With the rising cost of living and the stagnation in architects' salaries over many years, the last thing we need is our registration body raising fees by 67% over a 3-year period for things we didn't ask for! What is also shocking is that many architects' practices and Universities are not paying the ARB fee, placing the burden on architects who are often paid less than most other professions with similar levels of education.

With 41,240 architects currently on their register, this has resulted in an additional revenue of approximately £3.3 million since 2021. Yet many feel that ARB is not fulfilling its primary purpose - protecting our professional title.

The architecture profession has always suffered from low salaries and low-profit margins; for ARB to continuously increase our fees without consultation is adding unnecessary financial strain on us all. We demand transparency about how these additional funds are being used and insist that any further increases should be discussed with those who bear this financial burden - us architects.

As a passionate advocate for architects and host of the "Broke Architect Podcast", I have heard countless stories from professionals in our industry who are frustrated with the Architects Registration Board (ARB). The ARB, which was established to protect the legally restricted title 'architect', has been steadily increasing its annual retention fee over the past three years. Since 2021, there has been a total increase of £80, raising their new annual fee to £199. This is an alarming 67% increase from what it was just three years ago.

It's time for ARB to stop treating us as mere sources of income and go back to basics. Sign this petition if you want a HALT in FEES and a new focus on protection of TITLE with a move to protection of FUNCTION!