Dear Colleague
The ARHM Board is looking forward to a busy year ahead and hopes to see you either in person or on a small screen at the various events it is proposing to hold during the year.
Annual Conference
We are looking at holding 2 events this year. One will be Sheffield and the other at a southern location, to try and cater for the geographical spread of our membership and also to take into account costs for our member organisations. We will be announcing the dates and locations shortly in a future newsletter and on the website.
Introduction to Leasehold Retirement Training
We will be running our bespoke training event again in March, so if you have any new members of staff who would benefit from the training please register your interest now on enquiries@arhm.org.
The training is particularly useful for on site staff and will be delivered virtually by Zoom.
The training covers:
- Background and context to the sector
- Challenges and opportunities of working with older leaseholders
- Understanding the lease
- Overview of service charges and reserve funds
- Overview of s20 consultation
- Importance of pre sale information
- ARHM Code of Practice
The session is usually 11am to 3.00pm with breaks.
Sector News
The latest Inquiry report from the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People took place in the House of Lords last week, addressing shared ownership for an ageing population Making retirement living affordable: the role of shared ownership housing for older people.
Care and Support Reimagined: a National Care Covenant for England‘ the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care has set out three actions to realise a new vision for care and support: rethinking attitudes to care and support; rebalancing roles and responsibilities; and redesigning the social care system.
It proposes that the National Care Covenant would be overseen at a national government level, developed through a sustained programme of public dialogue and engagement, and agreed by different stakeholders.
Care and Support Reimagined: a National Care Covenant for England
Extension for Energy Discount Scheme
The energy discount scheme for non-domestic customers has been extended out to 31st March 2024.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bills-discount-scheme
New fire safety regulations came into force in England
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which implement the majority of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, came into force on Monday (23 January).
These are new requirements for ‘responsible persons’ of mid and high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to fire and rescue services to assist them with operational planning and to provide additional safety measures. In all multi-occupied residential buildings, residents should now be provided with fire safety instructions and information on fire doors.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 form part of a package of risk-mitigating fire safety measures that the government is delivering following the Grenfell Tower fire.
In high-rise residential buildings, responsible persons will be required to:
- provide their local fire and rescue service with up-to-date electronic building plans and information on the design and materials of their external wall
- undertake monthly checks of firefighting lifts, evacuation lifts and other key pieces of firefighting equipment
- install a secure information box and wayfinding signage
In mid-rise residential buildings (over 11 metres), responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts of the building.
Announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-fire-safety-regulations-come-into-force-in-england
Guidance and regulations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022
Consultation outcome: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-new-safety-regime-for-occupied-higher-risk-buildings
Building Safety Levy Consultation – reminder
DLUHC launched a consultation on the 22 November 2022 on the Building Safety Levy which sets out proposals for how developers would pay to fix unsafe buildings.
Under the proposals drawn up by DLUHC, developers of residential buildings, regardless of their height, will have to pay the levy contribution as part of the building control process.
The consultation seeks views on the delivery of the levy, including how it will work, who must pay, what sanctions and enforcement will apply and who is responsible for collecting the levy.
The consultation seeks the views of all interested parties, especially councils, developers of all sizes and building control professionals.
DLUHC proposes in the consultation that councils act as the collection and administration agency.
The consultation closes at 11.45pm on 7 February 2023.
Announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/building-safety-levy-moves-a-step-closer
Consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-building-safety-levy-consultation
The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort
On 21 January, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport announced a programme to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
The Coronation will take place on the morning of 6 May at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
On 7 May, a Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle will showcase the country’s diverse cultural heritage in music, theatre and dance. One of the highlights of the concert will be “Lighting up the Nation”, in which iconic locations across the UK will be lit up with projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations. The concert will be staged and broadcast by the BBC in front of an audience selected for free tickets via a public ballot.
Throughout the UK, Coronation Big Lunches will bring communities together on 7 May. Street parties will also take place across the weekend.
The weekend of celebrations will end with the Big Help Out on 8 May, which will highlight the impact of volunteering. This will encourage people to get involved with activities run by local community groups, organisations and charities. Organisations already signed up include The Scouts, Royal Voluntary Service, National Trust and RNLI. Volunteer-involving organisations wanting to join in can sign up at the link below.
Announcement:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronation-weekend-celebrations-that-will-bring-communities-together-announced
Coronation weekend plans:
https://www.royal.uk/coronation-weekend-plans-announced
The Big Help Out:
https://thebighelpout.org.uk/
The Coronation Big Lunch:
https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-lunch