Monday Musing: New Year Resolutions and the return of BPA Blogs and Elections

2020 was certainly a year to remember… 2021 does hopefully hold some promise and as with all new years it is the time for resolutions. One of ours is to return to as much a sense of normality as possible by restarting both our elections timetable and regular blogging. So here is our first of 2021 for your reading pleasure, setting out both the plan for the resumption of elections and changes to our governance, we hope you enjoy!!!   

In May 2021 elections for BPA Governance positions will recommence, starting with elections to the BPA Council of Representatives. During the first national lockdown in March of last year, Council decided to postpone all elections for 12 months to allow the association and our members to respond to the crisis. While our response to the pandemic is ongoing, we are pleased to restart our elections timetable; elections and representation are at the heart of our governance, with none being more important than election to Council, which is composed of members from across the association and represents all aspects of the parking sector.

Council in Transition

While the resumption of elections is exciting news by itself, these elections represent a new beginning for Council as we commence the first stage of our transition to a more proportionate Council. This transition was prompted by a review of the makeup of Council conducted over the course of 2019 and early 2020, which concluded that the current composition no longer fits our increasingly diverse membership of over 750 corporate members and that Council needs to change to reflect this.

The full details of the transition are set out here but in summary, we are creating a number of new seats on Council and reassigning others at the end of their present term of office. Full details of the positions up for election and how to get involved are available on the BPA Council Election page on our website. The full transition will take three years to complete, with seats changing at each year's scheduled elections, with the new proportionate Council structure in place after the 2023 elections.

How to get involved

So that’s the process but what is more important is seeing a diverse range of members getting involved. Throughout this year, we will be raising awareness of our governance and of all upcoming elections and want to take this opportunity to encourage all members to consider putting themselves forward for election to Council. There will be 13 Council positions up for election plus several more Service Board positions. Every voice matters and the association deserves to hear yours!

If you have any questions about our elections, or how you can get more involved with your association please contact Glenn at elections@britishparking.co.uk