P1-8 Response Accepted

Require monthly firefighter lift inspections

Recommendation

The owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to carry out regular inspections of any lifts that are designed to be used by firefighters in an emergency and to report the results of such inspections to their local fire and rescue service at monthly intervals.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The government accepted this recommendation in principle in January 2020 (Government Response to Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report, MHCLG, January 2020).
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023, requiring responsible persons to undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by firefighters and report results to the local fire and rescue service (SI 2022/547, legislation.gov.uk).
- The government's Phase 1 progress report stated this recommendation is complete (Quarterly Thematic Update, MHCLG, February 2025).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
England
Section Reference
33.13a
Response
Accepted
Accepted UK Government
21 Jan 2020

The government accepted in principle all Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to new duties on building owners and managers through the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill, including requirements for premises information boxes, floor plans, lift inspections, fire door checks, evacuation signage, and fire safety instructions to residents.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
26 Feb 2025

Completed via the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (in force 23 January 2023). Responsible persons must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by firefighters and report faults electronically to their local fire and rescue service.

Source
Report Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report 30 Oct 2019
Responsible Bodies
UK Government Primary
Recommendation age 6.6 yrs
Last formal update 459 days ago