Publication - Minutes

Cross Sector Building Safety Forum minutes: 10 June 2026

Published: 16 October 2026
Directorate: Local Government and Housing Directorate, +1 more … Cladding Remediation Directorate
Topic: Building, planning and design, Public safety and emergencies
Date of meeting: 10 June 2026

Minutes from the meeting of the group on 10 June 2026.

Part of

Building safety: cross sector forum

Attendees and apologies

Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO)
Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE)
Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)
Building Safety Regulator (BSR)
Chartered Institute for Architectural Technologies (CIAT)
Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS)
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
NHS Scotland
Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS)
Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH)
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
Scottish Government officials (including Chair)
Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHoPS)
Scottish Futures Trust (SFT)
Scottish Property Federation (SPF)
Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
Structural Engineers Registration Ltd (SER)
University of Edinburgh (UoE)
Wheatley Group

Items and actions

Welcome

The Chair welcomed attendees to the 4th meeting of the Cross Sector Building Safety Forum noting that the invitation had been extended for this meeting to include the Scottish Building Standards Hub and those representing organisations on the Building Standards Stakeholder Group.

Approval of minutes and update on actions from previous meeting

The minutes of the preceding meeting were agreed without change.

Transfer slabs

Following an introduction by the Chair, presentations were given by representatives from BSR and SER on transfer slabs, focussing on the issue of ‘punching shear’.

After a brief technical explanation outlining the complexity of transfer slab construction and the issue of ‘punching shear’, points raised by BSR included:

reference to localised instances of structural distress identified in a number of buildings that required investigation
to date there were no incidents of punching shear failure of transfer slabs causing building collapse in UK
the need for effective design and compliance in line with guidance, such as the Eurocodes, also noting IStructE guidance issued in 2024
BSR’s alert notification issued in December 2025 and the importance that building owners seek professional advice
ongoing work on further guidance, expected in 2027
the importance of a proportionate, risk-based approach.

Following an overview of the role of SER, key points raised included:

the SER certification scheme, in operation since 2005, promotes a holistic overview of design, should provide confidence around the design process and discourage complacency
the importance of ensuring effective building assessment is undertaken, particularly regarding transfer slabs, including where conversions are involved
the importance of communication, and education, noting the guidance issued by SER to consulting engineers as well as communication through blogs
SER auditing of members takes place on a rolling basis.

Key points raised by attendees in discussion:

SER certification scheme:

the transfer slab issue is potentially less of a problem in Scotland because of the robustness of the SER certification scheme; although the requirements of the scheme might add costs to the design and construction process
engineers on the SER scheme will have demonstrated a certain level of design competence which might also allow for savings to be made at the construction stage.

Guidance:

IStructE and the BSR are currently developing further guidance on this issue
important to address questions as to why these issues occur, whether or not data is being used effectively and if there are questions around the competency of practitioners requiring an upskilling in the structural engineering profession
a number of new buildings might not comply with the new guidance when issued, with the suggestion that a risk management (and proportionate) approach be adopted
Eurocodes assume stresses are uniform, but this is not the case as stresses can be concentrated.

Assessment and remediation process:

in assessing the criteria for intervention, to consider the age of the buildings, the number of storeys, and whether they are mixed use and of concrete construction
intervention should be flexible with periodic assessment determining the need for further survey, remediation work or decanting

it is expected that any structural strengthening required would be done quickly
messaging should be responsible and balanced, learning the lessons from ‘RAAC’.

Action – BSD to circulate information, guidance and resources on transfer slabs (see annex)

Action – to further consider implications for relevant Eurocodes

Date of next meeting and agenda items

The date of the next meeting would be confirmed in due course. In addition, to an item on Large Panel Systems, suggestions were invited for further topics for discussion.

Action – attendees to contact Building Standards officials with suggestions for agenda items.