APS has increased its sector-wide engagement to better support members in developing and maintaining professional competence. Each week, we’ll share an update from APS HQ so you can see the breadth of work being carried out for your benefit.

What happened last week? (8-12 December)

Andrew Leslie, APS CEO, attended the Industry Competence Steering Group – Principal Designer Working Group, focusing on PD Building Regulation competencies and the review of PAS 8671. This was an introductory meeting to discuss the objectives for the group.

The CIC Housing Panel meeting that Helena Knight, APS Director was due to attend was cancelled. The group will reconvene in the new year once the All-Party Parliamentary Group Excellence in the Built Environment report is published.

In the meantime, Helena has shared notes from the November meeting. Members discussed concerns around Energy Company Obligation scheme delivery, delays in the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway 2 process, and wider uncertainty affecting retrofit and new-build planning. Updates were shared on key legislation, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the Devolution Bill, alongside issues such as construction capacity constraints, challenges with Modern Methods of Construction, and the timetable for the Future Homes Standard. The panel agreed to refocus its remit on new-build housing, standards, and planning reform, with retrofit matters to be addressed separately. Homes England will attend the February 2026 meeting to present on the Healthy Homes initiative.

Finally, the new Building Regulations (England) course in the APS Academy has launched and is nearly fully booked. This full-day course equips CDM professionals with the essential knowledge to navigate the Building Regulations and the reformed safety regime. https://www.aps.org.uk/welcome-aps-academy

Recent updates members should know about

Welsh Building Safety regime update

In Wales, the first debate on the General Principles of the Building Safety (Wales) Bill took place on 9 December. The Bill proposes creating Building Safety Authorities, enabling local authorities to work jointly to oversee parts of the new regime. The Welsh Government has also published a new webpage summarising the Building Safety Programme and linking to related information.

You can view the debate or read the transcript here.

These developments build on the Government Response to the consultation earlier this year on the new building control regime, which was published in late November.

Building Safety Regulator House of Lords Report

The House of Lords’ Industry and Regulators Committee has published a report on the Building Safety Regulator, highlighting delays in approvals, inconsistent guidance, and system capacity and skills issues. The report recommends streamlining approvals for smaller projects, improving consistency across teams, and investing in inspector training. Click here to read news item.

Building Safety Regulator (England) will be accepting staged applications at gateway 2 over coming weeks

The Regulator and the CLC shared a joint letter with the Industry Competence Committee about the forthcoming opening of staged applications. The ICC urgent the sharing of this information with networks, and the letter can be found here.

What’s on this week (15- 19 December)

Monday

Sofie Hooper, CLC Sector call update, discussing budget impact on the sector and an update from the Construction Skills Mission Board.

Tuesday

Sofie Hooper, Industry Task and Finish Group, Guidance meeting with Author

Thursday

Sofie Hooper, meeting BSI on British Standard for managing competence

Friday

Andrew Leslie, ICC Setting expectations – group 2 clients meeting This is our final update of 2025. We’ll be back in early January with more news and updates for our members. Wishing you all a joyful festive break and a wonderful start to the New Year!

If you would like to contribute or share expertise on issues that matter to you, please contact APS HQ at info@aps.org.uk.