The first Lunch & Learn of 2026, hosted by Matt Hodges-Long, focused on a role that sits at the sharpest end of building safety delivery: the Building Safety Manager (BSM).
Joined by Ben Bushell, Director at Fortis and Charter, the session explored why the Building Safety Manager remains central to compliance, assurance and regulatory readiness.
This year-end review explores the state of building safety in 2025, drawing on insights from data, regulation, resident experience and digital transformation. Returning contributors share what changed, what hasn’t, and what 2026 may demand from industry and regulators.
The latest Lunch & Learn session, hosted by Matt Hodges-Long, examined the data now available through the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) Public Register of Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs). While our expert contributor, Simon Lay, was unable to join at the last minute, Matt led an in-depth exploration of the data, the Register’s limitations, and what it reveals about the current state of building safety.
Matt Hodges-Long and Melisa White discuss decants and evacuations due to fire safety and structural issues. They highlighted the emotional and practical impact on residents, the lack of support, challenges in providing “like-for-like” accommodation, financial burdens, and leaseholder rights regarding developer obligations and increased insurance premiums.
James Capper and Matt Hodges-Long detailed significant challenges with the Building Safety Act’s implementation, including Gateway 2 delays, issues with Building Assessment Certificates, and BSR’s incompatible charging regime and invoicing problems, which are exacerbated by inconsistent data and a lack of clear guidance.
This month’s Lunch & Learn took a different shape. Instead of a guest speaker, we invited you – the building safety community – to lead the conversation in response to the recent Grenfell Netflix documentary – Grenfell Uncovered.
Together, we unpacked the human impact, systemic failures, and urgent questions the documentary raised about building safety.
Matt Hodges-Long, Founder of the Building Safety Register and Chris Waterman, Political Policy Adviser, discussed the volume of post-Grenfell building safety legislation and the confusion being caused as a result.