Parliament is now in recess, without the Government having introduced the long-awaited Building Safety Bill. Campaigners and industry observers had hoped for a swift introduction after the Bill was included in the Queen’s Speech on 11th May – but further tweaks to the draft legislation seem to be necessary.
This might not come as a surprise to those who have been following the debate surrounding the Fire Safety Act – before receiving Royal Assent, the Bill was caught in a prolonged back-and-forth between the Commons and Lords as the latter sought to bring forward amendments to protect leaseholders from remediation costs.
However, despite the pressure, the Government did not give in to attempts to amend the Fire Safety Act and instead deferred action on leaseholder protection to the Building Safety Bill. To avoid a repetition of the same fight, the Government will now want to ensure that its proposals address concerns already raised during pre-legislative scrutiny.
Ahead of Parliament’s return on 7th June, BECG’s Building Safety Unit has summarised the key changes that the Fire Safety Act will bring, alongside the debate that surrounded it, with a look-ahead to what to expect from the Building Safety Bill.
If you would like to find out more about the services provided by the Building Safety Unit, please get in touch with Jennifer Riddell-Carpenter.
