Building Safety in the UK: Where Are We Now?
Erin Bradbury - 20 January 2026
Following the Grenfell Tragedy in 2017, which claimed seventy-two lives, a review of building safety regulations was triggered in the UK. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry issued fifty-eight recommendations, covering the construction industry, government as well as firefighters. The government have accepted all the recommendations, but not all have been implemented. Some remain non-binding, left to the discretion of relevant organisations.
A key development has been the government’s introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 which aims to impose stricter rules surrounding ‘higher-risk buildings’ along with amendments to existing legislation such as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (amended by the Fire Safety Act 2021).
One of the main aims has been accountability, with specific parties involved in construction now labelled as ‘duty holders.’ This comes with particular responsibilities imposed, all dependent on their role in each phase of construction.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 has clarified that a ‘responsible person’ for multi-occupied and residential buildings must assess and manage fire risks related to:
- External wall systems including cladding;
- Fire doors to individual flats.
Since then, further regulations and guidance has been published by the government. A recent example is the consultation on ‘PAS 9980’ for Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAWE), a code of practice for assessing fire risk in external wall systems. The recommendations permit combustible materials to remain where risk is deemed ‘tolerable.’ This means that during a standard fire test a blaze doesn’t spread beyond more than one floor within 15 minutes, or two floors within 30 minutes.
However, many industry specialists have raised concerns over the number of ‘tolerable’ risks permitted by the government. For example, the current guidance doesn’t require engineers to present fire-test data, thereby paving the way for assessments that rely on the standards of different engineers, making them completely subjective.
As progress since Grenfell has been slow, the government is keen to prevent further delays caused by disputes over the essential work required to make cladding‑affected buildings safe, and ministers insist that a proportionate approach has been adopted to deal with the cladding crisis.
Further criticism from the Institute of Construction Management focused on the limitations of the guidelines provided, as their scope covers only the external facades of buildings. The government has firmly rejected all criticisms, maintaining that their objective to prevent unnecessary work and disturbance to residents living in properties requiring cladding remediation works will be met once the updated guidance relating to the consultation as well as PAS 9980 is implemented into legislation this year. As of now it remains a risk-assessment for parties involved and not a statutory requirement.