Regulator says EU-exit and work on new qualifications is putting pressure on its resources
The Architects Registration Board has announced it is holding the fees that all qualified professionals must pay in order to use the title “architect” at £111 for 2020.
Its decision follows an unpopular £4 hike for 2019 that came after a four-year freeze.
A statement from the regulator said fees were its main source of income to fund its watchdog activities and that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union was adding additional burdens to its work.
The Arb added that it was keen to avoid adding to architects’ financial pressures.
“We are pleased to have been able to hold the fee at £111 despite the additional requirements of Brexit and a growing demand across all our services, including an increase in the number and complexity of requests for prescription of new qualifications,” its statement said.
“We aim to deliver our statutory duties without placing undue financial pressure on the profession.
“The level of the fee is set by our board who make every effort to balance the impact on the profession with our requirement to deliver our statutory responsibilities.”
Architects who fail to pay their annual fees in time are dropped from the register and need to pay both a reinstatement fee and the annual fee to rejoin.
The regulator said 1,100 architects failed to pay their 2019 fees in time, approximately 3% of the profession. Those who wanted to continue using the title “architect” legally needed to pay the £111 and a £45 reinstatement fee to do so.
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