Accelerating Building Safety Remediation – Competence is Key

The Ministry of Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the Remediation Acceleration Plan following the publication of the Grenfell Inquiry Phase Report in September 2024.

The aim of this plan is that by the end of 2029, all 18m+ (high-rise) buildings with unsafe cladding in a government funded scheme will have been remediated. Furthermore, by the end of 2029, every 11m+ building with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or those responsible will be liable for severe penalties.

The plan also confirms the introduction of a Building Safety Levy on new residential developments which will raise around £3.4 billion for remediation. The intention is for the levy to come into force in Autumn 2025.

Alongside the Remediation Action Plan, the Government also published a joint action plan with developers to accelerate their work to fix buildings for which they are responsible. At least 29 developers, covering over 95% of the buildings which developers are remediating themselves, have committed to more than doubling the rate at which they have been assessing and starting to fix unsafe buildings, meaning work on all their buildings will start by summer 2027.   

Though contract flooring is not at the forefront of these measures, there are wider consequences for the entire construction industry. This includes a fundamental review of guidance to the building regulations known as the Approved Documents (ADs). This review aims to make the guidance easier to understand and use, regularly updated to keep up with new technologies and practices, and more accessible, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

The aim of these industry-wide reforms is to create safer, higher-quality buildings and greater confidence in the building safety system. Supporting this goal, the Contract Flooring Association (CFA) comments how it is committed to proactive engagement with the wider construction industry while ensuring members are equipped to meet the highest standards with a core focus on competence. The CFA’s response outlines three key areas:

• Organisational Competence for Contractors: the CFA will look closely at how organisational competence can be demonstrated and measured. Build UK’s Competence Assessment Standard (CAS) is a valuable starting point. It’s essential that contractors can demonstrate their commitment to best practices through pre-qualification, including financial, health and safety, quality, equality, diversity and inclusion, environmental, corporate professional standing and information management. The CAS offers a practical and cost-effective way to do this.
• Technical Competence of Organisations: we must ensure that businesses in the contract flooring sector have the necessary technical knowledge to manage installations effectively. This goes beyond wider organisational or even on-site competence; it requires a thorough understanding of how to design or support specification and execute flooring installations that meet both safety and quality standards. Build UK’s emerging “Gold Standard” initiative will likely play a role in shaping how we define and assess technical competence across the sector.
• Installer Competence: the CFA has already committed to developing competency frameworks for installers, based on National Occupational Standards (NOS). These frameworks will help define the experience required at all levels of flooring installation and provide a roadmap for continuous improvement. In addition, we will explore the best way to record and update installer records to ensure that installers across the sector are competent and can prove this through appropriate record keeping.