– Charities Act 2022
Yesterday, on 23 January 2024, the Government published notification of the latest changes being introduced early 2024 by the Charities Act 2022 (the Act), which amends the Charities Act 2011 .
Members may wish to look at Selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of charity land . The following provisions, which were due to come into force on 14 June 2023 but did not, will be coming into force:
provisions relating to disposals by liquidators, provisional liquidators, receivers, mortgagees or administrators
provisions relating to the taking out of mortgages by liquidators, provisional liquidators, receivers, mortgagees or administrators
changes about what must be included in statements and certificates for both disposals and mortgages
Other amends include making changes to governing documents, charity mergers and further enabling the Commission’s involvement in some trustee related scenarios.
Click here to access the gov.uk webpage which provides short summaries of the changes that are due to come into force in early 2024 and links to their updated guidance for the changes that came into force on 14 June 2023 and 31 October 2022.
An overview of the full changes can be found on this page: Charities Act 2022: implementation plan .
24 January 2024
– News – Housing LIN – Sheltered Housing – Evidence needed
Dear Members,
I have received this call for evidence on the regeneration of outdated sheltered housing from Housing LIN and the APPG Older People Housing. The spirit of the group is focused on nudging the government to better sheltered housing. Although not directly our field, I believe we have valuable input from the almshouse world. The direction seems to be to modernise and upgrade. I would welcome your input – just in bullet point format if you feel appropriate but it would help me to make a rounded response.
The closing date is late Feb but if I could ask for your bullet point responses by Feb 2nd that will give time to collate and investigate if needed. I know you are busy so just the headlines will help significantly.
Many thanks
Nick Phillips
Filing Annual Accounts and the Charity Commission
The Almshouse Association is aware of the technical issues that a number of our members have experienced when trying to file their charity’s Accounts with the Charity Commission and we have, therefore, referred this to the Commission.
We have subsequently been informed that it is possible for charities to request that their Accounts are ‘backdated to show as compliant’ once filed.
If you are experiencing problems in accessing the online service, it is necessary to complete an enquiry form, or alternatively call the Charity Commission’s contact centre on 0300 066 9197 (Mon – Fri, 9 am – 5 pm).
Click for Charity Commission Enquiry Form
Text from Charity Commission Website regarding filing annual accounts at: Prepare a charity annual return – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
NOTE: Access to the Charity Commission’s online services has changed. From 31 July 2023 your previous shared charity login details will no longer work.
You need to have set up your own My Charity Commission Account , using an individual email address and password, to access services on behalf of a charity.
If you have already set up your new account, with personal login information, you can sign in to submit your charity’s annual return .
When to submit your annual return
You must submit your annual return within 10 months of the end of your financial year.
For example, if your financial year end was 31 December 2022, your deadline is 31 October 2023.
What charitable companies and unincorporated organisations need to submit
Income under £10,000
You only need to report your income and spending.
Select ‘Annual return’ from your available services when you login to your account.
Income between £10,000 and £25,000
You must answer questions about your charity in an annual return.
You do not need to include any other documents.
Income over £25,000
You must answer questions about your charity in an annual return.
You will need to declare that there are no serious incidents that you have not reported to us. Report serious incidents before you submit your annual return.
You will need to get your accounts checked and provide copies of your:
You also need a full audit if you have:
income over £1 million
gross assets over £3.26 million and income over £250,000
Prepare your annual report and accounts first. You can then upload them when you complete your annual return.
What type of accounts you need to prepare depends on the type of charity and its finances.
What charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) need to submit
You must answer questions about your charity in an annual return and include copies of your:
If your income is over £25,000 you also need to:
You also need a full audit if you have:
income over £1 million
gross assets over £3.26 million and income over £250,000
Prepare and agree your annual report and accounts first. You can then upload them when you complete your annual return.
What type of accounts you need to prepare depends on your charity’s finances.
posted 18 January 2024
The Almshouse Association was thrilled to receive a call from Channel 5 wishing to run a piece on almshouses in London over the Christmas period.
Our plans, however, were thwarted by conflicting schedules, train strikes and inclement weather. Fortunately, we had furnished the production company with so many captivating stories about almshouses, Channel 5 was still eager to film and we agreed a date for after Christmas.
So on Wednesday 3 January 2024, Almshouse Association CEO, Nick Phillips and PR Manager Gerry Harmon, together with the Almshouse Manager of livery company The Worshipful Company of Mercers, Sarah Oliver, met up with Channel 5 presenter, Natalia Jorquera and her film crew at Trinity Hospital Almshouses in Greenwich. The weather was on our side and they were able to film the stunning architecture and gardens of the almshouses before going inside to take a look at life behind the ornate doors.
During the interview, Nick Phillips talked about the origins of almshouses, their growing demand and how they play a vital role in the provision of community-led affordable housing for people that cannot afford to buy their own house. Residents Geraldine and Terry talked to the presenter about almshouse living and what it meant to them with Geraldine proudly giving Natalia a guided tour.
At the end of the interview Nick Phillips emphasised the crucial requirement for increased philanthropic support so that more almshouses can be built and those that we have can continue to be well run and cost-efficient for many more generations to come.
Our thanks to the residents of Trinity Almshouses, to Sarah Oliver, Almshouse Manager at The Worshipful Company of Mercers and to Channel 5 for helping to raise the profile of almshouses. They also kindly supplied us with a video clip of the news item for everyone to view.
Please click >>>>to access>>>>>
posted 8 January 2024
When meeting ministers, The Almshouse Association continues to emphasise the importance of providing long term guidance and stability so our members can budget over a longer term.
Today (4 Jan 2024) the Regulator of Social Housing (RSL) published its annual rent limit guidance document .
Annual adjustment of formula rent Annual Rent Limit Guidance document document contains adjusted tables to help providers ensure that they use the correct annual percentage to increase their rent. It also provides the additional data needed to work out formula rent for new properties.Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing (Policy Statement) which is published on the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities website. The Policy Statement sets out the government’s policy on rents from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Whilst almshouse charities do not charge rent, and government guidance does apply to Registered Providers’ weekly maintenance charges, non-registered provider almshouse charities may want to use the information for information/ guidance purposes. Please also see our guidance here: https://www.almshouses.org/news/wmc-specimen-outline-budget-2024/
posted 4 January 2024
……census submission deadline extended……Dear Members Great Almshouse Census Please click here to access the census Why are we doing it?
NB: If you would like to view the census, before you start it, please click here for a downloadable pdf copy. Please do, however, complete the census online using the link above
30 November 2023 , updated 21 December 2023
Almshouses have been recognised in Government response to consultation on Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill 2023
As you are no doubt aware, there has been a significant debate on the National Planning Policy Framework. The Almshouse Association has called for this debate and is largely responsible for the questions in the debate around affordable housing definition. We believe that the charity model of almshouses should be included in this definition and have made that position ….. (probably tiresomely) clear to The Secretary of State. (many thanks to you all for your many letters.)
The results of that consultation were released on 20 December 2023 and can be accessed via:
Government response to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy consultation – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
You will see that we were influential in two aspects: Q26/27
More community-led developments
Question 26 – Should the definition of ‘affordable housing for rent’ in the Framework glossary be amended to make it easier for organisations that are not Registered Providers – in particular, community-led developers and almshouses – to develop new affordable homes?
Response: A total of 1,052 respondents answered yes/no/indifferent to this question. Of those, 741 (70%) agreed with the proposal, 102 (10%) did not agree and 209 (20%) were indifferent.
Key points:
There was widespread agreement that community-led housing and almshouses have an important contribution to make in boosting housing supply and supporting affordable housing delivery.
The responses focused on the requirement in the current definition of ‘affordable housing for rent’ that the landlord must be a registered provider of social housing. That requirement is seen by some as a barrier to non-registered organisations providing new affordable housing. Many responses suggested that the removal of the registered provider test is widely seen as being helpful in enabling more community-led groups and almshouses – and potentially other organisations – to deliver more housing.
There was widespread agreement that, in the absence of a registered provider test, some other strong safeguards would be needed to ensure good landlord practice, appropriate standards and appropriate pricing.
Several respondents suggested that the current registration scheme may be the best way of ensuring adequate standards are maintained.
In many cases, it was not clear from the responses that those who supported the proposal (that is, that the definition of ‘affordable housing for rent’ should be amended) were clear about why the current restrictions are in place. No respondents suggested that the removal of the registered provider test need to be accompanied by some other form of regulation or safeguarding of standards.
Although not explicitly asked within the question, many responses included comments about accommodation falling within the definition of affordable housing not being affordable in practice.
Government response :
This proposal was intended to support and encourage more community-led affordable housing to come forward, specifically through amending the National Planning Policy Framework glossary which defines ‘affordable housing for rent’. The Government has carefully considered the responses to the consultation and is grateful for the range of views received.
The Almshouse Association is working with The Department of Levelling, Communities and Housing to see how this translates into change that local and national government can use to support the almshouse model – a small step forward. We will keep you in informed
posted 21 December 2023
The English Housing Survey (EHS) is a national survey of people’s housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England.
It is one of the longest standing government surveys and was first run in 1967.
On 14 December 2023 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published the initial findings from the 2022-23 survey, which can be accessed via the gov.uk website .
The release of this data is a good reminder of two important reports carried out for The Almshouse Association.
These and other reports can be found on our website via Almshouse research and published material
18 December 2023
Above graphics credit/source: gov.uk
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas break and thank you for all your dedication and hard work in supporting almshouses, your residents and the almshouse movement throughout the year.
As we all look forward to 2024, we hope that it is a happy and special year for everyone.
Our office opening times over the Christmas break are as per the below:
Friday 22 December
Saturday 23 December to Monday 1st January Tuesday 2 January
and
posted 19 December 2023
Paving the way for the next generation of Regional Meetings
We are delighted to announce a new, streamlined process that empowers members to independently host a Regional Meeting. Through this innovative initiative, our primary goal is to help support increased collaboration and engagement among our members.
We believe that restructuring our Regional Meetings will enable more of our members to facilitate informal gatherings, fostering mutual support as well as nurturing the strong sense of community that characterises the almshouse movement.
What’s New?
We have developed a user-friendly template to make hosting regional meetings easy. Whether you’re a seasoned event organiser or new to this role, this resource will be invaluable in planning and executing a successful meeting.
Support
If you encounter any challenges or have questions along the way, we are here to support you. Send us the date and timings for your meeting in our email invitation template along with information on your guest speaker and we will email members your invitation.
Getting Started
Read our checklist before organising a meeting to ensure you have the facilities to be able to support an event. Using our template invitation, you can then decide on a date and timings and source a guest speaker/s.
Once we have received these details, we can then organise for the invite to go out and will include your contact details so they can connect with you directly.
Share your success
We’d love to hear about your experiences and success stories with this new process. If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement, please don’t hesitate to reach out to gerryharmon@almshouses.org. Your input will help us continue to enhance this initiative for almshouse members.
We look forward to seeing the continued positive impact of these regional meetings and the collaboration they will foster among our members.
admin@almshouses.org .
posted 7 December 2023