In February 2025, the UK government issued its response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report. In March 2025, the Scottish government issued its own response, accepting all relevant recommendations of the report, and setting out how each will be addressed.
Devolved systems and processes
Of the 58 recommendations in the report, 42 are devolved matters, 10 are reserved, and six overlap between devolved and reserved.
The Scottish government has outlined its commitment to working with colleagues across the UK's devolved governments to implement reforms that relate to construction product safety and professional competence. This is alongside making changes to strengthen existing systems and processes in Scotland.
Policymakers in Scotland have already taken action to make buildings safer. This is through changes to building standards relevant to high-rise buildings, fire safety guidance, and new heat and smoke alarm requirements. Further change has been implemented through the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 and the associated Cladding Remediation Programme.
The Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH) was established in May 2024 to provide further support to verifiers – whose role it is to protect the public interest by providing an independent check of applications for building warrants, and the wider construction industry.
Verifier competence
Many of the Inquiry phase 2 report's recommendations refer to the roles, responsibilities, and training of construction professionals. The SBSH, in partnership with Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) – the membership organisation that represents Scotland's 32 local authority building standards services – is taking forward several initiatives that seek to demonstrate that verifiers are competent for the role they undertake.
One of the SBSH's most significant achievements to date is the launch and ongoing development of Scotland's first dedicated online learning management system (LMS) for building standards professionals. It provides a centralised platform for professional development and is evolving rapidly to meet the sector's growing needs.
Looking ahead, the SBSH is developing a suite of bespoke learning modules. This includes upcoming content on fire safety and environmental regulations, due for release in early 2026.
Additional modules focusing on management remain under development and are expected to be available in the spring of 2026 with a further suite on compliance due to be published later in 2026. These compliance modules will directly address challenges raised in the Scottish government's response to the report.
The SBSH has developed a digitised version of the Competency Assessment System (CAS), originally developed by LABSS. It is supported by the Building Standards Division (BSD), through an updated professional competency framework, and by LABSS through their peer review process. Together, these efforts aim to strengthen the competency and consistency of building standards professionals across Scotland.
Verification of the fire safety design of buildings
Recommendation 15 of the UK government report outlines the need to ensure the competence of those responsible for the design and specification of buildings. This requirement must also apply to the role of the verifier.
The SBSH supports verifiers by providing expert advice on matters related to fire safety. This advice relates to providing a peer review on fire-engineered design solutions that follow an alternative approach to published guidance.
The role of the verifier includes asking difficult questions of the design team and ensuring that any design meets relevant mandatory standards. The SBSH, in partnership with LABSS, will continue to provide support to verifiers to ensure the delivery model remains robust enough for the future.
It should be noted that the system of building control in Scotland is different to that in England and Wales, as there is no involvement from the private sector.
'The SBSH supports verifiers by providing expert advice on matters related to fire safety'
Building regulation and systems
Building regulations applicable to construction work is a devolved area and the most relevant legislation is the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.
Scottish legislation has different provisions and requirements for duty holders than both the former and new UK Building Acts, such as the Building Act 1984, the Building Regulations 2010, and Building Safety Act 2022.
The Scottish government's response to the report recognises these differences and notes that: 'The responsibility for appointing local authorities as building standards verifiers, developing building regulations and maintaining technical guidance remains the responsibility of Scottish Ministers. The appointment of both local authorities and private companies as building inspectors in England and Wales created competition for clients which drove the commercial issues and conflicts of interest identified in the report […] The commercial issues identified relating to the delivery of building control in England and Wales are not relevant in Scotland.'
Verifiers are leading the way
Verifiers are fully committed to continuing the transformation of the building control profession in Scotland. This will ensure that verifiers act in the public interest when assessing building warrant applications and undertaking checks on building work.
However, verifiers can only do so much. All those involved with building works, large or small, must also consider, as a priority, whether they are competent and how this level of competence can be demonstrated, maintained and enhanced.
Sadly, verifiers still routinely see proposals that clearly do not meet the requirements of mandatory standards. As such, the role of an independent, competent verifier that is employed by the local authority must remain at the heart of any fit-for-purpose national building standards system.
Alan McAulay MRICS is a technical director of the Scottish Building Standards Hub
Contact Alan: Email
Related competencies include: Fire safety, Inspection, Legal/regulatory compliance