The Royal Town Planning Institute has published guidance summarising the sanctions that can be imposed on members during disciplinary hearings.
The primary purpose of sanctions is to protect members of the public, to maintain the integrity of the profession and to declare and uphold proper standards of conduct and competence.
All RTPI members are bound by a Code of Professional Conduct based around five core principles: competence, honesty and integrity; independent professional judgement; due care and diligence; equality and respect; and professional behaviour.
The Conduct and Discipline Panel is responsible for investigating any alleged breach of the Code of Professional Conduct on behalf of the RTPI. The Panel is empowered to decide whether a breach of the Professional Code of Conduct has occurred and, where it has, to discipline the member.
Ruth Richards, head of complaints at the RTPI, said: “This is a new publication and is intended to guide the sanctions applied when a member has been found to have breached the Code of Professional Conduct. It will aid transparency with regard to the complaints process and consistency with regard to sanctions awarded.”
The new guidance can be viewed here and details on how to make a complaint about an RTPI member can be found here.
The RTPI is the only body in the UK that confers Chartered status to planners, the highest professional qualification sought after by employers in both private and public sectors.
