BPA elections Stepping up Louise Parfitt chats to Dave Smith, BPA head of communications and marketing, to find out more about BPA elections who can nominate, how you go about it, and why there has been so much change to how its done at the top What is happening with the BPA elections? Theyre back! We paused the BPA Council of Representative elections for two years because of the pandemic. Before that, we had started to move to a more proportional representation of Council. Part of this was moving to conducting elections in thirds so, a third of the council seats come up for election each year. The first third was elected in 2019 and, now, this is the second third, with the final third next year. Why has the process been reformed? We felt that Council needed to represent the wider membership more fully, to be more accessible and transparent. So, some work was done which involved Council on making sure the broader membership groups were represented and, importantly, represented proportionately. This does mean that, during the rollout the first time each third of seats comes up for election under the new system some seats will fall away and new ones will take their place. Obviously, this will affect some incumbents, who will have to look at other seats for which they could nominate themselves, but we hope it will make the representation across members groups much fairer. n or mer up Are there elections for the Service Boards? Yes, although these happen after the Council of Representative elections, as the chairs of the Service Boards come from the Council of Representatives. Interestingly, not all Service Board positions require people to be on the Council of Representatives. In fact, many are drawn from the wider membership, to increase representation and bring in new people and different voices one of our key aims. en gned me 3 se! is the most suitable candidate. The BPA team will operate the elections, but canvassing is down to individuals seeking election. Elections for contested seats will conclude by 31 May. Which positions are up for election in May? Chair of the Eastern Region Chair of the North East Region (co-opted until 2023) Chair of the North West Region Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Region Enforcement Agent (x2) Local Authority (x3) Parking Technology (x3) (one seat co-opted until 2023) Parking on Private Land Operators (x3) What happens after the elections? Results will be announced in June, and people officially take up their new posts at the annual Council meeting in July. What about those who are unsuccessful? We are looking to improve opportunities to ensure all election candidates whether they end up in post or not continue to use their voice and skills in shaping the BPA and the wider profession. For example, there are all member positions, you can be co-opted to a Service Board for a period of time, or you can join an interest group and attend regular meetings. When is the next round of elections? The next 13 seats for the Council of Representatives will come up for election in May 2023; then, by May 2024, it will be back round to those that first came up in 2019. Service Board elections take place in late summer each year. What is happening this month? In addition to the routine election of 13 Council members in 2022, we are also seeking candidates for co-option by Council for the positions of Chair of the North East Region and an extra Parking Technology Group Representative (these have arisen because the incumbents have resigned mid-term the seats will become available again for full three-year term election in the 2023 elections). Members can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else for one of these seats by 13 May (please state which seat you are applying for). You must send in 500 words about yourself and why you think you are suitable for the role (you may only be nominated for one seat at each election). If there is more than one person vying for the position, it is opened up to members to vote for their choice for example, if two people go for a regional chair position, members of that regional group vote for the person they feel More information There are more than 60 seats that come up for election: 40 on Council; the chairs of the four BPA Service Boards; and chairs of the different interest groups. There are also 10 BPA Board member positions, although the election process for these is slightly different. You can find out more about the BPAs governance structure at britishparking.co.uk/BPA-Elections-Hub If you would like to get involved, but arent sure how, email elections@britishparking.co.uk A member of staff will get in touch to suggest a group or Service Board that may interest you, or talk you through the election process. Good luck! 40 britishparking.co.uk PN May 2022 pp40-41 Elections.indd 40 21/04/2022 11:47