Architects Registration Board rejects RIBA presidents proposal for Regulatory Reform Order.
The continuing battle between the Architects Registration Board and the RIBA reached new heights today when the Arb rejected outright the RIBA’s proposals for reform.
Arb chairman Henry Lloyd has refused to accept any of the proposals RIBA president Jack Pringle put to him at a meeting in September this year. The two organisations have been trying to define their roles in relation to each other since the Arb was set up as a result of the Architects Act 1997.
In an open letter, Lloyd has rejected Pringle’s call for a Regulatory Reform Order, which would have altered the 1997 Act, saying it would add to the cost of regulation – already thought to be too high.
He also refused to accept the case for an ombudsman, arguing that the cost would have to be carried by the profession. He said: “We pointed out that having an ombudsman would inevitably cost money, yet you could not provide any indication of what the costs might be and how they would be met. It seems that the cost of the post and its supporting office would have to be borne by registrants.”
The RIBA immediately hit back with an open letter from Pringle, saying their proposals would not raise costs and that there was no independent appeal to any decision of the ARB except to the courts, which would be too expensive for most individuals.
