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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7243 p487
5 April 2003

Society summary

Eighteen seek election to the Council as the single transferable vote system is dropped

Eighteen candidates are contesting this year's election of seven members to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council. The election will be the first to revert to the so-called "first past the post" system after more than a quarter of a century of the single transferable vote (STV) system (see Panel). Members of the Society will have one vote for each vacant place, and the seven candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected.

Changing the Council election system

The Council election is changing back to the "first past the post" system as the result of a decision made by the Council at its meeting in December 2002. The main factor in the Council's decision is that "first past the post" is considered to be a transparent system of voting that is easily understood by the electorate.

The STV system is being abandoned after 27 years. In 1973, the Society's annual general meeting carried a motion calling on the Council to set up a working party to look at STV. The Council had earlier twice rejected BRM resolutions calling for its introduction. The working party eventually reported to the Council 18 months later, recommending the STV system, and it was introduced in the 1976 Council election. One of the main benefits claimed for STV was that it would promote adequate sectoral interest on the Council.

After two decades of STV elections, a 1999 BRM resolution called on the Council to reconsider STV. A special discussion at the 2000 BRM ended with a vote in favour of the seven-vote system. Subsequently the Council referred the matter to its modernisation steering group but, at its October 2002 meeting, it went against a steering group recommendation and decided to seek to revert to "first past the post". In December 2002 the Council approved an Official Notice giving the required 60 days' notice of its intention to seek Privy Council approval for the necessary Byelaw change. No comments were received during the 60-day period, and the Privy Council subsequently approved the amendment just in time for the election system to be changed for this year's election.

(The Byelaw amendment also applies to the triennial election of auditors.)

The 18 candidates fighting for the seven vacancies include six of the seven Council members who complete three-year terms of office this year. Missing from the list is Dr Gordon Appelbe, who has chosen not to seek re-election. Now aged 72, Dr Appelbe has served on the Council for 12 years, including a period as the Society's Treasurer. He was first elected in 1991, shortly after retiring from his position as head of the Society's then Law Department.

The six retiring Council members who have decided to seek re-election are Hassan Argomandkhah, Peter Curphey, Alison Ewing, Dr Nicola Gray, Kirit Patel and Linda Stone. Joining them in the election are Martin Astbury, Dr Shaqil Chaudary, Professor William Dawson, Robert Gartside, Dr Gordon Geddes, Maurice Hickey, John Jolley, Imran Khan, Peter Schofield, Douglas Simpson, Noel Wicks and Nicholas Wood.

Biographical details of the candidates appear on pages 488–492 (PDF 145K). Voting papers and a booklet containing these biographical details and the Council candidates' statements of policy are to be posted to members at the beginning of next week. One further change made in this year's election is that ballot papers will be numbered so that envelopes will no longer need to be signed by the voter. The change has been made at the request of the Electoral Reform Society, which manages the ballot process through its ballot service division.

Further information about the changes to the 2003 election can be obtained from Ro Martin, head of central administration at the Society's headquarters (tel 020 7572 2204; e-mail rmartin@rpsgb.org.uk).

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