Of the 61 recommendations made in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 report, the government has announced that 21 have now been completed, with 40 recommendations currently in progress
Government departments, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), published their fourth progress report on 20 May 2026, detailing the ongoing efforts to deliver the remaining recommendations of the Inquiry.
Several announcements and consultations have been issued in recent months regarding the construction industry, fire and rescue services, response and recovery, and vulnerable people, with the government seeking industry views and engagement.
Following the transfer of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to MHCLG in January 2026 as a new arm’s-length body, a consultation was launched seeking industry views on the formation of a Single Construction Regulator. Having closed in March 2026, the government’s response to this consultation is expected in June 2026.
Additionally, two separate consultations on the Construction Products Reform White Paper and a general safety requirement to bring unregulated products into the regulatory regime were published, both of which closed in May.
A key recommendation of the Phase 1 report, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations have now come into force as of 6 April 2026, mandating Residential PEEPs in all high-rise and higher-risk residential buildings. The BSR is also proposing changes to the statutory fire safety guidance in Approved Document B, with responses encouraged until 1 July 2026.
Further consultations relating to the higher-risk regime were launched earlier this year, including one on the categorisation of higher-risk building work and proportionality in building control and another on telecommunications work, with the government’s response expected in the coming months. You can view the FPA’s response to the consultation on telecommunications work here.
Proposals for wider reform of the built environment were announced in the King’s Speech to “speed up remediation for people living in homes with unsafe cladding” through the Remediation Bill. The latest data on the remediation of high- and mid-rise buildings with unsafe cladding indicates that MHCLG is monitoring 4,322 of these buildings, with work started on 2,399 buildings (56% of monitored buildings) and remediation works complete on 1,531 buildings (35% of monitored buildings).
As part of its plans to professionalise fire risk assessors and fire engineers through mandatory certification and the strengthening of standards, the government announced £15 million to provide bursaries for fire engineers and to support research and academic capacity.
The progress report was published alongside several other documents and consultations, including a call for evidence on the scope of building professions, trades, and occupations, which is open until 12 August. Views are also being sought from both the sector and the public to help shape the creation and delivery of a new college of fire and rescue.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has shared new research detailing the evolution of the construction product regulatory landscape in Europe (EU-CPR 2011), its effectiveness, and its interactions with the UK regime. Highlighting ongoing challenges with regulatory overlap, testing capabilities, and existing standards not keeping pace with innovation, the full report can be accessed here.
With 40 Inquiry recommendations yet to be completed, the government said that it still expects all recommendations to be implemented by the end of 2029, as some actions require new legislation to be introduced in Parliament.
Further progress reports are expected in September and December.
You can view the Grenfell Tower Inquiry government progress report for May 2026 here.