New £70m funding targets building safety workforce shortages to accelerate housing delivery and regulatory capacity.
The UK government has announced £70 million in funding to tackle critical shortages in building safety professionals, a move expected to support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes directly. The initiative focuses on strengthening capacity within building control and fire engineering, two disciplines essential to safe, compliant housing development across the digital construction sector.
A lack of qualified professionals has constrained housing supply and introduced delays in regulatory approvals. These issues were formally highlighted during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which identified gaps in competence across safety-critical roles within the built environment.
Investment in registered building inspectors and fire engineers
The funding package aims to train up to 700 new Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs), including those qualified to assess High-Risk Buildings (Class 3H). Alongside new entrants, existing inspectors will benefit from structured upskilling programmes to meet evolving regulatory requirements.
The building control sector will receive £55 million, directed towards local authority teams and Registered Building Control Approvers. This investment supports both recruitment and competency development, ensuring inspectors can operate effectively within increasingly digitised compliance frameworks.
An additional £15 million is allocated to fire engineering, with a focus on higher education provision. This includes postgraduate bursaries, expanded academic capacity, and research funding, key components in developing a sustainable pipeline of fire engineering professionals.
Policy alignment and industry response
The three-year funding programme aligns with recommendations from the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, which called for increased capacity in building control and fire engineering. The Fire Engineers Advisory Panel and the Building Control Independent Panel have echoed further support for workforce expansion.
Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy Samantha Dixon stated: “We’re boosting the building safety workforce to get more skilled building inspectors and fire engineers into the system quickly to keep people safe and unlock the new homes this country needs.
“This is a vital step in building 1.5 million safe homes and ensuring we continue to deliver on lessons from the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”
Digital construction and regulatory Capacity
For the digital construction sector, this funding represents a strategic intervention in workforce scalability. As Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital compliance tools, and data-driven inspection processes become standard, the need for qualified professionals who can operate within these systems is increasing.
Expanding the pool of competent inspectors and engineers will enable more efficient approval workflows, reduce bottlenecks in planning and construction phases, and improve alignment with the Building Safety Act’s regulatory framework.
Implementation and next steps
While funding allocations have been confirmed, application mechanisms are currently under development. Further details on eligibility, distribution, and timelines are expected in the coming months, providing clarity for local authorities, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders.
This £70m investment strengthens building safety capacity, supports digital construction growth, and enables safer, compliant housing delivery while addressing long-standing workforce shortages across critical built environment roles.
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