Welcome to the November ebulletin, the last one of the year.
We were delighted to welcome Ben Derbyshire, President of the RIBA, to our recent Board meeting. Ben told us about his plans for his presidency and we discussed the distinct yet complimentary roles of the regulator and the professional bodies. I hope to focus on the issues that are of interest to both our organisations, including setting and maintaining standards and raising awareness of the value of a registered architect and I look forward to working with Ben and his colleagues at the RIBA.
Demand for ARB’s services continues to grow with the Register recently reaching over 40,000 for the first time, a milestone for the profession. 2017 has been a very full year for ARB, work is on-going on several substantial projects as we move forward with the recommendations of the government’s Periodic Review and continue with the Criteria and Procedures Reviews.
The retention fee for next year is due on 31 December 2017 and we are now in the fee collection period. You can pay quickly and easily online and we will be offering extended opening hours as we approach the due date to make it easier for architects to contact us during this time.
Our recent Board meeting had a very full agenda and we discussed a number of important issues.
Periodic Review update – We noted an update regarding the government’s Periodic Review. We continue to work with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) as it moves forward with the Periodic Review recommendations.
Two key changes currently being progressed include reducing the size of the Board, in line with principles of good governance, and moving the professional conduct process from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to a more flexible model. Both of these improvements will require legislative change but we continue to support DCLG with preparatory work so that we are ready to make changes when the law is revised.
DCLG have also advised that they are continuing discussions with the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding whether ARB could fall within its jurisdiction to provide stakeholders with an external complaints process as to ARB’s services.
Criteria and Procedures Reviews – We noted feedback gathered during the pre-consultation exercise for these reviews. We also discussed the outcomes and the feedback from both of the Task and Finish Groups established to oversee these reviews.
The Board agreed that, subject to DCLG approval, the reviews should continue alongside discussions with the RIBA regarding the possibility of continuing to hold the Criteria in common with one another.
There is a separate ebulletin item on this subject providing further information.
Board governance – We received an update on Board member appraisals and the Board Effectiveness Review. These mechanisms support our commitment to good governance, providing us with an opportunity to reflect on the Board’s performance and agree steps for self-improvement.
Financial matters – The Management Accounts show that we are forecast to underspend on our budget. There are various reasons for the underspend, which we expect to be carried over and utilised in the next financial year. We received a report from ARB’s Investment Broker and discussed and agreed the principles underpinning ARB’s investment strategy for the next 12 months.
If you would like further information about any of the matters covered in this ebulletin please contact us by email at info@arb.org.uk or you can phone us on +44 (0) 20 7580 5861. Please do remember that you can pay your annual retention fee quickly and securely online anytime up until midnight on 31 December 2017.
As we approach the end of 2017 I would like to finish by sending you all my sincere good wishes for the festive season and for 2018.
Best wishes, Nabila Zulfiqar
Chair of the Architects Registration Board
