Today (24 April), the government has announced the appointment of five members to the Building Control Independent Panel.
This delivers on a Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation, accepted by the government, to set up a panel to carry out a review of whether to change the way in which building control is delivered in England.
The panel will be chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, whose leadership of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety has already helped to shape vital reforms across the sector. An engineer by profession, Dame Judith currently serves as an adviser on building standards to both the UK and Australian Governments and is a member of the International Building Quality Council (IBQC). She will be joined by four experts with extensive experience in the regulation and use of the building control sector: Elaine Bailey, Ken Rivers, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford and Dr David Snowball.
The panel members’ collective expertise will support a thorough and independent review of the current building control model, including on the Inquiry’s recommendations to consider the issue of commercial incentives from the system and exploring alternative options and approaches. The panel is expected to provide a report to the government this autumn.
Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris MP, said:
“The appointment of this independent panel is a significant step in our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. We need a building control system that puts safety first and supports our plans to accelerate remediation. It must also help to deliver 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes over this Parliament, and be equipped to meet the demands of a modern construction sector.
“Their work will play a vital role in shaping a safer, more accountable building industry, and I look forward to receiving the panel’s recommendations as they take this important work forward.”
The Chair for the Building Control Independent Panel, Dame Judith Hackitt said:
“The panel stands ready to get to work on this important review. We will work at speed but we come at this issue with an open mind and a determination to further raise standards”.
Background on the Building Control system
The building control system is there primarily to oversee key safety standards set in legislation and ensure that buildings are checked and safe in areas such as fire and structural safety. Following concerns raised by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, especially around conflicts of interest in the system, a new panel has been appointed to look at whether changes are required.
Notes to Editors
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The establishment of the panel was announced in the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on February 26, 2025.
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The Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended that the Government establish an independent panel to consider whether to remove commercial interest from building control and whether to move to a national authority decision model.
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The panel’s role is advisory and independent. The aim is a report to Government in the autumn with a response before the end of the year.
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Further updates, including the panel’s Terms of Reference, will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
Panel members:
Elaine Bailey
Elaine Bailey is a member of the Industry Safety Steering Group and was formerly the CEO of Hyde Housing (2014-2019). Elaine holds several non-executive directorships, including at MJ Gleeson plc, a house builder operating in the North and Midlands; McCarthy&Stone Shared Ownership (MCSSO), a For Profit Registered Provider of older persons’ housing with a strategic partnership with Homes England; and Andium Housing, Jersey’s largest provider of sub-market value homes for rent and purchase.
Ken Rivers
Ken is a non-executive director at the HSE, alongside his role as a member of the Industrial Safety Steering Group. Prior to that he chaired the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations Strategic Forum and led the tripartite group since its inception, bringing industry and regulators together to identify and address important matters of managing major hazard in the UK. He spent 38 years of his career working at Shell, through various different positions and was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP
Nick Raynsford was a Labour MP for 24 years. During this time he held positions as Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Minister for Construction, Minister for London and Minister of State for Local and Regional Government. The latter included responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service. Since then he has had a number of advisory and non-executive roles in the private, voluntary and public sectors. This included chairing CICAIR (CIC Approved Inspectors Register), the organisation responsible until April 2024 for registering private sector Building Control bodies. Nick is a member of the New Towns Taskforce, working with MHCLG.
Dr. David Snowball
David spent his working career in the Health and Safety Executive, joining as a Factory Inspector in 1984 and retiring 35 years later. He held senior posts in operational divisions overseeing HSE intervention and enforcement and was also responsible, as Director Regulation, for the quality of operational work. He spent 15 months as Acting Chief Executive before his retirement. He now sits on the Industry Safety Steering Group alongside Dame Judith and is a non-executive director at the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority (Feb 2022- present).
