DECEMBER 2025: A summary of the latest UK Government policy changes and news.
1. Housing Qualifications – Competence and Conduct Standard
The Government has directed the Regulator of Social Housing to produce a standard for registered providers. The Government has directed that the standard must:
- apply to senior housing managers and executives and service providers
- have written policies setting out the model approach to learning and development, appraising staff, and managing poor performance etc.
- adopt or develop an appropriate code of conducts for those staff
- give tenants meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise the development of the policy, and decisions relating to the code of conduct, and ensure they are made accessible to tenants and kept up to date and fit for purpose
- secure that their Senior Housing Executives and Senior Housing Managers have, or are working towards, a specified qualification, or type of qualification, in housing management and take steps to secure that Relevant Managers of their services providers also gain a specified qualification.
The standard will come into force in October 2026, with a transition period before all relevant staff must have or be working towards an appropriate qualification. The transition period is 3 years for large registered providers and their services providers (1,000 homes or more) and 4 years for small registered providers and their services providers (under 1,000 homes).
Most importantly, it sets out the criteria for who the standard will apply to. Following extensive engagement on behalf of the charity housing sector, The Almshouse Association is pleased to confirm that it will now, not apply to unpaid volunteers (trustees). Clerks and Wardens will also be exempt under certain circumstances – where they do not have direct management responsibilities. The Almshouse Association is preparing a toolkit for Registered Providers to assist with assessing if their staff are included.
For more information, please visit the Government website here.
2. Charity Commission Update
Dame Julia Unwin has been appointed as Chair of the Charity Commission from 1 January 2026.
The appointment, by the Secretary of State, is for a 3-year term from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028. Dame Julia Unwin’s appointment was endorsed by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
3. Autumn Budget
Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the Autumn Budget 2025 on 27 November 2025. Changes relevant to charities include:
- a new VAT relief from 1 April 2026 for business donations of goods to charity and
- the introduction of legislation to strengthen the charity tax rules on tainted donations, approved investments and non-charitable expenditure.
Other housing related changes include the expansion of the Warm Home Discount Scheme to a further 3 million of the poorest households.
The Chancellor has also axed the ECO scheme and removed other legacy costs from bills, estimated to cut £150 from the average household energy bill from April 2026.
The Budget document can be viewed here and the wider collection of published materials here.
4. Financial Thresholds in Charity Legislation
The Government has published its response to the April 2025 consultation into financial thresholds in charity law. For existing charities:
- the thresholds for preparing an annual return and filing an annual report and accounts with the Charity Commission will be retained at current levels;
- there are increases for a number of accounting thresholds
- there will be an increase to the daily/annual exception for professional fundraisers.
The changes will require secondary legislation and is not expected to come into effect before 1 October 2026. For new charities, the current registration thresholds of £5,000 (and £100,000 for excepted charities) will remain the same. Implementation of the changes will be accompanied by updated Charity Commission guidance in the new year.
see also: Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) | The Almshouse Association
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you to everyone who has read our Policy and Governance updates this year. For any inquiries or support with policy and governance, please do contact Alice Morrey on alicemorrey@almshouses.org
posted 11 December 2025