Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) - 7 x Members
- Body
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Appointing Department
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
- Sectors
- Regulation, Science & Technology
- Location
- MHCLG, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF
- Skills required
- Business / Commercial, Change Management, Regulation
- Number of Vacancies
- 7
- Remuneration
- This is a non-salaried public appointment but the Department will pay reasonable expenses for attending meetings, including working parties, and other Committee business.
- Time Requirements
- Three main meetings a year plus preparatory and follow up work with the secretarial office and input into BRAC working groups (approximately 10 days per annum in total).
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
26/02/2019
-
Closed for Applications
19/03/2019
-
Panel Sift
28/03/2019
-
Final Interview Date
05/06/2019
-
Announcement
30/07/2019
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
The former Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, appointed nine new Members to the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. Aman Sharma, Andrew McCracken, Benjamin Ansell, Craig Ferrans, Diane Marshall, Joanna Clarke, Jonathan Vanstone, Judith Schulz and Richard Smith have all been appointed for three-year terms commencing on 25 July 2019 and ending on 24 July 2022.
Date: 30/07/2019
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Neil O'Connor
- Added
- 19/02/2019
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- Director, Building Safety Programme, MHCLG Departmental Official
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Julia Evans
- Added
- 19/02/2019
- Positions
- Deputy Chair, BRAC Representative of Organisation
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Neil Buckley
- Added
- 19/02/2019
- Positions
- Board Member, Valuation Tribunal Service Independent Member
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
Vacancy Description
About the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) BRAC is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It has been designated as a Scientific Advisory Committee under the Government’s Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees 2001.
BRAC was originally established in 1962 under Section 9 of the Public Health Act 1961, superseded by Section 14 of the Building Act 1984 (the 1984 Act), to advise the Secretary of State on the exercise of his/her powers to make Building Regulations in England and on other related matters. The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to consult BRAC before making Building Regulations.
In practice, the views of BRAC are usually sought on all relevant policy and technical matters related to Building Regulations. BRAC is therefore an important sounding board for matters directly affecting buildings and in the wider construction industry. BRAC members are appointed on an independent basis to represent particular areas/fields of expertise and experience, rather than as specific delegates of particular organisations.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety made recommendations concerning the future governance of building regulations, advice and guidance. MHCLG is considering how to implement these, so appointments will overlap with this implementation; we will be looking for new members with some experience of organisational change management and behavioural insights as well as technical expertise.
About the role
BRAC members work closely with officials in the Building Regulation Technical Policy Division to provide a sounding broad for policy development. Typically this includes:
• Chairing or involvement in BRAC working groups which are established on a case by case basis to assist in the development of proposals to amend or introduce new regulations, and supporting statutory guidance (in the Approved Documents). • Facilitating wider engagement with industry to ensure working group technical committees have high quality expert representation. • Helping to develop research proposals and projects to build the evidence base to support changes to the Building Regulations.
Most recently, this has included work to support changes to fire safety requirements and research into overheating in new homes. Up-coming work includes reviews into accessibility in response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry into disability and the built environment; and energy efficiency and overheating, which respond to the Clean Growth Strategy and recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into heatwaves. BRAC is also taking a keen interest in the fast-moving development of different building technologies collectively known as Modern Methods of Construction
BRAC Member – Job Description
There are currently seven positions available on the Committee.
Applicants for these should have a strong interest in the built environment and areas touched upon by the Building Regulations. They should have current professional knowledge and experience of the design issues and application of the subject areas encompassed in the Regulations, and be able to draw upon knowledge and experience of the construction industry and/or professions.
Members should be supportive of and committed to implementing the Government’s key priorities.
Although we are interested in strengthening the expertise on the Committee across the whole sphere of Building Regulations and related matters, specific areas of expertise and knowledge sought from this recruitment include candidates who can demonstrate a high-level knowledge and/or expertise/experience at senior levels in any of the following areas: • Fire Safety Engineer • Senior Fire Fighter • Materials and Construction Products • Housebuilding • Built environment and data • Emerging building technologies • Change management and behavioural insights
Note: For any candidate who feels they can offer the experience and expertise in more than one of the areas referenced above, there is no need to complete more than one statement against the criteria. Just clearly reference and example those criteria with a single statement of suitability.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria and experience for these roles
1. Evidence of a track record or widespread knowledge, experience and achievement in the construction sector and or professions at a senior level, in relation to one of the sectors listed under the BRAC job description, namely:
Fire Safety Engineer; Senior Fire Fighter; Materials and Construction Products; Housebuilding Built environment and data; Emerging building technologies; or Change management and behavioural insights.
2. Evidence of continuing day-to-day involvement in the construction sector with application of the building regulations and knowledge and other related legislation and guidance.
3. Excellent communication skills at a senior level, together with a proven ability to build strong stakeholder relationships.
4. Evidence of sound judgement and decision-making with a proven ability to sum up specialist advice clearly and impartially.
Additional Information
The current Building Regulations contain a broad range of functional requirements (ie technical standards), building work must comply with, as indicated below:
PART A Structure PART B Fire Safety PART C Site Preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture PART D Toxic Substances PART E Resistance to the passage of sound PART F Ventilation PART G Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency PART H Drainage and waste disposal PART J Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems PART K Protection from falling, collision and impact PART L Conservation of fuel and power PART M Access to and use of buildings PART P Electrical safety – dwellings PART Q Security – from April 2015 PART R High Speed Electronic Communication Networks (Broadband) REGULATION 7 Materials and Workmanship
Building Regulations are designed to deliver buildings which are safe, healthy with high standards of accessibility and sustainability increasing progressively over time.
How to Apply
To apply for this post please supply the following by 11.00pm on 19th March 2019: Curriculum Vitae – including education and professional qualifications and full employment history (max. 3 pages) Covering letter – explaining how you meet both the essential and desirable criteria for the role (max. 3 pages). Please use specific examples from your experience to demonstrate how you meet each essential criteria. Diversity (Equal Opportunities) Monitoring Questionnaire – Annex A Guaranteed interview scheme form – Annex B (if applicable) Conflict of Interest form – Annex C Other Relevant Information Declaration Form – Annex D List of referees – Annex E (the referees will be approached only if you are shortlisted for interview) Publicity survey – Annex F (please indicate how you heard about this post)
These annexes can be found in the “Attachments” section below along with the Candidate Information Pack.
Please note that the above information and completed forms are required for each application. We cannot accept information and forms submitted with previous applications for this or other MHCLG posts because your circumstances may have changed in the meantime and some of this information will be specific to the post being applied for – see the “Further Information” section below for further details. Please also note that the initial assessment of your suitability against the role criteria will be made only from the evidence you set out in your covering letter and CV. Your completed application should be returned to the MHCLG Public Appointments Team, preferably in Microsoft Word, by email to PublicAppointments@communities.gov.uk by 11.00pm on 19th March 2019. Please include the reference “BRAC Member” in the title of your email. We would prefer electronic applications but will accept hard copies by post to the Public Appointments Team, ALB Governance & Appointments, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, 1st Floor NE, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.