of the current and future high-risk buildings in Brent and the work undertaken by the Council to improve fire safety standards across high-risk buildings since Grenfell

·         To receive information on the Council’s role in ensuring fire safety standards in private housing blocks and the actions taken to do so