The Almshouse Association regularly posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact / requires action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable.

Energy and Environment

• Energy Crisis Support – The Government has outlined support which will be offered to help offset the steep rise in energy bills. This support comes after Ofgem announced that the cap on energy tariffs will rise by 54% to just under £2,000 a year on average.
  
  These steps include:
  • All households will be receiving £200 off their energy bills through a government loan to energy companies. This will be applied to domestic electricity customers from October 2022
  • Properties in council tax bands A-D will receive a £150 refund in April 2022. Those who pay by direct debit will receive £150 into their bank accounts. Local authorities will also have access to £144m in discretionary funding to assist vulnerable people, individuals on low incomes or those in council tax bands E-H.
  • Eligibility of the warm home discount scheme will be expanded with an additional £10 increase from October 2022 to £150. Those on certain means-tested benefits should qualify for the discount, but you should speak to your energy supplier about this

It is worth remembering that the final cost of energy bills is still calculated on your usage and so it is important to consider where energy efficiency measures could be introduced to help prevent costly bills. Details on the Government’s announcement can be found here.

Coronavirus

The Almshouse Association continues to monitor developments and changes to legislation with regards to Coronavirus and will provide further updates when applicable.

The latest Government guidance can be found here:
England
Wales
Scotland

RECORD OF 2021/22 Policy and Governance updates:

posted 7 February 22

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The Almshouse Association regularly posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact / requires action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable.

Please find below our latest summary:

Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Government to review staff training and qualifications in social housing – As part of its drive to improve standards within social housing the government has announced a review of training and qualifications for staff working in the sector. The Social Housing White Paper Professionalisation Review will explore the qualifications currently available for staff, with landlords, residents and trade bodies putting forward recommendations to the government. It will also consider if additional training is required to improve the service to residents.

Members who are registered providers of social housing may wish to make a submission to the working group of the review on the potential impact this could have on their work.

More information can be found here. Those wishing to respond can make a submission to Professionalisation.Review@communities.gov.uk.

Miscellaneous

Royal Horticultural Society offers grant for community gardens

To celebrate RHS Garden Day 2022, they will be gifting a new garden to one community in each of the UK’s four home nations. Working in partnership with leading garden designers, each garden will be worth up to £50,000, and an opportunity for your group to help us create an inclusive and welcoming green space for everyone within your community to access and enjoy.

Members wishing to apply must do so by February 6^th 2022. Details can be found here.

Wales

Move to Alert Level 0 – As of January 28^th, Wales has moved back to alert level 0 which means:

• Nightclubs have re-opened
• Businesses, employers and other organisations must continue to undertake a specific coronavirus risk assessment and take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus
• The general requirement of 2m social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces has been removed
• The rule of 6 no longer applies to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres
• Licensed premises no longer need to only provide table service and collect contact details
• Working from home will remain part of advice from the Welsh Government but it will no longer be a legal requirement

The Covid Pass will continue to be required to enter larger indoor events, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls.

RECORD OF 2021/22 Policy and Governance updates:

posted 31 Jan 22

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The Almshouse Association has commissioned The Smith Institute to carry out a research project looking into how almshouse charities functioned during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some members may have or may soon receive invitations to participate in interviews as part of this project. Should you receive a request from The Smith Institute, please rest assure that this is a legitimate request as part of this important piece of research.

If you have any queries regarding our research, please get in touch with Jack Baldan via jackbaldan@almshouses.org .

Posted 13 Jan 21

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The Almshouse Association regularly posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact / requires action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable.

Please find below our latest summary:

Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

• New building safety measures announced – The government has announced a new £4bn fund for 11-18m buildings to cover the costs of remediating unsafe cladding. The fund will be made up of contributions from developers. More information can be found here.
• Commencement of the Fire Safety Act – The Secretary of State confirmed that the Fire Safety Act will commence shortly. When the act comes into force, it will extend fire safety responsibilities to cover all external walls and common parts, including doors to individual flats, in any multi-occupied building regardless of height.

Wales

• Moving to alert level zero – The Welsh Government has announced the steps it will take to remove restricts put in place in response to the rise of the omicron variant of coronavirus. Measures include the removal of restrictions on outdoor activities. More information can be found here.

Coronavirus

• Changes to isolation period in England – From Monday 17^th January people with coronavirus can end their isolation after 5 full days as long as they test negative on days 5 and 6. 
• Under the new rules, those who test positive can leave isolation after two consecutive negative lateral flow tests taken 24 hours apart. Should you not receive a negative test of day 5 and 6 you can continue to test until you get two consecutive negative tests or until you have isolated for 10 days, whichever occurs first. For example, if you test negative on days 6 and 7 you can leave isolation. More information can be found here.

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Posted 17 Jan 22

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The Association is seeking members’ views (Registered Providers and interested non Registered Providers) on a Government Consultation on the introduction of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) for Registered Providers.

The aim of these measures is to:

“give tenants meaningful information about their landlord and help the regulator ensure that landlords meet the new consumer standards.”

Full information on the consultation can be found here.

Members will note that the document references “landlords” and “tenants” throughout, but the Regulator is well aware of the unique status of almshouses and uses these terms as a catch-all. We are keen to see what elements of the proposed changes may be suitable for almshouse charities to adopt as best practice, without infringing on the almshouse model itself.

So that we can develop a response which represents the view of the membership we would welcome input from all our members, this will affect Registered Providers, but we welcome views from non-Registered Providers on this issue. It is important to consider:

• Do you agree with the suggested changes and why?
• What impact would these changes have if implemented?
• How would the changes impact the unique status of almshouses?

To help you we have created a briefing which summarises the main points of the consultation.

We would ask for any contributions to be made by February 1^st 2022 to jackbaldan@almshouses.org so that we can complete our submission and allow time for members to scrutinise it. Thank you for you time and contributions.

Posted 10th January 2022

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Do you need help?

At The Almshouse Association we are always looking at how we can provide new services for our members.

For some time, we have been approached by members asking if we could provide a link to clerking services to help relieve some of the administrative burden from trustees.

There are a number of ways that the Association could seek to introduce this service but in the first instance we are simply looking to gauge interest.

We would, therefore, be most grateful if you could answer our very short survey which is accessed by clicking on the button below.

Deadline for responses is Friday 11th February 2022.

Thank you for helping us to improve our services to you.

Posted 6 Jan 22

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Over recent years The Almshouse Association has received a number of enquiries on the subject of EPCs and their requirement with regards to almshouses.

We have sought expert opinion in order to offer best guidance. Our ability to offer guidance has been complicated by contradictory opinions from government and independent experts.

In guidance we published on our website in 2019 we stated that, for almshouse charities with existing residents, a new EPC is not required but, since 2008, an EPC is required for new occupations/residents and, whilst these laws do not specifically mention almshouses, consistent advice from the (then) Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government stated that almshouses would be required to follow this legislation.

There has been some confusion with regards to the legislation which is relevant in this situation.

• The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 relates to the requirement of a private rented property needing to achieve an EPC of E or above.
  
  Since almshouse accommodation is not ‘rented’ accommodation, we believe there is scope for almshouses to be excluded from the regulation. This is in line with the majority of Housing Associations and local authorities who are also exempt.

• There is, however, a requirement to obtain an EPC when introducing a new resident as covered by The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.
  
  Although almshouses are not specifically mentioned, independent advice suggests that almshouse do need to follow this guidance when introducing a new resident. The Association does not believe that trustees must provide a copy of the EPC as standard, rather that it should be provided if requested.

• The Government’s recent White Paper regarding the transition to net zero made a number of suggestions regarding the requirement for social housing landlords to reach EPC C by 2030 and banning the installation of new gas boilers. Specific confirmation of these policies, however, is yet to be made.
  
  At this present time, it is not the opinion of The Almshouse Association that members will be required to reach EPC C by 2030.

• If a member is managing a Listed Building the situation is much less clear. The Association will continue to push for firm guidance on this issue.

In summary, the situation is frustrating in that Government has not provided the necessary clarity for us to reassure our members. What is clear, however, is the general direction of travel when it comes to the wider green agenda.

As such, The Almshouse Association would recommend that members do get an EPC for their dwellings as this is likely to be a useful tool in meeting the requirement of trustees to ensure the long term viability of the buildings you manage. The EPC will also allow members to make long term plans for your charity when it comes to implementing suitable energy efficiency measures.

Posted 13 December 21

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