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Election Statement ......... Expanded Election Statement
A message from Peter Kellow RIBA
This is the campaign website of Peter Kellow RIBA, Toulouse, France, candidate in the 2014 RIBA Council elections.
You have probably been directed to this site from the Election Statement your have received as an Overseas Region voting RIBA Member.
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Erosion of the Profession
The position of the architectural profession has been eroded over many years. This is not in the interests of the profession, its clients or the public at large that it serves.
My primary aim is to secure an architectural profession and an RIBA to serve its architect members.
The reason why I wish to stand for a seat on the RIBA Council is so that those who share my concerns will have a voice on the Council.
Who Runs the Our Profession?
I wish to see the position of President as being full time and fully salaried. This will enable the President to properly address the concerns of members and take a hands-on role in the running of RIBA HQ.
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As it stands the elected President shares control of the profession with the RIBA Chief Executive, Mr Harry Rich, and ARB headed by Chief executive, Ms Karen Holmes, and ARB Board Chair, Ms Beatrice Fraenkel.
Of these only the RIBA President is an architect. The others have had at best only tangential connections with the profession during their careers.
Mr Rich's salary compares favourably with the average salary of the membership he serves which according to the latest figures is £44000 per annum.
The President is an unpaid position whilst, Mr Rich and Ms Holmes are full time employees and so in the day-to-day exercising of control the President is in a weak position. I believe this bad structure of the profession results in the interests of architect members of the RIBA being poorly served.
I am not making a comment on how well the non-architects mentioned perform in the positions they hold.
I am suggesting the structure of the profession is wrong. We have the classic "agent problem" where the interests of the agent do not align with those of the employers. Here lies the root of many of our problems.
With the best will in the world you cannot expect Mr Rich or Ms Holmes to understand the concerns of architects and act fully in those interests as architects would want.
And from this it follows that the public are not being served as well as they could be by the profession.
Where Do Your Fees Go?
Expenditure at HQ is a major concern and as an RIBA Councillor I will take a special interest in this and report to the membership
Do you feel you know what goes on at HQ and what happens in RIBA Council? I certainly do not.
RIBA membership is not cheap as you know. And I have never met an RIBA member who did not ask themselves from time to time why they keep paying hundreds of pounds year by year.
After just a few years it represents thousands. Can you say you know where the money went?
We know it was spent as the administrative staff are always pleading poverty.
This is why, for example, they say the library cannot be kept open except for very limited hours and why members pay the standard public rate for hiring HQ facilities - facilities that the members themselves own!
You have a right to know what is done with your money. As a Councillor I will make sure you do know.
ARB
I also wish to see (in line with the recently published important report The Farrell Review) ARB abolished and all its functions except discipline take in the RIBA. In any case ARB is badly structured to perform the disciplinary role as seven of its fifteen board members are architects and so there is an obvious conflict of interests.
The complaints procedure against architects and the consequent judgment and disciplinary measures should be taken over by an ombudsman who shall not be an architect and shall not employ any architects in his office.
I have many other concerns such as education and the access to the magnificent RIBA library as set out in my election statement and expanded election statement.
Exclusive Newsletter with Blog for Members
It is time we had a better more responsive and open professional institution that fully represents the members and actively seeks to advance their interests and those of the clients and public they serve
Openness is essential in a chartered profession. One of my key roles as a Councillor will be to report and notify.
I will send out exclusively to RIBA members an email newsletter of my findings and experiences on Council. You can sign up for this now here.
You will be able to leave your comments on site for RIBA members only to read and further comment on.
If you have any comments now I would be pleased to hear them. I wish to represent members concerns as well as possible.
Email peterkellow@peterkellowarchitecture.com
I look forward to receiving your help in improving our vital professional body and securing the architectural profession for the future.
Yours sincerely
Peter Kellow
RIBA BA BArch
peterkellow@peterkellowarchitecture.com
50 rue de la Marquette
31700 Beauzelle
Toulouse Métropole
France
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