Islington Council is set to increase building control charges from 5 October 2025, as part of efforts to ensure the service is financially sustainable. The decision was noted at a meeting of the Corporate Resources and Economy Scrutiny Committee on 9 October 2025.
The increase, detailed in Appendix B - Building Control Fees, aims to address a shortfall in the service's budget and put it on a more secure footing within the next two years. The document details the proposed fees and charges for various building control services, indicating which services will be affected by the 50% fee increase. This comes after a short-term investment of £0.792 million into the service for 2025/6 and 2026/7. This investment will enable the council's building control service to respond to the new regulatory environment and statutory duties.
The council's building control service faces new pressures due to the Building Safety Act 2022, which requires all building control professionals to register as Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs) and undergo rigorous competency assessments. This has led to a shortage of qualified personnel and increased salary and agency rate demands.
The proposed 50% increase in fees will help cover the rising costs of delivering the service, although the council acknowledges this is a substantial increase. The council has stated that fee income targets will be closely monitored to ensure the new fees do not deter service users. The document states that there's a risk that a large increase in fees may deter some from using the service which may mean that less additional income is received than expected. Therefore the demand for the service will need to be closely monitored following implementation of the proposed increase in fees. Benchmarking with neighbouring authorities will also be maintained.
The council has stated that the proposed changes are consistent with CIPFA guidance, which dictates that local authorities may only cover the cost of chargeable work carried out by Registered Building Inspectors and cannot profit from this work. The council also noted that only around 70% of the service's work is chargeable.
Councillor Nick Wayne, Chair of Corporate Resources and Economy Scrutiny Committee, and other committee members including Councillor Jilani Chowdhury, Councillor Joseph Croft, Councillor Hannah McHugh, Councillor Ruth Hayes, Councillor Gulcin Ozdemir, Councillor Saiqa Pandor, Councillor Heather Staff, Councillor Bashir Ibrahim, Councillor Toby North, Councillor Benali Hamdache, and Councillor Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, reviewed the MTFS Update Report which included the proposed fee increase.
The committee also reviewed the Forward Plan which outlines key decisions to be taken by the Executive and Corporate Directors within the next 28 days, and potential key decisions beyond that period.
