East Cambs Building Control and Andrew Fleet, a building control agent based in Soham, have received national recognition for their working relationship at the Local Authority Building Control Awards.

They were crowned winner of the “Best Partnership” award, which recognises excellence in collaboration, communication and overall partnership working practices. More than 900 leading construction industry figures from across England and Wales attended the awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel, London which were hosted by actor and comedian Stephen Mangan.

The awards celebrate best practice, quality, and exemplary standards in construction, focusing on professional skills and competence.

A panel of industry experts judged a selection of the highest quality projects, professionals, and teams to showcase solutions to complex technical or construction issues, site constraints and technical innovation.

The awards highlight the vital contribution public sector building control teams make as part of the project team, ensuring safe, sustainable, and high-quality construction projects.

Andrew submitted his first building control application with East Cambridgeshire District Council nearly 40 years ago in 1986. Since then, he has continued to work closely with the council and is now on the verge of submitting his 1250 application to the local authority. This averages out to more than one submission every fortnight for the past 37 years.

Transforming from a small one-man practice, Andrew now oversees a team of nine, including his son AJ, who is poised to continue the business legacy.

Andrew prioritises staying up to speed with regulatory changes and new legislation and is always the first to collaborate with the council on building projects.

Andrew said “It was quite a surreal feeling to hear your own name read out as a national winner. We pride ourselves on giving the best possible service we can to our customers and our relationship with the Building Control department is integral to that. It is a relationship built on mutual trust, honesty and a desire to get things right, from inception to completion.”

This was echoed by Craig Smith, Building Control Manager at East Cambridgeshire District Council, who commented “Andrew’s commitment and loyalty to the local authority cannot be under-estimated. We work together to iron out any issues or problems and never shy away from having frank conversations for the good of the project. It is definitely a relationship based on respect and wanting the best for our mutual clients.”

Congratulating Andrew and the council on their success, Lorna Stimpson, LABC Chief Executive, said: "I firmly believe that one of the best ways to see more good work is to praise building excellence and publicly acknowledge companies, designers, site managers and tradespeople who go that extra mile."