The recent launch in Westminster of the new initiative ‘100% Hackitt’ has been applauded by both the British Board of Agreement (BBA) and Local Authority Building Control (LABC).
It’s an industry-led drive to encourage the government to commit to delivering all of the recommendations outlined in Dame Judith Hackitt’s report, the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, which was commissioned after the Grenfell fire disaster.
Culture change urgently needed
Attending the launch, Dame Judith Hackitt gave a keynote speech to a large number of cross-party politicians, policy advisors and industry body representatives.
She explained that: “There is a ‘massive need’ for culture change throughout the industry, with responsibilities clearly defined at every stage of a building’s lifecycle.”
The BBA and LABC’s message behind the new initiative is resonant: “We have united to bring focus to industry calls for a full adoption of Dame Judith’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and we have launched a new website, producing ‘pledge cards’ for supporters to sign up to the initiative and pushing for an Early Day Motion debate in the House of Commons.”
Dame Judith added: “Much remains to be done to bring the construction industry up to the standards of other industries in terms of accountability, transparency and record keeping. Don’t tinker, don’t tweak, it has to be fundamental.”
Bad practices targeted
Claire Curtis-Thomas, BBA Chief Executive commented: “The 100% Hackitt initiative is the best thing for the British construction industry in a generation. We are supporting this initiative as strongly as we possibly can because we want to see bad practices in the industry eliminated and protection for the public and companies that are fully committed to high standards of delivery.”
Paul Everall, LABC Chief Executive said: “The LABC and the BBA share the same outlook and are determined to make a difference in our industry. But we’re not waiting, we’re getting on with building a safer future together – right now. The 100% Hackitt initiative is a space for everyone who wants to see systemic change in the construction industry and I hope the whole industry gets behind it.”
Jonathan Shaw, Chief Executive of Policy Connect, said: “The Hackitt review represents a once in a generation opportunity to recast the building system and start to build safer, better designed homes. We will discuss how the review can bring about positive change in the construction industry, what still remains to be done so that we can encourage the industry to push for change.”
