• Robert Purton chaired the meeting and welcomed Debbie Sorkin, RTPI Director of Member Services.
• A free Seminar had been organised in association with Amey and the Highways Agency on 26 September in Bury St Edmunds on “Influencing Travel Behaviour”.
• The Secretary had written to the RTPI’s Immediate Past President expressing concern at the poor coverage the Regions received in the RTPI Annual Report. A reply was still awaited.
• Permission had been granted from the RTPI’s Executive Board to suspend the Regional rules to allow a Licentiate member, Robert Hobbs, to hold the post of Regional Junior Vice Chair for the remainder of 2008. However, the Board had declined to extend the exemption for a further year as it wished to ensure that if any Chartered member was nominated for any of the elected posts then they should be elected without the need for a contest with a Licentiate member.
• Andrew Meddle was co-opted on to the RAC for the remainder of 2008.
• Debbie Sorkin gave an update from the RTPI:
  • The completion of the replacement of the Standard Entry Route by the Assessment of Professional Competence has been delayed to the middle of 2009.
  • The RTPI has been undertaking a restructuring as its work has expanded into new areas and existing services have been extended, all increasing the workload on staff. A new post of Managing Director has been introduced to assist the Secretary General. The MD will take on internal management duties whilst the Secretary General will concentrate on external matters and the overall strategy of the Institute.
  • Confirmation has been received that Planning Aid will receive core funding of £11.8m from the Government for 2008-11. Planning Aid is currently undertaking a major recruitment campaign for staff at Regional and National levels to enable the Service to increase casework and community planning capacity across the country.
  • The Planning Convention held in July attracted over 700 delegates.
  • There have been a record number of entries for the National Planning Achievement Awards.
  • Membership of the RTPI has grown, with a marked increase in Northern Ireland where the Government Planning Service has agreed to pay Members’ subscriptions.
• Robert Purton thanked Debbie for her presentation but asked, from a grass-roots members’ perspective of seeing rising numbers of RTPI staff, what do they all do and what do the ordinary members get out of it? Debbie responded by mentioning the Planners in the Workplace service, the ever-growing Networks and the increasing number of members to be serviced.
• Jackie Ward and Richard Woolley both felt now was the time for the RTPI to improve communications with the general public, raise the profile of the RTPI and promote planning and planners.
• The Treasurer reported that income from the Conference Programme is currently on target.
• There is no room for complacency as the Region will need to fund the lease of the Regional office from 2009 from income. Up until now, these costs have been met from reserves but these are now depleted.
• Progress on the 2008 Conference Programme was reported. 4 all-day conferences had been held so far and a further 4 all-day conferences and a half-day seminar were being organised between September and December 2008.
• Discussions took place on the topics which should be covered in the 2009 Conference Programme, which included: Sustainability, Delivering Growth in Difficult Times, Energy, Enforcement, Conservation, the RSS and LDF’s, Flooding, Planning Law Update and the conference for councillors.
• Robert Hobbs reported on the Young Planners events that had taken place recently and the National Young Planners Conference due to be held in October.
• A report was received on the East of England Planning Aid Service. Recruitment was underway for a new full-time Co-ordinator; a full-time Administrator had been appointed; Christine Flittner, the Caseworker, continues to work for 3 days a week; a new full-time Planning and Community Adviser will be appointed.
• The Regional Activities Committee thanked Jackie Thompson, the South East Planning Aid Co-ordinator, for assisting the East of England Planning Aid service during the recruitment process.
• A Lighting Seminar has been organised with the ILE on 22 October in London.
• It was agreed that a regular item should be included on future RAC Agendas to discuss consultations that had been received.

Tina Jessup

Author:

Tina Jessup

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

02-Dec-08

Categories:

Nations & Regions 

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