MHCLG Building Safety Minister questioned on BSR as guidance published

1 Building Safety responsibility, guidance and questions on efficiency processes
2 Fire and building safety transfers to Ministerial responsibility of MHCLG
3 Questions for the Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth
4 New guidance for stages of building control published by BSR
5 Updated list of Ministerial Responsibilities
6 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Building Safety responsibility, guidance and questions on efficiency processes

The begining of April 2025 has seen the final move of responsibility for Building Safety and Fire from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. As oral evidence on the subject of Grenfell and Building Safety was given to the parliamentary committee on the same day, answers led by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Alex Norris MP. The start of the month also saw the Building Safety Regulator publish four new guidance documents as part of its work to improve efficiency and streamline processes. Some of these points are described here with reference.

[edit] Fire and building safety transfers to Ministerial responsibility of MHCLG

[edit] Previously announced

On 13 February 2025 the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer announced that "responsibility for fire will move from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This change will bring responsibility for building safety and fire under a single Secretary of State, providing for a more coherent approach to keeping people safefrom fire in their homes. The Home Office will retain management of the airwave service contract on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will remain responsible for the emergency services mobile communications programme and His Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services."

[edit] Effective from April

The change was effective from 1 April 2025 and confirmed by the government in its news story "Responsibility for all fire functions moves to MHCLG". The change delivers on a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report, which advised that fire and building safety should be overseen by a single department.

[edit] Ministerial responses

The Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth, Alex Norris, in taking on responsibility for fire functions said:

“Ensuring the safety of people in their homes and communities is a top priority for this government. By bringing all fire and building safety responsibilities under one department, we are reinforcing accountability, improving coordination, and taking decisive action to protect lives. I would like to thank Dame Diana Johnson for her work in this important area. I look forward to working with fire and rescue services and key stakeholders to implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations and drive forward the reforms needed to keep people safe. This is a significant step in delivering meaningful change, making our buildings safer, and strengthening our country’s resilience for the future.”

The Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:

“It has been an honour and privilege to serve as Minister for Fire. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the brave firefighters in our fire and rescue services, who selflessly dedicate themselves to protecting the public from fire every day. I would also like to thank the government officials and stakeholders from across the sector I have worked with over the past nine months. Their drive to make the sector stronger has been invaluable and I am certain my good friend Alex Norris will also benefit from their advice.”

[edit] Questions for the Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth

[edit] Transparency on progress

During the parliamentary session, 1 April 2025 - Grenfell and Building Safety - Oral evidence The Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth Alex Norris answered questions and concerns about transparency and the Government's progress on building safety post-Grenfell. Asked if a departmental tracker could be made public, he confirmed that a quarterly tracker will be publicly available, but could not commit to a national oversight mechanism, which is still under Cabinet Office review. ( ref https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15662/pdf/)

[edit] Slow progress cladding remediation

Frustration from survivors and families over lack of communication was highlighted, especially with ongoing hazards like unsafe cladding and recent fires. Norris acknowledged the slow pace but defended the Government’s approach, citing the complexity and the time needed to implement meaningful reforms. He emphasized that despite perceptions, tangible changes are occurring, including updates to building regulations and a shift in the machinery of government.

On cladding remediation, Norris shared that when he took office, there was no accurate count of buildings between 11-18 metres in height and efforts were now underway to accelerate remediation through improved enforcement and partnerships. Although some criticize the pace, Norris argued that the current approach balances feasibility with urgency and remains guided by the published acceleration plan.

[edit] Legislative changes

Regarding legislation, Norris confirmed new laws may be introduced to mandate data disclosure and enhance enforcement, especially for reluctant building owners. The Government also plans to lay regulations on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) shortly. Addressing the broader fire safety, issues particularly that of care homes, he acknowledged gaps in protections for leaseholders facing non-cladding defects. While some leaseholders still face high costs and insurance premiums, he committed to engaging with stakeholders and exploring ways to reduce these. However, he indicated no major changes are planned for the current eligibility rules around leaseholder protections.

[edit] Slow approval for new projects

The Construction Leadership Council, suggests that Building Safety Regulator sign off can take up to 11 months on the some housing schemes, it was asked if this possibly undermines the target of 1.5 million new homes whilst also achieving safety. It was asked about how delays in the Building Safety Regulator’s ability to sign off the safety of buildings could be tackled, perhaps by focussing on the most life-critical issue and dangerous cladding. A question was raised about empowering the Building Safety Regulator to act more broadly, rather than building-by-building. Concerns expressed about cumulative delays—planning, mobilisation, and safety checks—potentially adding three years to housing projects, which could further undermine the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes.

[edit] Improvement needed as half of time lost

Minister Alex Norris emphasized that building safety is not a trade-off with the goal of building 1.5 million homes. Safety checks through the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) are essential, though efforts are underway to streamline processes. Extra funding and collaboration aim to improve efficiency without compromising safety standards. Minister Norris acknowledged that building safety approvals must take weeks, not a year, and recognized industry concerns. While the BSR is new and improving, challenges like poor application quality and inefficiencies remain. He’s open to operational changes, including more coordinated oversight for multi-site developments, to streamline the process responsibly.

He said "We have put an extra £2 million into the operations of the organisation to try to improve that. Of the time they have available, they often lose about half of it in the establishment of multidisciplinary teams— that is, getting together their people, the council’s people and the fire and rescue people. We have got to concertina that down."

[edit] New guidance for stages of building control published by BSR

The Building Safety Regulator has issued new guidance to support various stages of building control processes for higher-risk buildings, as part of its work to improve efficiency and streamline processes. The guidance pages cover:

[edit] Updated list of Ministerial Responsibilities

[edit] MHCLG

The responsibilities of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in the updated list of ministerial responsibilities published by the cabinet office in March 2025 are as follows:

Strategic Oversight of Department’s Business and Policy, including:
- Housing and planning
- Local government and English devolution
- Regional and local growth
- Communities and faith
- Democracy and elections
Public Appointments
Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping, including:
- Chair, Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping
- Cross-governmental coordination of policy to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

[edit] Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Local Growth and Building Safety) is named as Alex Norris MP. The role previously officially and still sometimes informally known as the Building Safety Minister, is referred to as the Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth to whom the responsibilities are listed as:

Building safety, regulations, Building Safety Regulator and remediation
Grenfell Inquiry response
Grenfell Community, Tower and Memorial
Resilience, recovery, and emergencies
Local and regional growth, including Local Growth Plans, Community Ownership, and future of legacy funding streams
High streets and towns
Investment Zones and Freeports

[edit] Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention

The Minister of State (Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention) is named as the Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP whiose responsibilities include: