Building and Fire Safety After Grenfell: Scottish Reform Status

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Whilst the decisions regarding potential prosecutions have yet to be finalised, the Grenfell Tower fire and the criticisms levelled by the Inquiry continue to drive significant reforms to building and fire safety across the UK.

The Scottish Government has consistently maintained that important lessons must be learned from the Grenfell tragedy and in March 2025 it issued its formal response to the Inquiry’s Phase II report, accepting all recommendations made in so far as they applied in Scotland. The Scottish Government proposed a number of reforms, including the introduction of a Compliance Plan Manager for higher-risk buildings, enhanced enforcement powers for local authorities, proposals for mandatory fire risk assessments in certain multi-occupancy buildings, reviews of fire safety provisions within the Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks, and new competency requirements for fire risk assessors and other construction professionals.

A further progress update on its building and fire safety reforms was published by the Scottish Government on 27th August 2026. It reiterates Scotland’s commitment to implementing all applicable recommendations made by the Inquiry’s Phase II report and confirms that a further eight recommendations made have now been marked as completed. 

Key updates from the lates report include: 

Building standards and regulatory reform 

One of the most significant areas of ongoing work is the reform of Scotland's building standards regime. The Scottish Government is continuing to develop legislation to strengthen oversight of higher-risk buildings, including the introduction of a Compliance Plan Approach and a new Compliance Plan Manager role to provide enhanced scrutiny during construction projects. It continues to review the definition of a “high-risk building”, and this will be considered further once analysis of its recent call for evidence on reform of building safety regulations and fire safety guidance has been completed. In the interim, it has introduced guidance to implement the principles of the Compliance Plan Approach to current building warrant projects. 

The report also confirms that future legislative changes will introduce a stronger deterrent to non-compliance with building regulations through greater enforcement powers for local authorities and tougher penalties for offences. 

Review of fire safety standards

A major review of Scotland's fire safety guidance is underway. Following its recent call for evidence, the Scottish Government has commenced analysis of stakeholder feedback and is establishing a Fire Safety Expert Working Group. The group will examine wider fire safety issues and is expected to begin work in autumn 2026. These reforms may ultimately lead to significant changes to the fire safety provisions contained within Scotland's Building Standards Technical Handbooks.

Cladding remediation

The report confirms that Scotland's Cladding Remediation Programme remains a central component of the post-Grenfell response. The government describes remediation work as integral to many of the Inquiry recommendations and reports that progress continues to be made in identifying, assessing and remediating affected buildings. However, the report does not provide any specific details of the progress referred to. 

The Cladding Remediation Programme published monthly management information between September 2025 and March 2026 to provide transparency on early progress. Reporting will now move to a quarterly basis as the programme progresses Single Building Assessments (“SBAs”) to identify required remediation works. As at 31st March 2026, 16 SBAs had been completed, and remediation works were underway at three buildings. It is hoped that additional funding for local authorities to undertake SBAs will lead to a significant increase in both assessments and remediation activity. The next update, covering the period to June 2026, is expected to be published at the end of summer.

Construction products and industry oversight

The Scottish Government continues to engage with UK Government proposals for reform of the construction products sector. Work is ongoing at UK level following publication of a Construction Products Reform White Paper, with an emphasis on strengthening regulation, improving transparency and restoring confidence in testing and certification processes. 

Similarly, proposals for a Single Construction Regulator and a potential licensing scheme for contractors working on higher-risk buildings remain under development, with Scotland participating in discussions to ensure that Scottish interests are reflected in any UK-wide reforms.

Competence of construction and fire safety professionals

The report highlights continued efforts to improve competence across the built environment sector. The UK Government has already published an authoritative statement on the skills and knowledge expected of competent fire engineers, while funding has been made available to support fire engineering education, training and professional development. Scotland continues to engage with these initiatives and is considering how future regulatory reforms can reinforce competency requirements. 

In addition, Scottish Ministers have indicated support for legislation requiring fire risk assessors to have their competence independently verified through accredited certification schemes. 

Fire and rescue service reforms

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ("SFRS") continues to implement lessons arising from Grenfell through improvements to operational training, incident command arrangements, high-rise firefighting procedures and organisational learning processes. Several recommendations relating to communications, breathing apparatus, water supplies and firefighter operational procedures have already been completed, whilst a review of operations control rooms is expected to commence in January 2027.  

Work also continues at UK level on the proposed establishment of a College of Fire and Rescue, intended to improve professional development and consistency across fire and rescue services. 

Resilience and emergency planning

Beyond building and fire safety, the report demonstrates that the Grenfell Inquiry continues to influence wider resilience planning. Ongoing work includes reviews of emergency response guidance, humanitarian assistance arrangements, training standards, support for vulnerable people during emergencies and partnership working between public bodies and community organisations. 

The Scottish Government is also considering a report by the Scottish Law Commission on the potential for introducing mandatory owners' associations. Policy officials are considering whether compulsory owners’ associations may be a route to ensure that those who are unable to self-evacuate must have a person-centred risk assessment in place. From a Scottish property law perspective, this is potentially significant because Scotland currently lacks the equivalent of a mandatory management company structure that commonly exists in many flatted developments in England. Mandatory owners' associations could create a formal legal body responsible for common repair, maintenance, building safety obligations and decision-making in multi-owner buildings, which may in turn assist with the implementation of fire safety measures in higher-risk residential properties. 

In summary, the Scottish Government's latest progress update demonstrates that the lessons of Grenfell continue to drive a far-reaching programme of reform across Scotland's building, fire safety and resilience frameworks. However, while several recommendations have now been implemented, particularly in relation to governance, emergency planning and fire service operations, we are yet to see substantive details for many of the most significant changes which remain works in progress. 

Over the coming years, stakeholders can expect further consultation and potential legislation relating to high-risk buildings, enhanced compliance and enforcement measures, accreditation requirements for fire risk assessors, reforms to fire safety standards, and the possible introduction of mandatory owners' associations and other building management measures. Together with ongoing work on cladding remediation, construction product regulation and professional competence, these reforms signal a continuing shift towards a more rigorous, accountable and safety-focused regulatory environment, with the ultimate aim of reducing risk, improving public confidence and ensuring that the circumstances which contributed to the Grenfell tragedy are not repeated.

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