Hackitt review gains support

Following on from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed 72 lives, Dame Judith Hackett began a review into the Building Regulations SI 2010/2214 in order to find legislative and real-world inadequacies with the sector which ultimately allowed the tragedy to happen. The result was 53 recommendations made directly to Government relating to fire safety and reforms which aim to prevent such events occurring in future.

Dame Judith's recommendations included the following key arguments:

• a new regulatory framework for higher risk residential buildings above 10 storeys should be established;
• a clear duty holder with responsibility for building safety needs to be identified;
• residents need clear rights and obligations to allow duty holders to maintain safety;
• the construction and fire safety sectors should have to demonstrate effective leadership on competencies;
• construction product testing should be clearer, more transparent and effective;
• stronger and more rigorous enforcement powers should be introduced;
• principal contractors and clients should draw up contracts that state safety requirements must not be compromised;
• the creation, maintenance and handover of the digital record, fire and emergency file, full plans and the construction control plan should be an integral part of the legal responsibilities of clients, principal designers and principal contractors.

Back in October, the "100% Hackitt" campaign was launched. It aims to encourage the Government to adopt every recommendation that Dame Judith put forward, and it is gathering a huge amount of support from organisations and individuals across the construction sector. Supporters include architects, designers, fire safety and building consultants, fire fighters, trade associations, builders and property maintainers.

In fact, the 100% Hackitt campaign claims that some construction industry leaders have already made changes to practice based on the contents of the report, without the Government even adopting the recommendations.

Speaking about this progress, Lorna Stimpson, Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Deputy Manager,  said "We were delighted with the response from industry and Parliamentarians at the launch – and the response since then clearly shows momentum is building for the whole system change the industry desperately needs. Dame Judith has been clear all along that the Government cannot cherry pick her recommendations – and neither can the industry. Many of the recommendations don’t have to wait for Government action. The industry can just come together to get on with it. And that’s why 100% Hackitt is so vital. It’s a space for the industry – the majority who are progressive and forward looking – to get together and make a difference."