The College's Council would like to make some changes to how the College is governed. Some of these were identified by Council itself, and some were proposed during a Governance Review carried out between December 2022 and June 2023.

Council set up a Working Group to develop these proposals. The Working Group is:

• Prof Andrew Elder, the President
• Prof Angela Thomas OBE, the Heritage Trustee and Honorary Librarian
• Prof Mark Strachan, the Secretary
• Dr Kerri Baker, Dean of Education and Training
• Alex MacDonald, the Lay Trustee and Chair of the Lay Advisory Committee

The Working Group is supported by:

Kenneth Pinkerton, the College's legal adviser. Kenneth is a solicitor, and a partner at Brodies LLP.

Lucy Devine, the College's governance adviser. Lucy is a chartered governance professional.

• Update and simplify the Charter and Laws, and correct inconsistencies
• Make the College's governance more efficient and effective
• Support College volunteers (e.g., Council members, people on Committees)
• Clarify Fellow and Member rights
• Make it easier for Fellows and Members to hold College management to account

The College is a membership organisation, and Fellows and Members are at the heart of what the College does. Council can propose changes to the Charter and Laws, but only the Fellows and Members can approve them. This is a fundamental, unchanging part of College governance.

Later this year (the aim is the end of September), Council will formally ask for your approval to the changes, at an EGM or AGM. Therefore, during these first few months of 2024, we would like to understand what you think about the first draft of the proposals. We will then use your feedback to improve the proposals before we bring them back to you at the AGM or at an EGM later in the year.