Changes are for the better

District societies currently play an important role in serving members locally and we have every wish to see this continue in the future. Thus far, I suspect Don Heady and I are in agreement.

But I believe that we can and must do more in the future than we have been able to do in the past. This means taking full advantage of modern ways of working to manage our resources more effectively so that we can do more for the same money, whilst preserving all that is best about our present arrangements.

Under the proposed arrangements I can confirm that the 22 district societies will remain, as will their branches and town groups and that they will continue to organise events just as they do today.

Similarly, district society presidents will continue to represent the institute and its members in their local communities.

Each president will play a crucial role creating the institute’s agenda for their region.

But we can do more. By adding a regional structure the institute can relate directly to regional and business organisations, promoting chartered accountants’ needs and views. At the same time our regional centres will provide additional support to district society staff and volunteers and enable more effective communication, both internally amongst our members, and externally to the outside world.

The new structure will add to, rather than detract from, our current activities and free staff and volunteer time so that they can better support members.

In the nearly thirty years that I have been a member, I have been actively involved with, and benefited enormously from, my own district society, the Tax Faculty and the many services provided centrally by our institute.

As an office-holder I am determined that the institute serves its members in the future as well as, if not better than, it has done in the past.

Our proposals will achieve this.

I hope I can count on your support at the egm, but if you want any further information please do not hesitate to contact me here at the institute at [email protected]

• Peter Wyman is vice president of the ICAEW and a partner at Big Five firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.