Government consultation paper calls for better record keeping in local authority building control offices

The government is to regulate local authority building control by forcing councils to keep a register of building control work.

The DCLG has launched a consultation paper that proposes to improve building control’s record keeping.

The new Building Control Information Registers aims to provide more consistency of information and costs in building control activity.

As it stands, local authorities are required to keep public registers containing information relating to the building control activities of approved inspectors cn competent persons, but they are not obliged to keep information which relate to their own building control functions.

Angela Smith
Angela Smith: The proposals help drive out poor quality in building control

Angela Smith, communities and local government minister, said the plans would dramatically improve the current system. She said: “The proposals in this consultation will help drive out poor quality and inconsistency in the delivery of building service control."

She added: “The register will also assist with home sales following the introduction of Home Information Packs in the summer by helping buyers check on the lawfulness of any building work that has been carried out on the property they are interested in buying.”

The changes aim to:

  • Improve consistency in the record keeping among local authorities;
  • Provide a comprehensive record of building control activity including that of competent persons
  • Address variations in the charge to the public for copies of documents
  • Assist property search companies and surveyors in retrieving information more easily at a reasonable cost
The consultation will last three months.

Topics