Members vote “yes” on new Charter
The proposed new Charter for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has gained the support of a large majority of those voting in the Charter ballot. However, fewer than one in 10 members bothered to returned their voting papers by the 20 August closing date.
The ballot was run by Electoral Reform Services, which distributed the
ballot paper and explanatory notes in July. The number of ballot papers
sent out was 46,272, of which only 4,319 — 9.3 per cent — were
returned. The removal of 13 ballot papers that were blank or had been
spoiled left a total of 4,306 valid votes. The number of respondents
voting “yes” to the question “Do you approve the revised
draft Charter?” was 3,636 (84.4 per cent); the number voting “no” was
670 (15.6 per cent).
The Society’s President, Nicholas Wood, said: “This important
ballot has given all pharmacists on the Society’s register the
opportunity to vote on the draft Charter. This historic ‘Yes’ vote
is very welcome and tells us that the profession is content with the
Council’s agreed version.”
Mr Wood continued: “A new Charter is crucial for the profession’s
future and will allow us to go forward as a strengthened organisation
that is fit for the future. There remains much work to do but by achieving
the ‘yes’ vote, I am confident that the Council can overcome
recent difficulties and move forward in unity.”
The ballot results and the comments received from members will be presented
to the Society’s Council on September 15, when it will decide whether
to present the draft Charter to the Privy Council in its existing form
or modify it in the light of the comments received.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal