‘We must be honest with ourselves’: Mace boss says industry needs further improvement as firms brace for Grenfell Inquiry report

The chief executive of Mace has called on construction firms to “be honest” and accept more improvement is needed as the industry awaits the publication of the Grenfell Inquiry stage two report next week.

Mark Reynolds, acting in his role as co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), said significant progress has been made to increase building safety but “this isn’t enough”.

In a foreword to a CLC progress report charting how the industry has changed since the 2017 Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people, Reynolds said firms had taken their responsibilities seriously but that it is “clear there is more progress to be made”.

The findings and recommendations from the second phase of the Grenfell Inquiry, which looked into the ill-fated refurbishment of the west London tower which led to the blaze, is due to be published on Wednesday.

> Also read: Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report to be published on 4 September

It comes after a seven-year long inquiry which examined 1,500 witness statements and 300,000 documents and amid an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation.

Firms which supplied evidence to the second phase include the refurbishment architects Studio E, main contractor Rydon, facade engineer Harley and product manufacturers Arconic, Celotex and Kingspan.

It also heard from key government officials and ministers involved in building safety in the years leading up to the fire, including former housing secretaries Eric Pickles and Gavin Barwell.

A total of 19 firms or organisations and 58 individuals are currently under investigation by a team of 180 dedicated officers and staff, with the Crown Prosecution Service set to announce charges in late 2026.

> Also read: Criminal trials for Grenfell Tower fire would not start until 2027, authorities say

Reynolds said the CLC had acted as a “convener of collective industry action” in the years since the fire, both before and after the introduction of the Building Safety Act which has introduced several regulatory changes to improve building safety.

But he said companies and individuals working in construction needed more support, particularly to improve competency pathways and product regulations.

> Also read: Design competition for Grenfell Tower memorial to launch next month

“We must continue to work together, engage effectively with the Building Safety Regulator and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, as well as all relevant government departments, and be honest with ourselves that change is still required to deliver an industry which is accountable and trusted by the people that live, work and spend their time in the buildings we construct,” he said.

The CLC report outlined five key objectives, including increasing regulatory clarity and improving the understanding of the regulations and how they are adopted by the industry.

The body also said it wanted to lead industry competence and the development of standards, support the clarification of product information and certification, support better design and construction delivery and enable more affordable professional indemnity insurance.

It added that it will review these objectives in light of the conclusions of the Grenfell Inquiry report next week.