OPINION - Having faith in the members.
Next week’s annual general meeting of the English ICA should be a chance to discuss the future direction of the constitution. However, the structure of the institute is an issue which the leadership appears hesitant to discuss with the membership.
The institute commissioned the Gerrard report and then distanced itself incredibly quickly before the final report had even hit the streets earlier this year. While every little report from Moorgate Place is printed as a glossy brochure and treated to the full PR works, the Gerrard report was available only on request. Its central themes have now been broken up and shunted into council destined, probably, never to appear again as a whole.
The Gerrard episode indicates once again how the membership is content to hand over to its elected leadership responsibility for the day-to-day management of the institute. Peter Gerrard tried hard – and failed – to raise more than a whimper of interest from the average English ICA member.
The consultation meetings around the country were poorly attended.
It would be easy to say that such a poor turnout shows members don’t care.
They do care – but about issues which they see as directly affecting the value of their qualification. It’s the rest they don’t have time for.
While trying to govern in a democratic and accountable body with over 110,000 members is not easy, the institute leadership and Peter Gerrard appear to undervalue their greatest success stories of the last few years.
The creation of faculties has proved that such a massive organisation can be responsive. Faculties are answering the needs of members across the spectrum – in practice, in industry and commerce, and in large, medium and small enterprises.
The latest figures suggest that in the five years since the Tax Faculty was launched, over one in four working members have become involved in one of the five faculties. While no doubt criticism can be levelled at faculties – there is an unfair residual suspicion that they are too closely controlled by the Moorgate secretariat and, more accurately, that they are too centred on London – they are still a sound example of members being able to recognise a good idea when they see one. The agm has a motion before it that all members should be allowed to vote on the Gerrard proposals.
The council has made no recommendation on which way to vote. That’s a shame. The leadership should have more faith in its membership and back the idea of members having their say.
