Agenda item

Tim Galloway from Health & Safety Executive to attend

The Chairman introduced Tim Galloway, Deputy Director of Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who gave a presentation which outlined the role of HSE in building safety.

Members made the following comments:

• Recruiting and retaining staff for building control had been a challenge for local authorities.
• It was raised that at present councils had no information about whether building control would have a role in delivering the regulation of 12,000+ existing high rise residential buildings which was a concern for councils’ that would need to consider this in the budgeting process and the capacity of the workforce.
• It was queried when HSE were consulted on planning applications and within what period of time they are expected to respond by.

In response, Tim Galloway made the following comments:

• HSE had undertaken modelling on expected demand. There were plans to create a pool of resource employed by LABC to be distributed to councils based on need.
• A decision on the role of building control’s regulation of existing high rise residential buildings would be addressed urgently by HSE.
• HSE was a statutory consultee in planning applications for high buildings that fit the criteria and had aimed to respond to applications within 21 days of being consulted.

In response to queries, it was clarified by Charles Loft, Senior Adviser, that the burden of making a building safer falls on councils as landlords and would be funded from Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA). Without the knowledge of councils’ role in building control and what resource demand would be, a discussion on potential new burdens had not taken place.

The Chairman thanked Tim Galloway for his attendance.

Decision:

Members noted the report and presentation.