27 Apr 2022
Sue Paterson is re-elected and joined by newcomers Olivia Cook and Abbie Calow, but those choosing to vote – at 18.6% – was down a quarter on 2021’s figures.
James Westgate
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Image © Freepik / Adobe Stock
Figures from the 2022 RCVS council elections show that the number of vets taking part in the vote slumped to its lowest level in more than five years.
The annual RCVS council election saw a turnout of just 18.6%, a fall of more than a quarter from 2021 when 24.5% of vets cast a vote.
And the figures for vet nurses were even worse, with only 8.4% of RVNs casting their vote in the VN council elections, the lowest figure since 2012 when 7.5% of those eligible took part in the election.
The college has been left baffled by the slump following five years of increasing engagement in its council election processes; highlighted by a record turnout of 26.2% in 2020.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS registrar and returning officer for both elections, said: “We’re not exactly sure why both elections saw falling turnouts this year, but we do appreciate how extremely busy the professions are at the moment, and that everyone’s time is at a premium. As part of our ‘council culture’ project we are looking at ways of improving all aspects of communicating the work around RCVS council, VN council and their committees, including around standing for and voting in elections.”
In total 6,583 vets cast their votes to elect members of RCVS council with 13 veterinary surgeon candidates standing for the three available elected places.
Junior vice-president Sue Paterson won re-election by a comfortable margin with 2,358 votes, while newcomers Olivia Cook (1,994 votes) and Abbie Calow (1,820 votes) both won seats on council. The three successful candidates will begin their four year terms at the RCVS’ annual meeting on 8 July.
In this year’s election for VN Council, which has the overall responsibility for all matters concerning veterinary nurse training, post-qualification awards and the registration of qualified veterinary nurses, there were eight candidates standing for the two available elected places.
In the VN council election, 1,740 veterinary nurses (representing 8.4% of those eligible to vote) cast their votes. This compares to turnouts of 12.4% in 2021, 17.1% in 2020, and 14.5% in 2017 – no VN council elections took place in 2018 or 2019.
The two candidates elected for three-year terms, which will also start at this year’s RCVS annual meeting, were Holly Witchell with 533 votes and Jessica Louise Beckett who received 451 votes.
Eleanor Ferguson added: “Many congratulations to all successful candidates, who we look forward to welcoming on to RCVS and VN councils in July. Thank you once again this year to everyone who made the decision to stand in this year’s elections and to those who took the time to vote for their preferred candidates.”
As in 2021, this year’s elections were conducted entirely online, with Civica Election Services, which runs elections on behalf of the RCVS, sending emails containing secure links to their respective voting websites to each eligible veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse, along with reminders throughout the voting period.
The full results for the RCVS council and VN council elections can be found online.
