The General Assembly is the debating chamber of the Institute, meeting quarterly throughout the year in London and elsewhere.

The General Assembly consists of:

• Twenty-eight Fellows and Members, elected by the Fellows and Members
• Two Legal Members or Legal Associates, elected by the corporate members and Legal Associates
• Two Technical Members, elected by the Technical Members
• Six Licentiate Members or Students, elected by the Licentiate Members and Students jointly
• Fourteen corporate members representing Regions and Branches (including two each from Wales and Ireland)
• Two corporate members representing the RTPI in Scotland
• Two Honorary Members, elected by the Trustees
• Representatives of Associations, appointed by the Trustees
• Any Trustee who is not a member of the General Assembly in another capacity.

Click here for a list of General Assembly members for 2008.

The Byelaws ensure that at all times at least two thirds of the members of the General Assembly will be corporate members.

The role of the General Assembly is (in the words of the Byelaws) to “act as a forum for debate about the development of planning policy and practice, the corporate policy of the Chartered Institute and other issues relevant to the objects of the Chartered Institute.”

The Regulations explain: “The General Assembly shall have power to determine the Institute’s stance on matters of public policy and planning practice. In the exercise of this power the General Assembly shall have regard to views expressed by Branches, Sector Groups and Associations as well as by relevant committees, panels or other groups within the Institute. The Board of Trustees shall seek to ensure, subject to budgetary constraints and the claims of competing priorities, that adequate resources are made available to the work of the General Assembly for the exercise of this power.”

The General Assembly has a number of other specific powers and functions. Chief among these is the right to elect and dismiss Trustees.

The General Assembly normally meets four times a year. Meetings are held within normal working hours. Most meetings are in London, but the General Assembly may decide to hold other meetings outside London (the third meeting of 2007 took place in Bristol.) The meetings normally start at 11.00am, except in July when the meeting starts at 10.00am.

Meetings of the General Assembly are chaired by the President. Members of the Institute are entitled to attend General Assembly meetings, provided they have let the staff organising the day know that they will be present. 

2008 Meetings are taking place on 23 January (London), 9 April (London), 2 July (Edinburgh) and 8 October (London).