[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Virginia

If you send me your email address,.I can send you a suitable set of words.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Well, it depends. Most organisations keep the AB centrally (eg in the Admin Office). Victims of accidents report each incident to the Office, where any entry is made (correctly each time) and any appropriate further action is arranged straightaway by those controllong the necessary (usually maintenance) funds.

BTW Accident Books are only required by law in a workplace with 10 or more workers. However, having one is not a bad idea.

Look up ‘HSE Accident Books how to use one’ or something like that.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Matthew

Yes. In an Accidents Book . You can buy them cheaply from many places, including Amazon.

Look up via Google what laws givern their existence and use.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Sarah

Given your situation — bottled gas, no staff, multi-day absence over a holiday, and a private event — the safest and most commonly adopted stance would be:

Do not allow unsupervised use of the communal kitchen for major cooking.

You can still offer a compromise:

:● Use of the hall for dining

● Use of non-gas equipment (if allowed in your policies)

● The option to bring fully prepared food

● Clear explanation that the restriction is due to insurance and safety requirements

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Tina

I wonder – having completed your Level 4 qualification, obviously you are more knowledgeable than you were before. But do you feel you are now a more effective almshouse Clerk?

If so, can you elaborate, please?

Genuine question!

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Hello

Yes – we charge one rate of WMC for ‘single occupancy of a one bedroom flat’ and a higher rate for ‘occupancy of a cottage/double occupancy of a one bedroom flat/single occupancy of a two bedroom flat’.

Our cottages all have two bedrooms.

Do email me if you would like to discuss the rates our charity charges and how we arrive at them. Bear in mind that every charity’s charges and calculation methods will differ according to each charity’s circumstances.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Sarah

I offer a counter-opinion.

CAF has the clunkiest on-line system I have ever encountered. It has no banking app, so no cheque photographing etc.

If you use two or more signatures, then every single bank transaction, from 1p to £1m needs those signatures. Unlike Lloyds on-line banking, for example.

The trouble is, we’re an unincorporated trust and the Big Five (eg Lloyds) deem this to be ‘too problematic’ from a ‘Get to Know Your Customer’ point of view. Instead of dealing with one entity (a registered company or CIO), they have to deal with 6-8 ‘owners’ (aka Trustees), and they feel this is too difficult for them. So we can’t move to their accounts.

CAF might be great for a dedicated Accounts/Finance Department, but as a lone-working part-time Clerk/General Factotum (albeit an experienced one) CAF causes more hassle and frustrations than I would want.

And, yes, it has a good Help Desk. That’s because they get lots of calls to hone their skills on. Go figure, as they say … .

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Anna

An interesting topic.

No, we don’t have multi-tier charging, except for varying floor-area and/or number of bedrooms.

The correct and fiscally sensible thing to do is to charge every resident the appropriate rate for their particular size of accommodation. The ‘appropriate rate’ has to be:

At or below the relevant LHA,

and

When multiplied by the number of your residents, cover your costs.

(Yes, I know that some costs may not be paid for by WMC).

These WMC rates x 52 x the number of residents they apply to should match what it costs to run the charity for a year.

You appear to have 3 categories of payer:

The Rich – those who can pay in full from their own resources.

The Poor – those who can’t pay from their own resources and are subsidised by the State through LHA.

The (too) Proud – those who can’t pay in full from their own resources but ‘won’t be subsidised by the State’.

The question is – who is the ‘somebody’ that then pays the subsidy for them?

The Charity?

The Rich?

The State?

If it is to be the Charity, you will need to have Reserves you are prepared to use for this (somewhat like a bursary fund). If you do this, you’re likely to run out of funds before too long.

It’s unfair to expect the Rich residents to contribute every year to such a ‘bursary’ – by paying, effectively, a surcharge. One might expect this in a London-based independent school with lots of well-heeled clients – but not in an almshouse context.

If it is the State that has to pay the ‘bursary’, then presumably you would have to inflate the true cost of the WMC by the amount of the subsidy, so the State overpays what is given to the Poor.

I think that this is, frankly, dishonest.

And I don’t think this ‘moral circle’ can be squared by saying you’re merely ‘claiming legally due LHA by another route’. To my mind, this is just not allowed.

Meanwhile, a thought – I suppose the (too) Proud residents who won’t claim LHA are also too proud to receive WFA and their State Pension?

So what to do?

I think you have to speak to each of the (too) Proud residents. Point out that the only equitable, financially sound and legal course of action is for the Charity to charge the same WMC rate to all residents (varying only because of their unit’s floor area, for example).

If they demur, for reasons of misplaced pride, then invite them to refuse their WFA and State Pension as well.

And see what they say!

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Jo

The purpose of the AA model Complaints Policy is to be compliant with the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman. So,.if you are a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service, you actually need to leave the Policy well alone.

If you are not a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service (and more almshouses are than aren’t, I would guess) then you can either feed the model template through an on-line summariser app or, better still, condense each paragraph of the model policy into an essential summary, using your own words. For each paragraph, simply ask yourself ‘In a nutshell, what is this paragraph/section telling me I need to do?’ You won’t half get to know your policy well by the end of that process!

Which, in the words of Sellar and Yeatman (of ‘1066 and All That’ fame) can only be a ‘GOOD THING’.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

A suggested script for when making a 999 call can be found at https://stjohnfisher.school/wp-content/Citizenship%20Resources/year%208/Drugs%2C%20Alcohol%20and%20Smoking%20HT3/Christopher%20Winter%20Project%20-%20Drugs%20Education/YEAR%207%20PILOT/Year%207%20RESOURCES%20PILOT/7.3%20Dialling%20999%20Script.pdf

This could be adapted and provided as an annex to your Residents Handbook, in the same way as you may already have an annex that gives the action to be taken in the event of fire.

We avoid any problems by providing each resident with a telecare terminal (in our case, a digital unit provided by PPP Taking Care). Residents are instructed to call PPP first, if there is an emergency, by simply pressing one button. PPP always
triage every call thoroughly and take the most appropriate action, whether it is to call the Warden, a nominated friend or the emergency services.

Yes, providing a telecare service isn’t cheap but we think it’s money well spent.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Cath

I think you have suggested the most practical (and fair) solution in your last paragraph.

You are not running a boarding school and all your residents are supposed to be living independently. Even the most demanding of them would agree that their WMC (which, after all, is paying for staff salaries) should surely go towards more important things than the provision of a 24/7 post room service for residents.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Dear All

Everything you need to know on this subject is all set out in the excellent Standards of Almshouse Management (Section 7.9.3) … .

The link you want is at https://www.almshouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SAM-Consolidated-2025-edition-26-2-25-v8-FINAL.pdf

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

This question of Council Tax Exemptions on the death of an almshouse resident has been bugging me, since my original response to Euan Kennedy’s question, so I have been busy researching it further.

I have looked, specifically, at my local council’s website (Wiltshire) and with its help have now concluded that after an almshouse resident dies, the empty almshouse unit would typically be eligible for a Class B council tax exemption, not a Class F.

While Class F is used for properties left empty after a death, the specific rules for almshouses as charity-owned properties make Class B the relevant exemption.

Here is a breakdown of why this is the case:

Class F exemption (applies to properties where the owner has died). The exemption lasts until 6 months after probate is granted.

A Class F exemption applies when a property is empty after the death of the person who lived there, provided the property was owned by the deceased.

Almshouse residents are not typically owners; they are granted a license to occupy the property, which ends upon their death.

As the almshouse charity retains ownership, a Class F exemption for the resident’s death does not apply.

Class B exemption (applies to properties owned by a charity)

A Class B exemption is for properties that are owned by a charity and were last used for the purposes of that charity.

Since almshouses are owned by a charity and used to house beneficiaries, an empty unit can qualify for this exemption.

The exemption is valid for up to six months from the date the unit becomes empty. After six months, the local authority is entitled to charge full council tax on the property.

Important considerations

It is the almshouse charity’s responsibility to notify the local council of the vacancy and apply for the Class B exemption.

If the almshouse unit is reoccupied before the six-month period expires, the exemption will end.

Regards

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Nicola

‘How long is a piece of string?’ came to mind when I saw your (very valid) questions.

In summary, what you do depends, mainly, I think, on what you can afford. Then on the health and capabilities of your residents.

I suggest you Google ‘does an almshouse charity need to have a full-time live-in warden’ and ask for an AI Mode answer. This will give you some helpful pointers on what you might do, what others do and what the drivers are in determining the best course of action.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[clerk.stjohnswilton]

Jo

Try asking Google for a ‘specimen letter to referee of potential almshouse trustee’ and opt for an AI Mode response.

I think you’ll get what you want. If you are looking for particular skills/knowledge/experience from your potential trustee, then you simply adjust the letter accordingly.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

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