{"id":408968,"date":"2026-02-05T08:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/408968\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T08:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:46:09","slug":"i-too-have-not-renewed-my-arb-subscription-and-am-no-longer-a-uk-architect-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/408968\/","title":{"rendered":"I too have not renewed my ARB subscription and am no longer a UK architect | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jack<\/p>\n

When\u00a0Chris Williamson\u00a0went\u00a0public with his decision not to renew\u00a0his\u00a0Architects Registration Board\u00a0(ARB)\u00a0registration<\/a>,\u00a0he\u00a0exposed\u00a0a\u00a0frustration\u00a0long\u00a0felt across the\u00a0profession. His argument, that the title \u201carchitect\u201d offered such limited\u00a0public\u00a0protection\u00a0in\u00a0the absence of reserved\u00a0activities, struck a\u00a0chord, and\u00a0prompted\u00a0a\u00a0fair amount of\u00a0praise and\u00a0recognition from fellow professionals. But\u00a0the\u00a0absurdity\u00a0of title-based\u00a0regulation\u00a0is not\u00a0the only\u00a0thing\u00a0that is\u00a0wrong\u00a0with the ARB.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0sure many will know,\u00a0the board is the successor to the Architect\u2019s Registration Council of United Kingdom\u00a0(ARCUK),\u00a0which\u00a0was\u00a0established\u00a0in 1931. Sixty-two years later,\u00a0by 1993,\u00a0the Warne Report recommended that both ARCUK and the protection of title be abolished \u2013 with the statutory registration of architects bringing \u201cno added benefit to the public, to consumers, or to the profession itself\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The government accepted this recommendation and planned to remove statutory registration. But\u00a0pressure from the profession, which\u00a0at the time I found\u00a0profoundly misjudged and\u00a0disappointing,\u00a0saw\u00a0the government U-turn and, in 1997, a new regulator\u00a0was\u00a0born\u00a0\u2013 the ARB.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, almost\u00a030 years on, and\u00a0several\u00a0reviews later, we find ourselves in the same position:\u00a0stuck in a regulatory system\u00a0that\u00a0offers no\u00a0real\u00a0public\u00a0protection. But, on top of that, we also have a\u00a0self-described\u00a0\u201cactivist regulator\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a\u00a0regulator clearly\u00a0overstepping the\u00a0mark, that\u00a0must\u00a0be called out. Alongside this\u00a0sits the RIBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The need for change is clear, and we are leading it. But the ARB continues to hold the profession back<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The RIBA has been the engine room of UK architecture\u00a0since 1834\u00a0and has built the infrastructure\u00a0of our world-leading\u00a0profession\u00a0\u2013\u00a0with an\u00a0international standing\u00a0that is\u00a0second to none. The RIBA\u00a0established\u00a0the profession\u2019s\u00a0education and qualification base, pioneered\u00a0continuing\u00a0professional development (CPD), drafted contracts,\u00a0created\u00a0the\u00a0internationally\u00a0used\u00a0Plan of\u00a0Work,\u00a0lobbied the government to the benefit of the built environment\u00a0and\u00a0continues to be globally\u00a0recognised\u00a0for\u00a0celebrating\u00a0what good architecture looks like through awards for students, clients,\u00a0buildings\u00a0and architects. But our profession now needs\u00a0radical\u00a0reform\u00a0for the modern world\u00a0\u2013\u00a0going beyond regulation alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The need for change is clear, and we are leading it. But the ARB continues to hold the profession back. For example, in\u00a0architectural\u00a0education, the ARB insists on\u00a0self-accrediting\u00a0all the\u00a0schools of\u00a0architecture which the RIBA\u00a0already\u00a0validates,\u00a0refusing\u00a0to harmonise its criteria\u00a0or accreditation system\u00a0with\u00a0ours.\u00a0The result is\u00a0duplication,\u00a0forcing\u00a0schools to jump through two hoops. \u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u00a0also\u00a0have an\u00a0outdated, minimum\u00a0seven-year\u00a0route\u00a0to qualification, which\u00a0drives\u00a0student debt\u00a0up to\u00a0more than\u00a0\u00a3100,000 and\u00a0often\u00a0takes\u00a010 years to complete. This is\u00a0deeply\u00a0damaging\u00a0for diversity.<\/p>\n

The RIBA wants to see more flexible routes into the profession;\u00a0one of these\u00a0must be\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cstandard\u201d\u00a0five-year pathway, slashing student debt and\u00a0improving inclusion.\u00a0But the dead hand of the ARB\u00a0bureaucracy\u00a0continues to\u00a0hold\u00a0us back.<\/p>\n

The board also appears\u00a0constantly behind the times.\u00a0It introduced\u00a0CPD some 30 years after the RIBA.\u00a0More recently, following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, the institution revised\u00a0both its\u00a0academic and practice outcomes.\u00a0Five years later, the ARB made\u00a0its\u00a0own\u00a0changes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The RIBA\u00a0has\u00a0vast technical skills to\u00a0hand within its membership base.\u00a0So,\u00a0who is better able to protect the public? \u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The delay is\u00a0disappointing in itself, but\u00a0it is\u00a0even\u00a0more\u00a0worrying that we still\u00a0share\u00a0fundamentally different\u00a0beliefs about\u00a0what\u00a0competence means at the point of\u00a0registration.\u00a0For example, the ARB\u2019s\u00a0framework does not include technical requirements, which the RIBA\u00a0regards\u00a0as\u00a0essential\u00a0to professional competence\u00a0and, ultimately, public\u00a0safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an increasingly technology-driven world, the ARB has no technical base to draw on, but the RIBA\u00a0has\u00a0vast technical skills to\u00a0hand within its membership base.\u00a0So,\u00a0who is better able to protect the public?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On top of\u00a0all\u00a0this,\u00a0the 2026 ARB registration fee is \u00a3225.\u00a0This has almost doubled since 2021, when it was \u00a3119.\u00a0Considering\u00a0so many practices are\u00a0under acute financial pressure, how can\u00a0it\u00a0possibly\u00a0justify\u00a0such a\u00a0steep increase\u00a0in such a short amount of time? \u00a0<\/p>\n

The ARB, like\u00a0its\u00a0predecessor\u00a0ARCUK,\u00a0is\u00a0ineffective\u00a0and undermines the development of the profession.\u00a0The government\u2019s single construction regulator prospectus makes\u00a0plain\u00a0that the time for change is now\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and the profession must seize it.<\/p>\n

The RIBA\u2019s campaign is clear:\u00a0repeal\u00a0the Architects\u00a0Act,\u00a0reserve\u00a0activities\u00a0of Building Regulations and planning applications\u00a0for suitably\u00a0qualified professionals\u00a0and\u00a0regulate\u00a0through a\u00a0new built environment council,\u00a0ensuring\u00a0that professional bodies across the\u00a0sector\u00a0maintain\u00a0strong,\u00a0enforceable\u00a0competence requirements\u00a0in the interests of public safety. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have not renewed my ARB subscription fee \u2013 and am\u00a0no\u00a0longer\u00a0a UK architect.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When\u00a0Chris Williamson\u00a0went\u00a0public with his decision not to renew\u00a0his\u00a0Architects Registration Board\u00a0(ARB)\u00a0registration,\u00a0he\u00a0exposed\u00a0a\u00a0frustration\u00a0long\u00a0felt across the\u00a0profession. His argument, that the title \u201carchitect\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-408968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-gb","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-greatbritain","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}