Agenda item

(A report by Christian Allen, Assistant Director – Regulatory)

The Committee received the report on the Audit of the Council’s Building Control Service, presented by the Assistant Director – Regulatory with support from the Group Manager Building Control and Councillor John Baxter, Portfolio Holder for Housing, undertaken by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), the national body established following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to oversee and enforce improved building safety standards. The Committee was advised that Boston Borough Council had been selected as one of the first authorities in the country to undergo the new regulatory audit, reflecting the national roll?out of strengthened audit and assurance processes across local authority building control services.

The report provided an overview of the regulatory framework introduced post?Grenfell and outlined the scope of the BSR audit, which examined the Council’s performance against a new set of Operational Standards Rules. The Committee was informed that the audit process was extensive, covering a nine?month period, involving the examination of records, internal processes, case tracking arrangements, system usage, and the overall governance of the Building Control function. Officers confirmed that the audit outcome had identified three areas for improvement, with two relating to the management and monitoring of legacy inspections and one relating to the implementation of an ICT improvement project designed to meet the regulator’s enhanced reporting requirements.

Members were advised that deadlines had been set by the regulator for the submission of updated compliance information, the two inspection?related actions by the end of January, and the ICT?related action by the end of May. Work was already underway to complete the necessary evidence submissions, with correspondence in preparation to provide progress updates to the BSR.

The Committee undertook an in?depth discussion of the audit findings and wider operational context. Members welcomed the overall positive narrative of the report and expressed appreciation for the scale of effort required to prepare for and undergo the first full BSR audit under the new nationwide regime.

The Committee noted that the two inspection?related improvement areas concerned the management of legacy cases, many of which originated from historic building projects that had not reached a formal completion point. Members were informed that some applications had been submitted with no subsequent action by applicants, some had remained dormant for years, and some required risk?based follow?up to determine whether any further regulatory intervention was needed. Officers explained that the audit had therefore emphasised the importance of applying a structured, risk?led process to closing or progressing these cases, ensuring that all outstanding applications were systematically reviewed and managed in line with the new regulatory standards.

The Committee also considered the third improvement action, relating to the development and updating of an ICT system capable of meeting the BSR’s new reporting and evidencing requirements. Officers advised that the ICT project would support improved accuracy and consistency in data capture and strengthen communication with the regulator. It was noted that the level of detail required by the BSR represented a significant uplift from previous standards, and that Building Control teams nationally were working to upgrade systems to meet these expectations.

The Committee acknowledged that this represented a meaningful but necessary investment to support long?term compliance and improved audit trails. Discussion also focused on staffing levels and resource implications.

Members sought assurance given the national shortage of registered building inspectors; however, it was confirmed that Boston had sufficient registered inspectors in post to meet operational requirements. The improvement areas identified by the BSR related not to capacity, but to ensuring that officers had sufficient structured time to review legacy caseloads and embed new regulatory processes.

The Committee discussed the increased operational demands placed upon the Building Control Service. Officers confirmed that the audit process had created a substantial additional workload over a nine?month period, involving evidence gathering, attendance at meetings, responding to regulatory enquiries, and preparing documentation. The Committee recognised that the service had not experienced such an extensive audit process in many years and commended the team for managing both the audit requirements and their ongoing statutory duties simultaneously.

Members also explored how learning from the audit would be shared more widely. Officers confirmed that Boston had already contributed to regional and national conversations through Building Control service networks and had shared experiences with partner authorities to support their preparation for future BSR audits. The Committee was advised that learning from this audit had already informed subsequent audits conducted within the partnership, demonstrating early benefits of Boston’s involvement in the first national cohort.

The Committee discussed whether the identified improvements would be included within quarterly performance reporting. Officers advised that while the BSR improvement actions would not form part of the regular corporate performance framework, senior leadership oversight mechanisms were in place, and the risk implications of any outstanding items would be captured within internal risk monitoring processes.

Finally, Members considered the regulator’s expectation that all Building Control Bodies (BCBs) would be subject to ongoing monitoring at least once every five years. The Committee noted that this interval related specifically to the regulator’s audit cycle, and not to the Council’s own routine monitoring of building work, which will continue on a case?by?case basis throughout the year. Members were satisfied with this clarification.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

[Councillor Savickiene left the meeting at 7.59pm, during consideration of the above item.]

[The Assistant Director – Regulatory, the Group Manager Building Control and Councillor John Baxter left the meeting at 8.04pm, following consideration of the above item.]