Local Government Liability for Substandard Building

When it comes to consumer protection in the building industry, it is fair to say that the local government authority building inspector I has never been seen as being in the front line of the maintenance or improvement of building standards. Theirs is the secondary role of supervising others in an attempt to keep them honest. Even so, there is room for difference of opinion as to the nature of their responsibilities. Some would argue that their power to control or stop building carries with it a heavy responsibility, whether they like it or not. A variation of the same theme would limit this responsibility, so that it is owed only to those 'reliant' or 'dependent' upon the government regulators doing their job properly. The material elements of reliance or dependence are themselves matters of debate. Others would reject any notion of local government authority liability to the intended beneficiaries of their regulatory activities. The proponents of no