Summary of the Governing Council meeting, 21 & 25 March 2024

Council is keen to engage with our members and to hear your questions and views and we will be setting time aside on each meeting agenda for this purpose.  If you have a question to raise with Council please email us on governance@rics.org by 27 May 2024 and your question will be discussed at our June meeting.

Enabling priority projects

• The Chief Executive reported that, as a result of effective stakeholder engagement from a unified RICS leadership team, many external relationships were now in an improved position, including with government.
• Four of seven permanent executive team members are now in place, with the remaining three to be appointed in the next few weeks.
• He outlined 2024 delivery priorities. Within these, there were eight initiatives led by Governing Council, and Council members were invited to volunteer to act as sponsors for each of these.
  • Developing additional routes of entry into the profession.
  • Developing and enhancing Matrics Global and Matrics UK.
  • Exploring new processes for streamlining the APC.
  • University accreditation.
  • Embracing new communications technologies for next gen.
  • Developing the value proposition for FRICS.
  • Communicating RICS transformation progress to members.
  • Improving communications flow in and out of boards.

Corporate objectives and performance measures

• Finalised corporate objectives and performance measures for 2024 were presented to be ratified by Council.
• Revisions had taken account of previous Council feedback, including increasing some targets.
• The expectation was that the level of ambition in the measures would be escalated further next year.  
• Council will receive regular updates on 10 corporate objectives, with other measures as required.

DECISION: Council ratified the 2024 corporate objectives and performance measures.

Assurance reports

RICS Board

• The RICS Board Chair summarised the position as a stable platform from which to go forward.
• He highlighted the improved relationship with Government as an example of progress.
• He noted the benefits of improved working between the Board and the SRB.
• While putting in foundations for the next phase of transformation, there were still areas to address, including streamlining operations and delivering the planned commercial income to supplement subscriptions.

DECISION: Council approved minor updates to the RICS Board Terms of Reference.

Standards and Regulation Board

• The SRB Chair reported that SRB had approved the final draft report of the Education and Assessment Steering Group. This will be published for feedback and further comment from members.
• There was significant international interest in DRS, identified as an opportunity for RICS.
• SRB would be consulting on a CPD framework, as part of the work of the CPD Framework Steering Group, in the coming months. SRB would organise an information session on the CPD framework for Council.
• DLUHC was now sending an observer to SRB meetings, and this was a very positive development.
• Full recruitment to the SRB was now underway, with well over 200 applications received. The general standard of applicants was very high.
• Recruitment for a Chair of the Valuation Committee would start soon.

DEI

• The DEI Chair reported that she had had received good feedback on the recent DEI Leaders Forum and International Women’s Day event.
• World Regional Boards (WRB) had responded quickly and positively to the request to identify DEI and Sustainability leads.
• WRB DEI leads would be asked to set up working groups of local members.
• The DEI Chair proposed to bring more expertise on board by creating an advisory group of 15 – 20 members, who could support the whole of RICS to address core DEI topics.

DECISION: Council agreed the plan to form a DEI advisory group.

Sustainability

• The Sustainability Chair reported that dissemination of the Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) standard was going well, citing the endorsement by ICMS as an example.
• There had been a good response to the availability of new WLCA training.
• Separately, he noted that there was widespread demand for informing valuations with sustainability and climate change considerations .
• RICS’ attendance at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum had been very successful. For example, we are now leading a work area for the UN Environment Programme’s effort to decarbonise the built environment.

Nominations and Remuneration Committee (NRC)

• The NRC Chair presented recommendations on review of the process for electing the Senior Vice-President, such as: mechanisms for strengthening diversity on the appointment panel; streamlining of application documentation requirements; enhancement and increased prominence of communications to reach as many members as possible.

DECISION: Council agreed the recommendations, to be implemented in time for the next SVP election, this year.

Member and Complainant Behaviours

• RICS’ General Counsel updated on the work of a cross departmental group looking at the development of new policy and other measures to address poor behaviour by members and others when dealing with the RICS.
• Based on previous feedback from Council, the proposal was to create a series of documents covering policy for members and non-members, guidance for staff, and training.
• The policy and expectations within it would be benchmarked against other membership organisations.
• A full draft would be presented to Council at the June meeting.

Governing Council Attendance at Events

• The Head of Governance presented a new policy aimed at better supporting Governing Council members to attend RICS events and meetings and meet members.
• Council agreed that an important part of their role is being visible and available to members.
• World Regional Boards and other groups would be contacted to provide a list of potential events where attendance by a Council member was desirable.

DECISION: Council provided feedback to the policy, which will now go to the Audit Risk Assurance and Finance Committee for sign-off.

Member participation at Governing Council

• Council discussed options to engage the wider membership in Governing Council meetings for enhanced transparency.
• This engagement would be in addition to the summary of Governing Council meetings already published online.

DECISION: Council decided to introduce a mechanism whereby members can submit questions by email to Council, to be considered and answered at each of its meetings. These answers would be shared directly with questioners, and published online.