Establish single construction industry regulator

In January 2026, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established as a new arm’s length body sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). In June 2026 we formally transferred staff to the new arm’s length body completing the full transition of the BSR out of the Health and Safety Executive. This is an important step towards implementing the recommendation from the Inquiry to reduce fragmentation with the formation of a Single Construction Regulator.

On 17 December 2025, we published the Single Construction Regulator prospectus: consultation document. The prospectus confirmed the government’s commitment to the Inquiry recommendation and set out our ambition to go beyond this as we deliver the single regulator. The prospectus consultation closed on 20 March 2026.

We published the government response to the prospectus consultation on 9 July 2026. The response provides more information on the government’s plans for the single regulator, including our vision and ambition for the regulator, outcomes for the building system and the single regulator’s primary objective. It confirms our intention to bring forward primary legislation as the next step towards establishing the regulator, using the BSR as its foundation.

In February 2025 the government accepted, in principle, the Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a single construction regulator. In addition, the government committed to publish a prospectus, setting out further plans, by the end of the year. In the last year we have made progress towards establishing a single regulator. In June, we announced changes to the existing governance arrangements which will strengthen capability in the Building Safety Regulator. Improving existing regulator arrangements is the first stage of our work to implement a new single regulator. Changes to the Building Safety Regulator that we announced included new interim leadership, additional investment to increase capacity, and improvements to operating models and processes.

In November, we laid a Statutory Instrument to transfer building safety functions from the Health and Safety Executive into a new arms‑length body of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The new body became operational at the end of January 2026.

Alongside industry, residents, regulators and experts we began work on the initial designs for a prospectus which will set out proposals for the regulator’s scope and functions. In September, following the announcement on changes to the Building Safety Regulator, we shared that the Single Regulator Advisory Board had been established, supported by working groups, the board has been considering a range of themes such as the desired outcomes, scope and functions of the single regulator. This work informed the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus Consultation, seeking views on a long-term, system wide approach to change, that we published in December this year.

In 2026 we expect to consolidate the organisational and practical changes that have been made to the Building Safety Regulator to ensure it consistently meets performance expectations. The prospectus consultation will close on 20 March 2026, and we anticipate publishing a response in the Summer. The government response will provide further detail on our plans for the single regulator. Legislation to underpin the single regulator will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.