After enduring 10 years of ostracism by their professional institution, it seems at last that the QS members of the RICS might be rebelling (27 November, page 28)

At the time of Agenda for Change I tried hard to persuade RICS to modify its proposals by writing, lobbying the then president, and through your columns. My suggestions were:

  • I wanted it to recognise the QS as a separate profession, respecting its culture. Instead, it absorbed it into an amorphous faculty, grouping professions that had little in common with each other
  • I protested that the RICS intended to treat all members as a single profession, that of “surveyors”, when in fact they all practised in different fields. This could only confuse public perception. How could an institution with such a belief satisfactorily publicise the very different skills offered by each profession?
  • I predicted that creating regional organisations with expensive staff lacking surveyor backgrounds would impose an unnecessary financial burden on the members. This was undoubtedly the cause of most of the 32% subscription increase. The practices themselves had always resourced their local infrastructures. My own firm would have been happy to continue to allow staff time and expenditure to keep supporting the local branch network

All this and more. In reply, I received a lot of words but no promises. In the event, none of my suggestions were accepted.

We now seem to have a business-led quango, existing solely for the benefit of its no doubt highly paid senior staff. May I dare to hope that all of the RICS members, and particularly those in the QS profession, will join in retrieving its purpose of being a real professional institution?

Malcolm Taylor FRICS

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