Concerns mount over registration of the building control profession

LABC has written to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government to repeat concerns about building control capacity.

The letter comes as the 6 April 2024 deadline for the registration of the building control profession gets closer

It highlights the implications of this on local authorities going forward and proposes suggestions for how Government could mitigate some of these issues.

As said in the letter, LABC feels it is important to consider all of the options available at this stage to ensure that come 6 April 2024, the pipeline of construction, compliance and enforcement is not negatively impacted.

“There are many experienced, technically skilled surveyors from across England and Wales who have already had their competence validated via the Building Safety Competence Foundation (BSCF) and other routes, and many more who will be joining them before the deadline,” said a spokesperson.

“There are over 500 surveyors being assessed by the BSCF in the coming three weeks, all of whom will receive their results in time for the 6 April deadline. We are aware that the other two independent assessment schemes are working equally hard to ensure that those surveyors who have applied are assessed in time.

“We would actively encourage all building control surveyors to make their application to the Building Safety Regular as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, developers, architects and clients concerned about the availability of building control services should be reassured that the BSCF is doing everything it can to ensure that as many surveyors as possible have had their competence validated by the deadline date, so that oversight of projects is unaffected.”

LABC said it will continue to work positively with all parties in the managed transition to the new building control regime, and will provide updates to LABC members and all stakeholders over the coming weeks.