The Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG) has released its fifth report for the Secretary of State and the Minister for Building Safety with a warning that culture change progress was still slow
Formed to scrutinise the built environment sector proposals and make progress on culture change, the ISSG aims to provide support and constructive challenge to the built environment sector and has published its latest report on progress towards safer buildings.
This latest ISSG report – the first since the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report – warned that momentum for reform risks stalling, and urges both government and industry to maintain urgency in driving systemic change across the built environment. The report stressed that the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report “must be a watershed moment which catalyses change based on the many hard lessons to be learned.”
The ISSG noted that they have been “pleased to see that, in some areas, industry bodies have stepped up and engaged with government and regulators”, however there is also a concern that “efforts to encourage industry to acknowledge underlying problems, take ownership, and lead meaningful change has yielded limited results”. They have therefore determined that a “firmer approach” is required, with government and regulators establishing what good looks like, but also laid out that differentiation between good and bad actors should not solely be left as a matter of enforcement by the regulator.
The report calls on industry to “work together among themselves and with government and regulators to develop a compelling vision of the future that reflects a sector committed to high standards of building safety.”
While welcoming progress from government and regulators, the ISSG expressed concern that parts of industry have misinterpreted the report’s focus. “We are concerned that many in industry have taken this lack of commentary on its failures as an indication that they got off lightly,” it said, adding: “We are alarmed and disappointed by this response and feel strongly that it must be countered robustly.”
The group highlighted the government’s first annual progress report on implementing the inquiry’s recommendations and praised efforts to introduce clearer timelines and oversight. It also welcomed proposals for a Single Construction Regulator, noting that reform is needed to address fragmentation and support “cultural and systemic reforms recommended by the Inquiry.”
Central to ISSG’s concerns is the pace of cultural change. It pointed to the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) emerging strategy, which aims to tackle “a culture in which non-adherence to, or negotiation around, established standards has become normalised.” However, it warned that industry performance remains inconsistent, particularly in relation to the higher-risk buildings (HRB) regime. “The difference between what duty holders should be providing and what they are providing is stark,” ISSG said, citing poor-quality gateway applications and ongoing resistance to new regulatory requirements.
The report also highlighted progress in construction product reform, including proposals for stronger safety requirements and enforcement. But ISSG raised concerns over testing capacity and oversight, stating that reform is “long overdue” and essential to wider system change.
To address slow progress, ISSG has convened an Industry Action Coalition (IAC), bringing together stakeholders to accelerate improvements. “The aim of the coalition is to speed up the pace of culture change within industry,” it said, emphasising the need to move away from a “culture of blame.”
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has also been tasked with coordinating industry efforts. While ISSG welcomed its leadership, it called for greater clarity on delivery and accountability across key workstreams, including competence, products, and building safety regimes.
Looking ahead, ISSG warned that wider structural issues, including insurance, procurement practices, and resident safety, must be addressed. “We strongly believe that the safety of residents must be at the forefront of building safety plans,” it said.
Concluding, ISSG stressed that sustained collaboration will be critical to lasting reform. “There are huge benefits to knowledge sharing and collaboration between government, regulators, and all parts of industry to move the built environment sector forward,” it said, urging all stakeholders to “speed up its efforts and demonstrate real leadership in constructing safe buildings.”
You can access the full ISSG report here.