In a recent lecture, Dame Judith Hackitt called on construction professionals and industry leaders to take their building safety responsibilities more seriously amidst an “appalling attitude [that] continues to prevail”
Speaking at the annual Sir James Wates lecture in late 2024, organised by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Dame Judith Hackitt said: “I feel strongly that it is time for us to name and shame those who continue to try to game the new system.”
As reported by Construction Management magazine, the “sobering speech” titled ‘In Search of the Leaders’ saw Dame Judith share her concerns about the current direction of building safety. She noted that even with the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report and the implementation of the Building Safety Act (BSA) in 2022, there remained limited evidence of any kind of behavioural change within the industry. She added that it was “only a matter of time” before the first prosecution by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) would take place.
In the early days of the BSA coming into force, Dame Judith said that a large number of planning applications had been rejected. She noted: “This has now dropped, I’m pleased to say, but it’s still running at 20%, which feels high to me. There are still 20% of applications going in at planning Gateway one where people are seeing if they can get away with it.”
Touching on product testing, she said that one of her “greatest frustrations” was the “lack of progress on assuring construction products”.
“The Inquiry report could not be clearer that this rotten system needs to be fixed and in a robust way. The voluntary schemes which have been developed so far are laudable and I applaud the people who put in the effort, but they’re not sufficient.
“We need to increase testing capacity. We need the testing and assurance to be independent and mindful of the crucial role that it plays as part of a regulatory framework, and we need to remove the perceived obstacle around CE markings. It should be something that worries all of you, with the duty that you have to demonstrate safe buildings.”
She also spoke about the Grenfell Inquiry report’s “scathing criticism” of deregulation, though she shared reservations about the recommendation for a “single, super regulation”, calling it “a distraction”:
“Let us remind ourselves what regulation is actually there for. It is to drive different behaviours. I have seen and have been part of other industries who have found themselves in similar positions, in the wake of a tragic or catastrophic event. The difference is that they have chosen to come together to demonstrate collective leadership and responsible behaviour, to be part of the solution, rather than continuing to be perceived as the problem.”
Attending the annual lecture was Head of Technical Insight at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE), Dr Hywel Davies, who said that the evening was a “reminder that we have only just started on the journey to a construction sector where the safety of all who work in it, and all who occupy what we build, are safe, and feel safe”.
Reflecting on Dame Judith’s comments, CEO of CIOB, Caroline Gamble noted: “We need to see more leaders in the built environment sector set the example and drive culture change, showing the right moral and ethical behaviours and clearly evidencing their competence and experience.”