Government updates advice on £400 energy rebate

The Government has announced further information on the £400 energy rebate which is being provided to households to help with the cost-of-living crisis. Previously there had been concerns that the scheme would not support those who operated heat networks where a charity charges for energy through their WMC.

However, the Government has now clarified that the payment will be made to those with:

“Domestic electricity contracts from landlords where fixed energy costs are included in their rental charges. In these circumstances, landlords who resell energy to their tenants should pass the discounted payments on appropriately, in line with Ofgem rules to protect tenants.”

Furthermore, they have confirmed that:

“Further funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the 1% of households who will not be reached through the EBSS [Energy Bill Support Scheme]. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier, such as park home residents.”

We are glad that the Government has taken note of the pressure from The Almshouse Association and others on this issue. However, we are still disappointed that further information on how the scheme will be delivered has still not been provided.

Those with standard electric tariffs will see a £66 discount applied to their energy bill in October and November, rising to £67 from December to March 2023.

Further information can be found here.

posted 4 August 22

Almshouse celebrates its bicentenary

John Baker Charity – Almshouses in Aynho – sent in by trustees Kathy White and Andrew Bellamy

“There was a special bicentennial afternoon tea held in the gardens of the almshouses in Aynho, West Northants on Wednesday 22^nd June. The trustees, residents, families, friends and previous Parish councillors celebrated the amazing generosity of John Baker more than 200 years ago who wanted to help men and women equally in Aynho – first by clothing them, then by giving them some extra pennies and then, after his death, his trustees built these amazing houses with the funds in his Trust in 1822.

To think of all the beneficiaries over those 200 years – all the residents who have lived alongside each other in these houses. Some for a short period and some for many years. There have been a lot of changes and the houses have been improved and upgraded with modern facilities as time has passed.

We tried to find some family links back to John Baker and his family through genealogical research to invite them to celebrate with us – but sadly to no avail despite a great effort from our local History Society, however, we can just remember the great Baker family, one-time glaziers in Oxford, with their personal links to Aynho, and buried in magnificent tombs on the south side of St Michael’s Church.

We raised our cups of tea in thanks for endowing our village with houses where the current, and many generations before them, have been so pleased to live – independently and in a house they can call home……and no longer expected to attend Church four times on a Sunday!

To John Baker – and the next 200 years! “

St John’s Winchester Almshouse Charity support for Ukraine

The work of the St John’s Winchester Charity was recently celebrated in the Hampshire Chronicle.

20th June 2022 by Kimberley Barber Winchester charity St John’s Winchester supports Ukraine | Hampshire Chronicle

“RESIDENTS and staff at a charity that helps older people in Winchester have shown their support for the Ukraine.
The group from St John’s Winchester said they are determined to do what they can to support Ukrainian people suffering as a result of the invasion of their country.
The charity has donated equipment such as beds, hoists, furniture, and medical equipment from its former Moorside Care Home to a Polish charity, Pomagamy Foundation, which transports equipment and supplies to support refugees and local populations in Ukraine including the Ternopil Region, East of Lviv.
So far, 17 trips with donated equipment have been made.
Clive Cook, St John’s chief executive, said: “We can only imagine the pain and suffering of those living with the consequences of the war in Ukraine. I want to thank Ukrainian colleague, Ina Matthias, and our staff and residents for inspiring us to take the small actions we can, to help victims of this terrible conflict.”
The trips have been organised by Ina, who is from Ukraine and works at St John’s and lives in Southampton.
As well as the donations, St John’s has opened staff recruitment to suitably qualified Ukrainian refugees.
Its almshouses are also available for occupation by evacuees coming to the country under the ‘Ukraine Family’ and ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Schemes – subject to age and other qualifications.
The residents of St John’s almshouses pitched in and they raised £731.79 for the Disasters Emergency Committee, Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal through donations and a fundraising coffee morning.
Residents and staff have also filled two cars with donations such as clothing and supplies, which has been delivered to the Polish Social Club, Southampton for onward transmission to Ukraine.

[photo credit: Hampshire Chronicle: Ina Matthias (fourth left), Clive Cook Almshouse Association Trustee and St John’s CEO (sixth left) and local volunteers supporting the transportation of St John’s Winchester Moorside equipment]

Posted July 2022

Mandatory smoke and carbon monoxide alarms from 1st Oct 2022

Following consultations with the Government, The Almshouse Association can confirm that changes to the regulations of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms will affect almshouses.

This means that from October 1st, 2022 almshouse charities will be required to:

provide a smoke alarm on each storey of their properties where there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation
provide carbon monoxide alarms in any room of their properties used wholly or partly as living accommodation where a fixed combustion appliance is present (excluding gas cookers)
repair or replace alarms as soon as reasonably practicable.

Many almshouse charities likely already provide these alarms in their dwellings and shared communal areas. If not, trustees should look to immediately address this so that they are compliant with the new requirements.

If you are looking for support with either types of alarm, it is recommended you contact your local fire service who should be able to assist you further.

Posted 26 July 22

Social Media Awareness online training

15 mins | CPD accredited

This Social Media Awareness Training course raises awareness of the risks associated with using social media and how using these platforms inappropriately can have severe consequences.

Social media has changed the way the world interacts with each other, both personally and professionally. In fact, the average internet user spends 145 minutes per day on social media! With that said, there are a number of risks associated with social media usage that both organisations and their staff/volunteers must be aware of and know how to mitigate.

This short online Social Media Awareness course explores how social media might be used at work, and also when it shouldn’t be used. Additionally, it covers the importance of following an organisation’s policies and procedures surrounding social media usage and why publicly sharing confidential or private information can be extremely damaging.

This Social Media Awareness course isn’t just for those who work in Marketing or Advertising either, it’s for anyone who might use social media within the workplace, for whatever reason.

COURSE CONTENTS

This training course is broken down into 2 sections

Section 1 – Defining Social Media
The opening section of this training course looks at the term “social media” and analyses what it covers, it’s risks, and it’s benefits.

Section 2 – Social Media at Work
The final section of this training course looks at how social media can be used in the workplace, including best practices for using it safely.

Social Media Awareness Certificate

The course ends with a multiple choice test to measure your knowledge of the material and a printable certificate which includes your name, name of course taken, pass percentage, date of completion and accreditations by recognised authorities.

To access your course
1. After you have clicked on the button below, you will be taken though to the Training login area.
2. Type in your email address to login and then you will be asked for your charity name, membership number and name.
3. Type in your first name and last name as you would like them to appear on your certificate

An Introduction to Almshouses online training

60 mins | CPD Accredited

This training course is aimed at clerks and trustees who are new to their roles. It is a scene setter covering key knowledge areas including signposting that will help generate useful discussions for those concerned. The course will take approximately an hour to complete and you will receive a CPD certificate on passing.

The course covers 4 learning modules as follows:

MODULE 1

The history of almshouses
The Almshouse Association
What makes almshouses unique

MODULE 2

Knowledge of key documents
Almshouse language
Do’s and don’ts
Mandatory policies & templates
Residents’ Letter of Appointment and Residents’ Handbook

MODULE 3

The main charity regulator, the Charity Commission

MODULE 4

Your role
Standards of Almshouse Management (SAM)
Your residents

Course objectives, on completion you will be:

knowledgeable about how The Almshouse Association can support you, the history of almshouses, the movement and what makes almshouses unique.
confident in what are your charity’s key documents that support and guide decision-making and where to find them.
familiar with using the correct almshouse language and terms.
understand the role of the Charity commission and your charity’s main reporting obligations.
knowledgeable about the main duties of a trustee and a clerk and familiar with good working practices.
knowledgeable in different resident scenarios and where to find guidance.

An Introduction to Almshouses certificate

The course ends with a multiple-choice test to measure your knowledge of the materials and a printable certificate which includes your name, the course taken, your pass percentage, the date of completion and accreditations by recognised authorities.

To access your course

After you have clicked on the button below, you will be taken through to the Training login area.
Please type in your email address to login, select the course you want to complete and follow the instructions.
If this is the first time you have logged into the Online training area, you will be asked for your name, the name of your charity, its membership number of The Almshouse Association and your own name. Please type in your first name and last name as you would like them to appear on your certificate

Small grant makes a big difference

Sometimes a small grant can make a big difference. Trustees at the Old Windsor United Charities (Penny Royal Almshouses) were worried about the rising cost of energy and the impact it would have on their almshouse residents so looked into ways to help.

With money very tight for the charity, they sought the help of The Almshouse Association and were awarded a grant of £2,835.00 to install foam loft installation in their almshouse roofs.

On completion of the work, we put the following questions to the almshouse charity clerk:

What challenges was the charity facing before the project was completed?

In light of significant increases in energy costs, we assessed all of the almshouses to see if we could make them more energy efficient; this is particularly important as the residents pay their own energy bills. Once we accessed the loft spaces of two of the houses in the Victorian block – Nos 28 & 29 – we saw that less than 50% of their loft spaces were insulated with fibreglass, we believe that this is due to access issues i.e. water tanks and pipework blocking access. We wanted to remedy before the next winter to help the householders keep their bills as low as possible. After doing some research, we discovered that spray foam was the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly; it would also be easier to install given the issues with access.

Our priority has been to replace all the old windows and those that weren’t double glazed and we were keen to have the funds to complete this before the next winter. It was looking challenging to do this and install the loft insulation as the cost of windows has increased by a staggering amount over the last two years and is still increasing due to supply chain issues and inflation.

How was this affecting the residents?

The main issue for the residents was the expectation of incredibly high energy bills. As a charity, we wanted to do everything we could to try and make the houses as energy efficient as possible – the bills will still be higher, but the new insulation should save the residents up to 45% on their heating bills.

What work was completed utilising the grant?

The installation of spray foam insulation in the loft space of two of the almshouses (No 28 & 29) in the Victorian block.

What would have happened had you not been successful in receiving a grant or loan?

We would have needed to take the money from Reserves or delay other maintenance work that we planned for this year. We have had to take large amounts out of our Reserves over the last two years to pay for a backlog of maintenance work and for two very costly refurbishments. We are hoping that we can now return some of the funds taken from the Reserves this year; to protect funds for future residents; to hopefully continue to receive distribution payments from our investments to ensure that we do not need to increase the Monthly Maintenance Charge paid by the residents too much in a time of high inflation.

What have the residents said about the changes?

The residents were incredibly happy that we were able to get their homes’ insulation improved. They are all very worried about the increased cost of living and particularly the terrifying increase in the cost of energy. We know that they will really feel the difference once the weather gets colder.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The Almshouse Association has recently held discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Ofgem regarding the eligibility of almshouse dwellings for the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The scheme will provide “grants to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps”. This includes:

£5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump
£5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler
£6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump

This support would offer significant support to charities who may be considering installing some of these measures. However, the eligibility of almshouses is not clear as the broader category of social housing – defined as “low-cost rental accommodation – is not eligible. The Almshouse Association has challenged this definition as almshouses do not provide ‘rental’ accommodation.

Unfortunately, neither body has provided clear guidance beyond this point and have instead suggested that they would judge each application on a case-by-case basis. We would encourage members to apply for the scheme and to inform the Association of the outcome.

Details on the scheme can be found here.

Posted 18 July 22

P&G update: 18.07.22

The Almshouse Association regularly posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact/requires action from member charities, with links to further information where applicable. Our latest update can be found below and previous updates are listed at the bottom of the page.

GOVERNMENT

DLUHC opens consultation on electrical safety in the social rented sector – The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has opened a consultation on electrical safety in the social rented sector. The consultation is seeking feedback on two proposals:
- Proposal A: Mandatory checks on electrical installations for social housing at least every 5 years.
- Proposal B: Mandatory Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) on all electrical appliances that are provided by social landlords as part of a tenancy.
  
  The proposed regulations would only apply to Registered Providers of Social Housing operating in England. Members can respond to the consultation here or you can send responses to specific questions to Jack Baldan via jackbaldan@almshouses.org.

Ombudsman plans systemic investigation into record keeping – The Housing Ombudsman has announced that it will be undertaking a ‘systemic investigation into record keeping’ following a number of issues being raised in this area.

In a statement the Ombudsman said: “Strong record keeping practices are core to good services and will be the focus of a future systemic investigation by the Ombudsman with the aim of making recommendations and sharing learning across the social housing sector.”

Members may wish to use this as an opportunity to review their recording keeping processes and ensure that they are of a high standard. The full statement can be found here.

CHARITY COMMISSION

Commission publishes research into public trust in charities – The Charity Commission has published annual research into public trust in charities and what trustees think about their duties.

The report highlights that public trust in charities has remained stable and that expectations of charities remain high. It also flags that trustees’ understanding of their role has not changed since 2020, but that there are some gaps in knowledge around decision making and financial oversight.

The report can be found here.

RECORD OF PREVIOUS 2021/22 Policy and Governance updates:

posted 18 July 22

Legacy from 1868 still providing homes today

Renovation Case Study: Tibberton Almshouses

The Tibberton Almshouses were built in 1868, endowed in trust by William Philip Price MP; landowner and owner of Tibberton Court,

“to permit the same to be forever occupied by aged or infirm (elderly, disadvantaged or disabled {where possible}) persons, inhabitants of the said Parish of Tibberton (now Tibberton, Taynton, Rudford and Highleadon, Highnam and where merit exists). Subject to the Rules and Regulations of the Charity, NO person shall be ineligible or considered a less deserving object of the Charity by reason or on account of their religious opinions.”

There are four semi-detached one-bedroom properties in Bovone Lane Tibberton, on land donated by William Philip Price of Tibberton Court. The aims of the Trust have not materially changed since the premises were built in the 19th Century. The trustees are drawn from members of the local parish with a representative of Tibberton Court and Holy Trinity Church. Their time is given voluntarily in support of the residents.

During the 154 years since being built there have been at least 600 beneficiaries (residents) living in the properties and the objectives of the trustees are to provide homes to a ‘decent’ standard and to continue for as far into the future as possible the aims and objectives of our benefactor.

The renovation of No. 4 Bovone Lane began in late 2021 after receiving a generous grant of £25000 from The Almshouse Association, for which we are very grateful, and a Gloucestershire County Council ‘Build Back Better’ funding initiative of £2000, promoted by Tibberton District County Councillor Mr Philip Robinson.

The following photographs show several ‘before’ and ‘after’ examples of what has been achieved.

BEFORE: Lounge with the floor being prepared for renewal; The plaster removed from the walls in preparation for insulating and coating for the reduction of rising damp

AFTER: The finished room.Walls insulated, new electrics and (led lighting), original (154-year-old) doors, carpeted and decorated throughout. LPG Central Heating provided.

Cloak room “in preparation”. The property was a two-bedroomed house, we therefore took the decision to convert it into a one-bedroom house and move the bath room from the ground floor upstairs. This gave us the opportunity to provide a cloak room on the ground floor.

Cloak room complete (All doors were the original, which were stripped and renovated).

“Some years ago, a couple I knew moved into one of the Trust’s almshouses in Bovone Lane, Tibberton. I was curious, so I went to see where they were. I was struck by how well maintained they were and of the attractive and peaceful location. Little did I know that in latter years I would be fortunate enough to live in one of them. I was thrilled to be offered one of the cottages and I am really excited to be moving into No4. The Trust has worked so hard to renovate the property in keeping with its age and history. I consider myself lucky and I’m looking forward to many happy years there”.
Chris Keen, resident

The kitchen. The kitchen provided a challenge! When the property was first built, a back boiler was installed which was heated from the kitchen (un/fortunately was blocked off some years ago) which was dismantled. New electrics, new plaster. New floor tiles.

New hand rail. Carpeted throughout and safety devices fitted.

Bedroom stripped back ready for renovations

All plaster removed from external walls and insulated. The ceiling removed and provided with insulated plaster board as well as insulation in the roof space.

The room was converted to a one bed, with fire place removed and blocked off.

” Phew ! and here we are – a happy band of trustees/cleaners !! – ready to hand the fit-for-purpose almshouse over to our new resident !

Once again, the residents (beneficiaries) and trustees of Tibberton Almshouses wish to very gratefully thank the Association for their generous support to the Trust with the grant of £25000 to very ably assist with the latest refurbishment of another house.

This is the third in four years (with another on the way!!!) and we could not have done it without your support and help, it would be true to say, that the Trust will have had severe difficulties in getting this far. We would also thank all our friends at ‘The Lodge’ for their helpfulness and assistance.

We are very grateful for the help the Association have provided and wish to make everyone aware of it!”

“ps. At the back of the picture you can see large LPG canisters in the garden of No3. During its renovation, we provided LPG heating / hot water. On the completion of No4 we provided a large LPG tank at the back of the properties, to allow LPG to be (metered) to both properties for heating / hot water. “
Email to The Almshouse Association from Philip Bevan, Clerk/Treasurer to the trustees of Tibberton Almshouses.