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Letters to the Editor
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The Society
The Council has written its own meal ticket
From Mr J. E. Balmford, FRPharmS
As the mover of “Motion C” at the branch representatives’ meeting
on 25 May, which dealt with attendance fees paid to Royal Pharmaceutical
Society Council members and was carried by the meeting, I am not satisfied
with the response
given by the Council (PJ, 16 September, p351).
I wrote to Ann Lewis, Secretary and Registrar, on 24 October 2005, objecting
to the proposed alteration to the byelaw and pointing out that the Privy
Council had expressed the view that the fees payable to members of Council
should be a matter for the Society’s own members. I therefore urged
the Privy Council to insist that any increase in fees would have to be
approved by an annual general meeting.
I received a reply from the Privy Council on 31 October 2005, which stated
that the point I raised was interesting and appropriate, and that it would
be in accordance with good governance that control was exercised by a body
independent of the Council itself.
Despite this reply, the Council went ahead and sought the approval of the
Privy Council and had the amendment to the first paragraph of (3) of section
VII of the byelaw approved. The Council, presumably on the advice of senior
staff, have now written their own “meal ticket”.
The Council’s response as published in the PJ (16 September,
p351) ignores the membership. The annual general meeting, in spite of its
small
attendance, is representative of a large section of the Society — many
of those attending are also branch representatives and are therefore an
important voice. Even if the AGM cannot approve increases in attendance
fees owing to perceived difficulties caused by the interests of pharmacy
technicians and the need to avoid a proxy vote, any views and observations
expressed at any AGM would have to be considered.
John E. Balmford
Past President
Royal Pharmaceutical Society |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal