Another borough council joins building partnership

A Building Control partnership led by Blaby District Council will be joined by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council.

The Blaby District Council Building Control Partnership (BCP) began in June 2018 with Harborough District Council. Set in a competitive industry, the partnership was created to help ease the issue of a shortage of local authority Building Control Surveyors across the country.

With the addition of Oadby and Wigston’s Building Control team, the three services together will enable career progression and the opportunity for staff to pool resources across a larger team. The partnership will also give all three local authorities the opportunity to offer standard inspections to all customers.

The Building Control service led by Blaby District Council works with some of the biggest housebuilders locally, and inspects buildings located across the midlands. At a recent Council meeting, Harborough District Council said they were “delighted” with how well the partnership was working so far.

Councillor Iain Hewson, Portfolio Holder for Health Improvement, Leisure and Regulatory Services at Blaby District Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Oadby and Wigston Borough Council into our Building Control Partnership. This is another example of how local authorities can work closer together to manage the challenges within the industry.

“Building Control is unique as a statutory service for councils which is also exposed to full market competition. Forming a partnership means we can assist both Harborough and Oadby & Wigston in delivering a cost neutral service.”

Councillor John Boyce, Leader of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council said “I welcome this pragmatic approach to shared service, it will provide resilience, cost control and a more customer focused service.”

For more information on the service or to book a site inspection or building regulation application, visit www.blaby. gov.uk/buildingcontrol.