Established under the Building Safety Act 2022, the Residents’ Panel provides a formal mechanism for residents’ views and experiences to inform the BSR’s work and its regulation of higher-risk buildings (HRBs).

The panel enables residents to share their experiences and provide insight into the impact of the regulator’s work, helping to ensure that residents remain at the heart of the building safety regime.

The independent chair is a voluntary position, with Kernick serving in a personal capacity. In the role, she will lead the Residents’ Panel in providing independent advice and holding the BSR to account.

Kernick brings several decades of experience working with organisations in high-hazard industries, with particular expertise in organisational culture, systemic change and the prevention of catastrophic events.

She was also a resident of Grenfell Tower between 2011 and 2014 and is the author of Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters.

Kernick is currently director of strategy and culture realisation at built environment consultancy Arup, where her work includes leading a global programme focused on safety culture.

Effective and proportionate

Charlie Pugsley, acting CEO at the BSR, stated: “Residents are central to the building safety regime. Their experiences are essential in terms of helping us to build a regulatory system that’s effective, proportionate and concentrates on the people it exists to protect.”

Pugsley added: “I’m delighted to welcome Gill as independent chair of the Residents’ Panel and look forward to working with her and the Residents’ Panel as its constituent members help to shape and improve our work.”

Commenting on the appointment, Gill Kernick observed: “Residents bring a unique understanding of building safety through their everyday lived experience. By bringing this knowledge and insight together with technical expertise, we can help to create safer homes.”

Kernick concluded: “The Residents’ Panel provides an important opportunity to ensure that residents’ voices and expertise can meaningfully inform, challenge and refine the building safety regime.”

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