From 1 October, there will be a GB pound 3 per head reduction in the annual Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) registration fee for each licensable employee (from GB pound 20 to GB pound 17). According to the Regulator, the ACS has proven so popular that there are now more Approved Contractors (378) employing more licensable operatives (over 90,000) than initially projected.
There will be no change to the ACS application fee, which covers pre-approval costs, because the work involved in processing each new application is in line with the SIA’s original assumptions. As for the lower ACS fee, this applies to all new and existing Approved Contractors.
At the same time, it has emerged that thousands of SIA licence holders are being urged to claim back their share of over GB pound 400,000 that’s waiting to be returned to them in licence fee refunds. Operatives holding more than one valid SIA licence can claim a 50% refund on their second or subsequent licences. That equates to GB pound 122.50 for each additional licence granted.
To claim, applicants should hold more than one valid SIA licence, hold a full price licence on which there is more than four months left to run and then write to the Regulator (at the Finance Department: Licence Refunds, Security Industry Authority, PO Box 49768, London WC1V 6WY) with their full name, address, telephone number and licence numbers.
Door supervisors are also figuring heavily in the SIA’s plans at present. As part of the Regulator’s Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, the SIA is inviting door staff to register their interest in attending a network meeting with a representative sample of the door supervision sector.
The meeting should prove an excellent opportunity for door staff to discuss and explore issues about the industry and the SIA’s activities. Although the Regulator will arrange and facilitate the inaugural gathering, it’s then anticipated that this new Special Interest Group will self-manage subsequent meetings.
This latest initiative is a perfect opportunity for those in the door sector to engage with the Regulator, to contribute to the meetings and make decisions on matters of topical importance. The SIA is clearly committed to moving the sector forward. Practitioners must always help it to do so.
