Building Safety Act 2022

13 Local authorities and fire and rescue authorities: assistance etc to regulator

(1) A relevant authority may at the request of the regulator do anything for the purpose of—

(a) facilitating the exercise by the regulator of a relevant function, or

(b) enabling the relevant authority to facilitate the exercise by the regulator of a relevant function.

(2) The regulator may, for a purpose mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (1), direct a relevant authority to do anything specified in the direction.

(3) The direction may specify the way in which, and the time by which, the thing is to be done.

(4) A direction—

(a) may be given only if the regulator considers that it is expedient for the authority to do the specified thing, and

(b) must state how, in the regulator’s opinion, the doing of the thing will facilitate the exercise of a relevant function or enable the authority to facilitate that exercise.

(5) A direction may be given only with the consent of the Secretary of State.

(6) Before giving a direction, the regulator must—

(a) make a written request under subsection (1) for the authority to do the thing, and

(b) have regard to any written representations made by the authority in the period specified in the request.

(7) A request under subsection (6)(a) must—

(a) state that the regulator may seek consent to give a direction under this section if the request is not complied with,

(b) state how, in the regulator’s opinion, the doing of the thing will facilitate the exercise of a relevant function or enable the authority to facilitate that exercise, and

(c) specify a reasonable period for the authority to make any representations as to why it should not do the thing requested.

(8) In this section—

• “relevant authority” means a local authority or fire and rescue authority;

• “relevant function” means—

  (a)

  a function of the regulator relating to—

  (i)

  the regulation of higher-risk buildings (within the meaning of the Building Act 1984 or Part 4 of this Act), or

  (ii)

  higher-risk building work (as defined by section 91ZA of the Building Act 1984), or

  (b)

  in the case of a local authority, a function of the regulator relating to the regulation of any work for which the regulator is the building control authority by virtue of section 91ZB of the Building Act 1984.

(9) A direction or consent under this section must be in writing.