£70m Announced To Boost Building Safety Workforce

The government has announced £70 million in funding to increase capacity in building safety professions, aiming to address workforce shortages and support the delivery of new housing.

The funding, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will be delivered over three years and focuses on expanding the number of qualified building inspectors and fire engineers. Shortages in these roles have been identified as a constraint on housing delivery and a concern highlighted in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Up to 700 additional Registered Building Inspectors are expected to be trained through the programme, including those qualified to inspect high-risk buildings. The funding will also support the upskilling of existing inspectors and the training of new entrants into building control roles.

Of the total, £55 million is allocated to building control, including support for local authority teams in England to recruit and train inspectors to required standards. A further £15 million will support fire engineering, including postgraduate bursaries, expanded higher education provision, and increased research and academic capacity.

The programme follows recommendations from the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, as well as input from sector advisory panels, highlighting the need to strengthen professional capacity in building safety roles.

Further details on how organisations can apply for the funding are expected to be published in the coming months.

Read the full government announcement here

Workforce shortages in building control and fire engineering can be particularly acute in rural areas, where smaller local authorities may face additional challenges in recruitment and retention.

Ensuring that funding reaches these areas and supports locally based capacity will be important for enabling housing development and maintaining building safety standards across all communities.