Welsh government response to the Grenfell inquiry

On 26 February 2025, the Welsh Government published its formal response to the Phase 2 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which examined the systemic failures that led to the 2017 tragedy. Although the inquiry's recommendations were addressed primarily to the UK Government and English bodies, Wales emphasised alignment and collaboration with the UK, Scottish, and Northern Irish governments. Below is a precis of that response but for specific details refer to the full response 'Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report: Welsh Government response' here.

As stated by Jayne Bryant, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Wales accepted the findings of the report and reaffirmed its intention to work closely with other nations to implement the recommendations where applicable. Key strategic actions by the Welsh government include:

• Regulatory Reform and Legislation: The Welsh Government has the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, which was laid before the Senedd on 7 July 2025. This will introduce a comprehensive building safety regime for multi-occupied residential buildings and embed the principles of safety, accountability, and resident voice. It includes requirements for registration of certain buildings (over 11 m or with five or more storeys), clear delineation of roles and duties, fire and structural risk management, resident rights, and a robust enforcement framework.
• Publication of Inquiry Recommendations: Recognising the need for transparent implementation, the Welsh Government is scoping mechanisms to capture and monitor whether recommendations from public inquiries, parliamentary committees, and coroners are acted upon and will update the Senedd Cymru on progress.
• Fire Risk Assessor Accreditation: The Building Safety (Wales) Bill mandates fire risk assessors for multi-occupied residential buildings to be demonstrably competent, being a criminal offence to perform or contract such work without competence. The development of regulations, to potentially include recognised qualifications, professional memberships, or approved corporate accreditation schemes.
• Construction Materials Information Sharing: The Inquiry suggested establishing a Cladding Materials Library (modelled on one at the University of Queensland) to provide reliable product information. Wales supports the principle and is working with the UK and other devolved governments to enhance access to accurate construction product data for designers and practitioners.

Other early actions following the initial phase of the Inquiry included the mobilisation of Welsh fire and rescue services to inspect high-rise residential buildings for combustible cladding, fortunately it found that issues were not widespread. Adopting relevant safety recommendations from Phase 1. Wales is developing a Wales Resilience Framework, drawing on lessons from Grenfell and other major incidents, to offer clearer strategic direction on building safety and resilience .

In summary, the Welsh Government’s response is framed by three guiding priorities: safety, accountability, and resident voice. It proposes a robust legislative foundation via the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, aligns with broader UK reforms, and specifically advances measures around competency, information transparency, oversight, and regulatory clarity. These coordinated efforts reflect a clear intention by Wales to take forward the lessons of the Grenfell Inquiry with both residential protections and systemic reform at the core.

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