Welcome to the May eBulletin.

This is my first message as Chair of the ARB although I have served as a Board Member since April 2013.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome three new Board Members – Caroline Corby, James Grierson and Alice Hynes, who have recently been appointed by the Privy Council. They are each highly respected in their fields and will bring new perspectives and insights to our strong and committed Board team. I also want to thank those leaving the Board at the conclusion of their tenures, Peter Coe, Neil Watts and Alan Jago, for their many years of service.

At our May meeting we received an update regarding the Periodic Review which set out the priorities and proposed timescales for taking forward the report’s recommendations. We have included an ebulletin article on this subject, please click here to read more.

The Board decided to progress with a review of the Criteria and Procedures for the prescription of qualifications. Our sponsoring government department, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have requested that they are consulted prior to the commencement of any review in order to confirm that it complies with current legislation and does not impact on any negotiations which might relate to the EU referendum.

We also dealt with a number of governance matters including agreeing the following:

• The Board Members Code of Practice;
• The Board Committee Membership for 2017/2018;
• The Terms of Reference for both the Audit Committee and the Prescription Committee.

We received details of the outcomes of the Board Effectiveness Survey and noted the Management Accounts and the 2016 Financial Outturn.

There were two further key papers that engaged the Board in a constructive debate and discussion. A detailed review of the research and literature available on the mental health and wellbeing of architecture students was considered. We agreed to update the student handbook to provide signposting information regarding health and other matters. The second paper related to how ARB can now provide accurate data about the Register of Architects to online directories. We are aware of the significant amount of incorrect entries under the ‘Architects’ sections of these websites, and we will be offering to provide current information to those directories in an attempt to improve accuracy. This will benefit both the public and the profession by ensuring that potential users of architect services have accurate information before making a choice as to who they engage.

Thank you for taking the time to read this eBulletin which contains a number of articles providing you with updates on ARB’s regulatory workings. Our Board Meetings are held in public and we welcome your attendance, please click here for further information on attending.

Sincere best wishes to you all.

Nabila Zulfiqar