The government is planning to announce an interim chief construction adviser this summer ahead of a permanent appointment next year.
The update was included in the government’s progress report on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations, published today (29 May).
One of the Inquiry’s recommendations was the appointment of a chief construction adviser to provide independent advice to the secretary of state and ministers and have direct input into the design and implementation of a new single regulator.
The Inquiry called for the role to have enough budget and staff to advise “on all matters affecting the construction industry”, including monitoring all aspects of the government’s work relating to building regulations and statutory guidance.
A chief construction adviser role existed between 2009 and 2015, when it was scrapped as part of the Conservative government’s austerity measures.
However, Paul Morrell, who held this post from its creation until 2012, told CM last year that the position recommended by the Grenfell Inquiry is very different from the role he had.
Morrell also said at the time that the number of candidates who fit the new role recommended by the Grenfell Inquiry is “very limited” because of potential conflicts of interest and commercial ties of those at the senior level required to qualify for the post.
The recommendations progress report said that the government has started “outreach with potential candidates” for the role of interim chief construction adviser and plans to announce a successful candidate by this summer.
The interim chief construction adviser will work on priority areas such as the design and implementation of the single regulator.
The report added that the government is working to finalise the scope and appointment process for the permanent chief construction adviser role in 2026.
In February, the government responded to the Inquiry’s Phase 2 report, where it accepted 49 of the 58 recommendations in full and the remaining nine in principle.
The recommendations progress report shows that 57 of the 58 recommendations – including 28 relating to the construction industry – are in progress.
The recommendation asking to change how “casualty bureaus” are described by the police has already been delivered by the National Police Chiefs Council to make clear that the casualty bureau does not provide information to the public about people affected by emergencies.
