Abstract
The Institute’s primary governing document is its Royal Charter, first granted in 1975. From time to time, it is necessary to update the Royal Charter to reflect changes in legislation and changes in our own procedures and structures. The Trustees have recently approved a revision to the Royal Charter, which now needs to be approved by a vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the membership before being sent to the Privy Council for assent. A copy of the proposed revised version has been posted on the website. The principal changes are as follows:
Trustee Board replaces Council as the governing body (confirms a change agreed in 2009);
Terms of office and election procedures for Officers harmonised;
Number of vice-presidents reduced to 3;
Late subscriptions: standardised 6 months grace period;
Restoration of lapsed membership only possible within 3 years;
Need for annual audit removed;
Communication by email, website and teleconferencing permitted;
Inclusive language.
A copy of the previous Royal Charter is available to Members on request: Please email to