You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
BSR searches for chair of resident panel as two appointments made to advisory committee
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is looking to appoint a person with lived experience of higher-risk building (HRB) regulation to be the independent chair of its resident panel.
BSR searches for chair of resident panel as two appointments made to advisory committee #UKhousingThe regulator also today revealed two senior appointments to the Building Advisory Committee (BAC), including Dr Barbara Lane, an expert witness in the Grenfell Inquiry, as its first chair.
Both announcements come just over three years after both the panel and committee were set up along with the BSR under the Building Safety Act 2022.
The resident panel is made up of people living in HRBs across a range of tenures and feeds into the BSR’s work, including areas where it is required to be consulted by law.
The BSR said the panel is already an “integral part” of how it works, and recruiting an independent chair shows the regulator’s “wider commitment to placing residents at the centre of building safety”.
It said applicants for the role must live in a HRB, though it also welcomes interest from private landlords who let homes in these types of blocks, and will consider applications from people who do not fully meet the essential criteria but would be “willing to develop in role”.
The position is voluntary and runs for at least two years. The chair is required to lead virtual meetings of the panel four times per year, though the overall time commitment is estimated to be eight days annually.
The BSR’s recruitment page said: “This is an exciting opportunity for someone with an interest in voluntary work in their resident community or in creating a safer built environment to get involved and make a significant and long-lasting positive impact on the standards of building safety.
“This is also an opportunity for a successful candidate to develop their own skills and expertise.”
Applications are open until 10 May and more information can be found here.
The BAC has also been operating for around three years and is a separate advisory panel to the BSR.
Dr Lane, a fellow of Arup and chartered senior engineering executive, will be joined on the committee by Dr Hywel Davies, who chaired the predecessor body to the BAC and will serve as deputy chair.
In its announcement, the BSR said the leadership roles mark the start of an “important transition for the committee”, and said the BAC’s strategic direction is being looked at to make sure it works with the BSR to have maximum impact.
Dr Lane said: “Taking on this independent role is part of my ongoing commitment to create a safe and equitable built environment, one that works for everyone.
“I believe the committee can be a powerful force for good across the sector, building on the harsh lessons learnt from the Grenfell fire.
“My aim is to try and remedy shortcomings exposed in our building standards to protect and improve the lives of millions throughout the country.”
Dr Davies said: “I am pleased to be appointed deputy chair, supporting Dr Lane in her new role.
“The committee has a critical role to play, supporting BSR in its work to improve the building safety regime, identify risks to building users and provide consistent and timely standards and guidance that can meet the complex challenges we face today.”
Sign up to Inside Housing’s Building and Fire Safety newsletter
Sign up to Inside Housing’s fortnightly Building and Fire Safety newsletter, now including a monthly update on building safety from Inside Housing’s contributing editor Peter Apps.
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters.
Related stories
