More than 1,000 building control projects in and around Northampton still being cleared one year after major firm's collapse
More than 1,000 building control projects in and around Northampton are still being cleared one year after the collapse of a major firm.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) says it is making progress on clearing a backlog of building inspections a year after the collapse of PWC Building Control Services Ltd left thousands of projects in limbo.
PWC Building Control Services Ltd, based near Towcester, went into voluntary liquidation in August 2024 after its essential trading licence was not renewed.
The company had been a major player in Northamptonshire, carrying out building safety inspections and reporting, and had grown significantly in recent years with more than £6 million turnover in 2022 and employing more than 40 staff.
The collapse followed a decision by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) not to include the company on its register. This meant it could no longer operate legally, despite efforts by directors to appeal and seek a judicial review.
A report by BRI Insolvency at the time revealed the firm owed £10.7 million to more than 14,000 creditors.
The liquidation forced the cancellation of contracts with clients across the region, leaving councils to take on the work of certifying building projects already under way.
Providing an update one year on, a WNC spokesman said: “The Council received 1,300 cancellation notices following the liquidation of PWC Building Control Services Ltd and took steps to manage this increased workload as smoothly as possible, nonetheless we know that some people will have experienced some delays.
“Improving our Building Control service is a key priority for the Council, and we’re actively taking steps to strengthen this. A detailed backlog recovery plan is in place, and we’re working closely with our transformation team and external partners to deliver improvements that are both effective and sustainable.
“This is a revenue-earning service, and the administration is committed to driving performance, continuous improvement, and ultimately increasing revenue through a more efficient and responsive service.
“As part of this commitment we have nine professional staff members, including two new contractors, to increase capacity and ensure we can respond to the demand. These changes are already helping us make progress, and we remain focused on delivering a high-quality service for residents and developers across the area.”
In his latest report, Reform councillor Thomas Manning, cabinet member for planning, added: “It is well acknowledged that due to a number of issues including one of the largest commercial building control organisations in the region going out of business, a challenge to recruit into this profession alongside a need to update processes and practice in this area that our performance and customer satisfaction is well below what we would like.
“However, I can report that we have reviewed our recruitment strategy, have invested heavily in growing our own and have now an established route map to secure long-term improvements as well as quickly as possible reducing our backlog.”