Government reports detail progress on improving building safety

The publications follow on from the Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017, a national tragedy that took the lives of 72 people and exposed profound failings in building and fire safety.

Last year, the Government appointed Thouria Istephan as the interim Chief Construction Advisor, acting on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation to ensure that there would be an expert and independent voice informing the Government’s reforms.

As Istephan nears the end of her term, the Chief Construction Advisor has now published her final report, reflecting on progress made in the role over the last 12 months, as well as outlining the challenges and opportunities ahead when it comes to building safety reforms.

The report sets out some of the key policy milestones supported by the Chief Construction Advisor’s expertise, including the publication of the Construction Products White Paper, plans to introduce a Single Construction Regulator and the development of a building professions strategy.

Pivotal role

Building Safety Minister Baroness Blake stated: “We remain wholly committed to learning from and acting on the failings that contributed towards the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.”

The Baroness continued: “The interim Chief Construction Advisor has played a pivotal role in shaping our reforms over the last 12 months, helping to ensure safety, robust regulation and high standards are at the core of the built environment sector.”

Further, the Baroness commented: “The Government is committed to making sure everyone has trust that their home is safe and built to a high standard. The upcoming Remediation Bill will ensure landlords deliver on their responsibility to fix unsafe buildings.”

Completed recommendations  

The Chief Construction Advisor’s final report comes as the Government confirms that nine further Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel recommendations have been completed since May, bringing the total number of completed recommendations to 30 in the period since February 2025.

The latest updates include the following:

*The Building Advisory Committee and the Fire Safety Working Group are now fully operational, bringing together leading expertise from academia and industry to drive improvements across the building safety sector

*£13 million is available for UK higher education institutions to help build the next generation of fire engineering professionals and develop the skilled workforce needed to keep people safe

*Fire and Rescue Services are improving how they learn from incidents and support firefighters on the ground, with the revised and peer-reviewed London Fire Brigade Operational Learning process now in place alongside updated national guidance on radio communications, decision-making and water supply systems

Sustained transparency and oversight  

The Government also recognises that lasting change requires sustained transparency and oversight and has delivered the Inquiry’s recommendation on transparency through new dashboards which publicly track progress to deliver accepted recommendations across inquiries, alongside regular progress reports on post-Grenfell implementation.

Parliament has an important role to play in overseeing how Government implements recommendations. The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is expected to conclude its work in early 2027.

The Government continues to work closely with communities, industry and local authorities alike across all remaining recommendations in order to deliver safer homes and lasting change.