As usual, we had a very productive and lively Board meeting on 14 September 2017.

I would like to start by saying that the presentation at the end of our day, by Neil Onions – Development Manager at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, was a great opportunity for us to learn about the work of the charity. I am looking forward to building our relationship with the Trust.

Some of the highlights from our Board meeting are:

Business Plan 2017-2018 – Areas of work we must continue include engaging with the Architects Trailblazer Group in their development of  the apprenticeship routes for architecture; exploring the possibilities of mutual recognition agreements with international countries and conducting research to better understand the impact of our work. To view the Business Plan please click here.

Periodic Review – We continue to work with our sponsoring government department, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), to implement the recommendations of the Periodic Review. In particular, we have made proposals as requested of us on the future governance arrangements which include moving to a smaller, more strategic board.

Retention fee held at £107 – We reviewed the retention fee and other fees for 2018 and agreed they would remain the same. The retention fee has been held at £107 since 2015.

Board member allowance – It’s always challenging to review your own allowance but this year we commissioned an independent review to ensure the remuneration paid to Board members and individuals appointed to assist ARB in the delivery of its statutory duties is in line with the rates that other regulators pay. Copies of the Independent Review, Board paper and further information are all available online. Currently, Board members can claim an allowance of up to £400 (£250 attendance and £150 reading time) for attendance at Board meetings. We agreed to implement, from 1 October 2017, a fixed payment of £375 for Board meeting attendance, preparation and reading.

Communication – The Annual Communications Report shows the extent of the work we have done to raise the profile of ARB and its role. I am pleased to see a significant increase in the use of our logo which supports us in our objective of raising awareness of the Register and helps us highlight the value to consumers and clients of using an architect.

Procedures and Criteria Review – Finally, we have started our consultation exercise on the Procedures and Criteria we use to prescribe qualifications. It is very important that we have a wide range of views on the Criteria and Procedures. Please click here to read more about how you can get involved by completing our online survey or signing up to a roundtable discussion.

We will be in touch in due course as we enter the retention fee collection period and I would urge you to check that your details are up to date to ensure that you receive communications from us on this matter.

If you have any questions or comments please email us at info@arb.org.uk or you can call us on +44 (0) 20 7580 5861.

Nabila Zulfiqar

Chair of the Architects Registration Board