Government fire safety developments

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Timeline

2017 to 2018

  • July 2017 the Government established the Building Safety Programme
  • May 2018 local councils identified residential high-rise buildings (over 18m)
  • May 2018 the Building a Safer Future (Hackitt report) was published
  • November 2018 there was a ban on combustible materials (new build)

2019 to 2020

  • May 2019 the government announced an initial £200 million fund to remove Aluminium Composite Materials
  • July 2019 the local council undertook data collection on External Wall Survey on high-rise buildings
  • October 2019 Grenfell Tower inquiry ‘phase 1’ was published
  • January 2020 enforcement inspection completed on high priority buildings in Barnet
  • January 2020 EWS1 surveys became a requirement for all residential buildings
  • March/July 2020 Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill announced
  • November 2020 EWS1 forms no longer required for buildings without cladding

2021

  • January 2021 Barnet Council pledged support for the End Our Cladding Scandal
  • April 2021 Fire Safety Act became law
  • July 2021 Government announced that EWS1 forms should not be requested for buildings below 18 metres high

2022

  • January 2022 Government scrapped proposed loan scheme for leaseholders in medium rise flats and added new statutory protections for leaseholders within the Building Safety Bill

Latest Government news about fire prevention

Building for a Safer Future: Reform of building safety regulatory system

In June 2019 the government published a consultation called the Building a Safer Future: proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system

The document set out the government’s proposals for a reformed building safety system covering all buildings as well as the management of fire and structural safety risks in new and some existing buildings.

The consultation built on the report from Dame Judith Hackitt Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety

Government response to fire safety consultation

In March 2021 the government published its response to the fire safety consultation

It sought to deliver the government’s plan to improve building and fire safety in all premises where people live, stay or work.

It included proposals designed to strengthen the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and improve compliance in all premises; and recommendations that would require a change to laws.

Fire Safety Act

In April 2021, the Fire Safety Bill became an Act of Parliament.

The Act:

  • amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to require all Responsible Persons to assess, manage and reduce the fire risks posed by the structure and external walls of the buildings for which they are responsible. This includes cladding, balconies, windows and individual doors opening onto public parts of the building.
  • applies to all multiple occupied residential buildings and is not dependent on the height of the building. 
  • allows the Fire and Rescue Service to enforce non–compliance with the external walls and the individual doors opening onto the public parts of the premises. 

Building Safety Bill

The Fire Safety Act will sit alongside the Building Safety Bill, which is expected to become an act in 2022.

The new act will change the regulations for building design and construction and will focus on high-rise residential premises.

A new Building Safety Regulator for fire safety will be formed under the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which will oversee the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings.

It is anticipated that the HSE will look to deliver an inspection regime through a ‘competent and registered workforce’ such as that provided by Local Authority Building Control (LABC) services, and the council is preparing for this.