RICS structure ‘shrouded in Victorianism’ says Morgan

Construction faculty chairman Launce Morgan this week revealed his intense frustration during his tenure at the RICS and his sadness at having to make such a strong stand against the institution’s leadership.

Speaking to QS News this week, Morgan said he felt the institution had gone backwards since he started his role in March 2004 despite his attempts to increase the influence and power of QS members in the RICS.

Morgan said: “I tried to do it properly. I had meetings with senior people but we have got nowhere. We are in a worse position than we were last year.”

He also revealed his frustration during his role. He said: “I spend two to three days a week of my time and probably wasted about 70% of it on internal issues. I get more support from my secretary in Prague than the RICS.”

In his statement delivered to the RICS Morgan added that taking such an aggressive stance had been a difficult decision. It said: “Part of the code of practice of a chartered surveyor is make a stand when something is wrong. It has been very painful for me to have to make such a blunt and pointed stand today, but there comes a time when if I do not, I would be failing every member of the faculty an in my duty.”

Morgan said his proposals for change at the RICS had come from meetings with grass roots members. He said: “I went to many meetings with members and these are the things that have come out loud and clear. We are not controlling our own destiny.

I had meetings with senior people but we have got nowhere. We are in a worse position than last year

Launce Morgan, chairman, RICS construction faculty

I talk to members about how the money is going into staff and they are appalled and angry. It’s bureaucracy out of control.

“I want to appeal to the members, I have done everything I can to give a positive result not just on the big hit changes but on incremental changes, such as the name change of the construction faculty.”

Morgan said the structure of the RICS, which he described as “shrouded in Victorianism”, needed to be updated urgently. This would involve separate funding and a separate chief executive for each faculty. He said: “We have got to get some form of independent funding or we are dead.”

Morgan said his final spur for this week’s attack was after watching the recent American Grand Prix, where a dispute over tyres led to most of the cars pulling out of the race. He said: “I was watching it, seeing all the money wasted when the cars went into the pits and thought ‘this is the RICS’.”

Morgan’s attack drew support from Schofield Lothian QS Jeremy Hackett, who has led a campaign against the running of the RICS called ‘Stop the Rot’ in the wake of the increase on subscriptions instigated by the body two years ago.

It’s like the Hampton Court maze. No-one can find a way
through it

Jeremy Hackett, Schofield Lothian

Hackett said the broad thrust of Morgan’s criticisms were right although he disagreed with his call for one-member-one vote for elections of the president and senior vice-president.

Hackett said: “It’s absolutely right. The QSs have such a large membership but have been the poor relation.”

Hackett said the organisation and structure of the institution needed to be radically overhauled. He said: “You can’t put the organogram of the RICS on one sheet of A4 paper, that’s the trouble. It’s like the Hampton Court maze. No-one can find a way through it in order to get anything done. There is too much parallel work going on.

We need more accountability and transparency.”

Hackett added that there was a big issue with membership retention at the body that dates back to the subscription increase. He said: “It needs to re-engage with the long-suffering grass roots membership or it could well herald the end of the road for the institution.”