Home information pack trainer stripped of role

Home information pack trainer stripped of role

The accident-prone home information packs regime suffered another blow after it emerged yesterday that a main trainer of energy assessors has been stripped of its status as an approved centre.

The move has caused concern among would-be assessors who have paid thousands of pounds in course fees but the government said it would have "no impact" on the roll-out of Hips, which were this week extended to three-bedroom homes.

Morgan Whittaker, based in Brentford, is one of several firms that have been training people who want to become "domestic energy assessors" - the officials who check a property's energy efficiency as part of the Hip process. Its website is advertising "fast-track" courses costing £2,795.

The controversial packs went live for properties with four or more bedrooms last month. A central component of the packs is the "energy performance certificate" (EPC), which can only be produced by a qualified assessor.

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But City & Guilds, one of the organisations that awards the energy assessor qualifications, revealed yesterday it had withdrawn Morgan Whittaker's status as its approved centre because of "contractual issues". This means the firm cannot register people for the assessor courses.

One would-be assessor told the Guardian: "Morgan Whittaker have taken thousands in course fees from individuals such as myself (£10,000)." He added that he was worried about what would happen now. Allegations about the firm have been made on online message boards.

A City & Guilds spokeswoman declined to elaborate on its move but said it had nothing to do with the quality of the training provided. "We didn't take this decision lightly. We made every effort to reach an amicable agreement with the centre to protect the interests of the candidates," said a spokeswoman. She said City & Guilds had to take steps to "minimise the disruption to those learners who have been affected".

People who have done their training and passed their exams have been contacted and it will be advising them on how they can obtain a certificate. In some cases, City & Guilds will be picking up the individuals' costs. It appears likely that those who have paid for but not received training will be put on to a course at another centre.

Morgan Whittaker states on its website that it has completed training courses in London, Birmingham and Bristol. "We have well over 400 candidates registered with our training and assessment programme, and numbers are growing rapidly," it claims.

A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said: "This is a contractual matter between City & Guilds and Morgan Whittaker, which will have no impact on the roll-out of EPCs and Hips. Morgan Whittaker are only one of 34 assessment centres, and City & Guilds has taken steps to ensure that affected assessors will still be able to complete their training and gain accreditation."

Earlier this week, estate agents and surveyors claimed that the number of three-bedroom homes being put up for sale would fall after the government extended the scheme. Sellers of three-bedroom properties now need to assemble a pack, typically at a cost of £300-£500. However, the DCLG said it was "wrong-headed to present normal patterns in the housing market as somehow linked to Hips".

No one at Morgan Whittaker was available for comment.

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