CLC establishes technical expert panel to support government

The CLC has said it expects to deliver to deliver its support in two phases: an assessment of the current situation and risk levels, and then supporting the design and delivery of any required remediation programmes across the public sector state.

The panel will be comprised of professional bodies across the sector. It will be coordinated by Graham Watts, one of the leaders of the CLC's Building Safety workstream and the Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Council, Graham Watts.

The work of the expert panel will be supported by a communication and external engagement group to ensure that accurate information and guidance is provided to the industry and building owners.

The panel will be tasked with developing a plan to address some of the immediate support required, including the provision of temporary buildings, and the availability and competence of inspectors.

CLC Co-Chair Mark Reynolds said: "The construction industry has a responsibility to ensure the safety and the confidence of the public in buildings that are a part of the fabric of their daily lives.

"The CLC is working to coordinate a cross sector response; marshalling technical expertise and industry capacity to support the Government and building owners to develop an effective programme to assist with prioritising and mitigating the risks; and developing plans to remediate buildings where required."

Graham Watts said: "“While we anticipate that the majority of buildings that contain RAAC will remain safe, there is an urgent need to identify and remedy any risks to the public. As an industry we will support the
programme of expert assessment of structures, both public and private, to identify where RAAC has been used and to deal with it to make it safe.

“We will be setting up two groups to take this work forward A technical expert panel to co-ordinate our cross-industry response, as well as a communications group. We will be confirming the full membership of both groups shortly, and their work will start immediately."