Government responsibility for the fire and rescue service moved from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government on 1 April 2025.
The FBU welcomed this as an important first step to repairing the damage done to the fire and rescue service by recent governments.
In a statement to parliament, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “this change will bring responsibility for building safety and fire under a single Secretary of State, providing for a more coherent approach to keeping people safe from fire in their homes.”
The move was a recommendation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report, published in September 2024. It places responsibility for both fire and building safety under one government department, which the government says will allow for more coordination.
Ministers issued an official response to the Phase 2 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry at the end of February, accepting 28 of the 37 recommendations “in full” and the remaining 9 “in principle”. The FBU has responded in support of this, since some recommendations require consultation and changes to the law. The union has also said that central government needs to go much further, particularly on reversing deregulation.
Labour’s plan includes establishing a new single construction regulator; investigating seven companies for potential debarment from public contracts; and promising to strengthen transparency and accountability in building safety.
The government accepted a recommendation to establish a College of Fire and Rescue in principle, and plans to consult on proposals from summer 2025. The FBU has told MPs that any new college must be a public body, not a private company, and the union must be involved as the voice of firefighters.
Ministers have still not resolved what will happen to private bodies such as the Building Research Establishment, which test and certificate products and were criticised by the Inquiry for prioritising commercial interests above safety.
MPs have raised additional concerns in parliament, including the issue of personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs), which disability campaigners say are still inadequate.
Responding to the announcements, FBU general secretary Steve Wright said that to prevent a repeat of the fire, “government at all levels must listen to the voices of residents. The deregulation of recent years must be reversed to prevent profiteers from putting lives at risk.”
