Appointed insurance broker change

We have been informed by our contact at Aon UK Limited that their business model is changing. In the next few days members will receive a letter to advise that The Almshouse Association has changed *one of our appointed insurance brokers from Aon to Higos Insurance Service Limited. 

Almshouse Association CEO will be holding meetings with Higos this week to set out the importance of customer service and price to our members. Please see below the statement issued by Higos, agreed by Higos and AON.

“We are delighted to welcome you to Higos Insurance Services Limited and we can confirm the transfer of your policy has started. The change from Aon to Higos is effective from 27th August 2020 onwards.

Higos Insurance Services Limited has been trading for over 25 years as a general insurance broker and we pride ourselves on our customer service throughout the whole lifecycle of your policy.  We work with our insurers to develop the best possible offering for our customers and we welcome customer feedback.  Once customers have engaged with our knowledgeable staff and experienced our service they stay with us for our care and advice.

We have connections to the UK’s leading insurance companies, as well as lots of other markets that offer niche insurance products for personal insurance, business and much more. Your existing policy with AON|Ecclesiastical will not be affected by this change and Higos will continue to administrate your existing policy following the recent renewal date.

We are committed to The Almshouse Association and have a devoted team of professionals.  Your team telephone number is 01458 270304 but if you would prefer to communicate by email you can contact us on almshouses.portfolio@higos.co.uk “

www.higos.co.uk

* Our other appointed insurance broker, Grout Insurance Brokers Limited remains unchanged.

Posted 17th August 2020

Policy & Governance update: July/August 20

Draft Building Safety Bill

The Government has recently published its draft Building Safety Bill. The bill would bring a number of changes in what is being referred to as the “biggest improvements to building safety in nearly 40 years”.

Changes include:

  • The creation of a new Building Safety Regulator
  • A new duty holder system will be implemented in every building, which aims to ensure that the person or entity that creates a building safety risk is responsible for managing that risk
  • The requirement to have a Building Safety Manager in every high-rise building in the country to manage the day-to-day management of the building
  • Increased sanctions for breaches
  • Creation of a New Homes Ombudsman

The Almshouse Association will continue to monitor the progress of the bill and will keep members up to date with any developments.

Building Safety Fund

The Government has released guidance for social landlords on how to apply for the Building Safety Fund to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding without passing the cost onto leaseholders. Due to the age of most almshouses, it is unlikely that many members will be eligible for this support, but it is worth looking into if you oversee a multi-storey almshouse. It is also worth noting that a lot of the language refers to landlords and leaseholders, but the funding should extend to almshouse charities.

The key points for the fund are:

  • The Government will prioritise funding for building owners who can demonstrate that the contractor will start work on cladding remediation by 31 March next year
  • Online forms must be completed by 31 December 2020 to be considered
  • Trustees would need to provide:
    • Confirmation that evidence is available to support submissions regarding eligibility of height and materials.
    • Confirmation of costs of the project – this could be a report from a cost consultant, together with the basis on which costs attributable to leaseholders have been calculated.
    • Confirmation that they have the legal right to recharge leaseholders – this could be evidence in the form of a copy of a lease agreement that contains the legal right to pass cost back to leaseholders. Social housing providers will be expected to show a representative sample demonstrating that the ability to recharge is across all leases.
    • Certification that the project will be on site and remediation work will have started by 31 March 2021.
  • The funding is not available for buildings below 17.7m in height

Full guidance on the fund can be found here.

Previous Policy and Governance Updates:

Click here for Policy and Governance – June 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance – May 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance – Apr 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance – Mar 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance – Feb 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance –Jan 2020 Summary
Click here for Policy and Governance – 2019 Summary

Posted 17 August 20

AGM 2020

Our sixty ninth AGM will take place virtually at 10am on 1st September 2020 by webinar.

Main Business:

  • Approval of Minutes of the 68th Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 5th June 2019 at The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, Haberdashers’ Hall, 18 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HQ.
  • Election of Board Members
  • Presentation of 2019 Annual Report and Accounts
  • To re-appoint Buzzacott LLP as Auditors for The Almshouse Association
  • Special resolution to approve the ‘change of name’ from ‘The National Association of Almshouses’ to ‘The Almshouse Association’

All members are cordially invited to attend the webinar. The nominated representative for each member charity is invited to cast their vote (NOTE: only one person per charity is permitted to vote)

– To register for the webinar, please click here.

– To post your vote, please click here

Deadline for voting is 25th August 2020

Posted 18th June 2020, re-posted 17 August 2020

Minister responds to Association’s letter calling for almshouses to have access to coronavirus testing

Last month, The Almshouse Association wrote to Helen Whately MP, Minister of State for Care, calling for almshouses to have access to testing for coronavirus as testing was due to be rolled out to care homes. Since writing the initial letter, the rollout of tests has been delayed, with full rollout now expected next month.

However, we are pleased that the minister has responded to our letter and has assured us that the Government, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, Public Health England and others agree that:

‘some supported-living and extra-care facilities share similarities with care homes in terms of care and risks…[and that] The Government will roll out an initial round of testing for staff and residents in the settings that meet certain risk-based criteria’

The Almshouse Association welcomes the response from the minister which provides reassurance that coronavirus testing will be based on risk. We will continue to push for almshouses to be seen as high risk settings which require regular access to Coronavirus testing.  

Members may also like to know that the minister expressed her “immense gratitude for the care being provided in almshouses, particularly during this pandemic.” 

You can keep up to date with the latest Coronavirus news here.

10th August 2020

Universal Credit: Changes to Alternative Payment Arrangements

From August 20, the way that deductions are made from Universal Credit to cover the cost of the Weekly Maintenance Charge will be changing.

Under the current rules claimants of Universal Credit are, in certain circumstances, allowed to agree to have their housing costs paid directly to their landlords under the Alternative Payment Arrangement, however, the schedule for these payments (four-weekly cycle) did not match the schedule of the remaining Universal Credit payment (monthly cycle). This system has been found to create difficulties for both claimants and landlords.

The new system will bring both of this payments in line with each other so that claimants and landlord receive their payments on the same date.

  • This change will only affect landlords who make use of the online Landlord Portal to manage payments.
  • Payment information can be accessed via the portal to see information which will enable them to more effectively support beneficiaries who are experiencing difficult circumstances.
  • Those who will be affected by the change should be contacted prior to the system going live and should be provided with detailed guidance on the changes.

More information on these payments can be found here.

If any of the guidance is not clear or you would like further support, please do not hesitate to contact The Almshouse Association and we will endeavour to help.

Posted 27 July 2020

TV Licence update

Update on free and concessionary television licences

On 1 August 2020 the BBC will be introducing changes to its TV licensing fees for the over-75s, which may have an impact on your residents. We have received a number of enquiries from our members on this issue and have developed a set of frequently asked questions to help you.

What are the changes coming into force on 1 August 2020?

From 1 August 2020 those aged 75 or over will no longer be eligible for a free TV licence unless they are on pension credit. This change was due to come into force on 1 June 2020 but, due to the Covid-19, was delayed by two months.

TV Licensing will be writing to anyone over the age of 75 from August to advise them of what they need to do to continue watching live TV or using services such as BBC iPlayer. 

What if the resident’s free TV licence has already expired or is due to expire on 31st July?

TV Licensing has issued the following guidance note:

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/generalnotice

They have indicated that there is no need to worry about the expired license at this stage and your residents will remain covered by their TV license until they are contacted with guidance on what to do next.

Do the changes apply to ARC licences?

No. If your charity has an ARC licence and your residents are aged 75 or over, their TV licence will remain free of charge, regardless of whether they’re on pension credit or not.

NOTE: For anyone who is aged between 60 and 75 and is retired, the cost of an ARC licence remains at £7.50 per year.

This has been confirmed in the TV Licensing Full General Notice available here

What is an ARC license and how can we apply?

The ARC licence is a type of concessionary TV licence available to people living in care homes and some other forms of sheltered housing. Both the resident and accommodation needs to be eligible for this type of licence.

Almshouses are eligible for an ARC licence if the building itself, land it was built on or charity was established before 1 November 1949. Sheltered or supported accommodation may also be eligible if it:

  • Is housed in a building that has been erected or converted for the purposes of occupation by residents that are retired and over 60, or disabled
  • Forms part of a group of at least four dwellings within a common and exclusive boundary (up to 25% of units in a scheme can be properties purchased under the ‘Right to Buy’ legislation)
  • Provides or is managed by a not for profit organisation; including local authority or a housing associations
  • Has a person whose function is to care for the needs of the residents (e.g. a warden) and who either lives on site or works there for at least 30 hours a week, excluding on-call hours.

Your residents will also need to qualify for the licence. They must be aged 60 or over and retired or not working more than 15 hours a week, or disabled (e.g. have substantially impaired sight, hearing or speech, a mental disorder or be substantially physically disabled by illness, any impairment present from birth or otherwise).

To apply for an ARC licence, please visit:

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/business-and-organisations/residential-care-homes-aud14.

How do I add a resident to our ARC licence?

You will need to write to TV licensing to let them know when you want to add someone to your ARC licence. If the resident has already paid for a full TV license, they can apply for a refund once they’ve been added to the ARC license.

If you have any questions or concerns about TV licences, please contact us at admin@almshouses.org or on 01344 452099.

Posted 27 July 2020

Members Survey 2020 Report

A big thank you to our members for responding to our 2020 Members Survey. 557 members completed the questionnaire, which is an excellent return and 137 more than our 2018 survey.

Your contributions help us enormously  – to  plan and tailor our services to suit your needs today and over the next 5 years and also to help us to gauge where members may be feeling frustrated and services need to be enhanced or introduced.

Many of you also took the opportunity to compliment the team on the service we provide and I thank you – like any organisation, it is always rewarding to receive good feedback, but it is also important that we make sure we address any concerns you may have and I will ensure these areas are reviewed and raised at future Board meetings and acted on.

I wonder though about those members that, through time commitments or other reasons, were not able to respond to the survey. I think we need to do more to reconnect to those members and canvas their views or at least remind them that we are here for them. Maybe they think we are doing just fine but I do not want to assume, so I will continue to seek more and different ways to communicate with all our membership.

Best regards

Nick Phillips | CEO Almshouse Association

Please click on the below to access the Almshouse Association 2020 Members Survey Report.

Members Survey 2020 Report

Posted 23 July 2020

Stoneking Webinar: Incorporation for Almshouses

Webinar: Incorporation for Almshouses – Why and How? – An Almshouse Toolkit

Date : 28.07.2020
Time: 2-3 pm
Fee: Free of Charge

Stone King LLP and The Trust Partnership invite Almshouse Association members to their third webinar providing almshouse charities with some legal guidance and practical tips as we reflect on the effects of the pandemic.

Following Part One: Surviving lockdown – an Almshouse Toolkit and Part Two: Post-Lockdown Risk Assessments Stoneking present, by popular request, Part Three: Incorporation for Almshouses – Why and How?

In the third part,  Tim Rutherford (Head of the Charity and Social Enterprise Group at Stone King) and Elizabeth Fathi (Director of Almshouses at The Trust Partnership) combine their extensive knowledge and experience of almshouses to present Part Three: Incorporation for Almshouses – Why and How?

The webinar will cover:

  • Why incorporate and what are the alternatives?
  • Which Structure to use
  • The Process
  • What to look out for
  • Timing

This webinar will follow a question and answer format with examples  to enable a full exploration of legal and practical matters.

If you have any questions you wish to submit in advance, please include them when registering or alternatively please email events@stoneking.co.uk.  There will also be opportunity to submit questions during the webinar.

To book your place at the webinar, please click here. 

Posted 21st July 2020

Trustee Recruitment Masterclass Course

Following the success of our Essential Boardfinder webinar in June, we are now offering an in-depth look at the trustee recruitment process in a five-part course.

When: 28 July – 25 August 2020
Cost: £50 (with a £25 refund to those who complete all five webinars)

Over five weeks, participants will discover:

  • how to identify the skills they need on their trustee board
  • how to develop a compelling trustee advert
  • how to interview candidates and tips on the induction process for new trustees.

Each masterclass will be 60 minutes long and held on Zoom.  Those booking onto the course will be expected to take part in each of the five webinars. Places are limited to 20 people so early booking is recommended.

To reserve your space, please complete the booking form and return to rosiesweeney@almshouses.org.

Posted 9th July 2020

Cybersecurity Webinar: Protecting you and your data

Join us for this free 60 minute webinar on how to keep your charity’s data safe.

When: 23 July 2020, 15:00-16:00
Cost: Free

Hosted by KCS Ltd, The Almshouse Association’s IT provider, this webinar will:

  • look at the techniques used by criminals to access your data
  • explain the damage this can cause
  • give you tips on how to protect your organisation and yourself.

The webinar will be held on Skype and you will need to have Skype downloaded to take part.

Click here to book your free space at the Cybersecurity Webinar

Posted 9th July 2020