View from the Board ANJNA PATEL, CHAIR OF THE BPA BOARD Invest, improve, inspire In our ongoing series, the BPAs Anjna Patel MBE welcomes a new Board member and thanks an outgoing one This month sees a change of personnel as we welcome a new member to our Board. Congratulations to Jason Passfield who was successfully elected as our newest Board Director following a competitive election. He is a local authority representative on our Council and a member of the Professional Development and Standards Board, of which I was chair for a number of years. He has a wealth of experience within local government as parking services manager at Adur and Worthing Councils, and also has experience working in the emergency services in London. Jason says: I am delighted to have been elected to the BPA Board. I have real drive and enthusiasm to promote the work that local authorities undertake, especially in the world of parking. I am keen to help develop and build upon shared aims and goals, as well as promoting the vision, values, and professional standards of the parking sector. I want to help improve how our sector is perceived, to give members a voice so that collectively, we can all help improve and raise standards across our sector. Its a real honour and privilege to have this opportunity to help directly influence the BPAs Vision and Strategic Plan. I look forward to working with Anjna and the rest of the Board to deliver the Associations objectives. While we welcome Jason to his new role, we say a huge thank you to Grahame Rose, who was unsuccessful on this occasion in his bid to be re-elected to the Board. Grahame is a well-known figure in the parking sector, particularly within the private parking community and has made a significant contribution to the development of the Approved Operator Code of Practice, and as a member of the working group that has advised and informed work on the Parking (Code of Practice) Act. He has been a highly valued member of the Board and continues to be an important voice on our Business Services and Accreditations Service Board. I know he will continue to play an active part in our Association in the future. Finance review At our most recent meeting, Board members approved the budget for 2023/24. Overall, membership numbers remain robust and we continue to attract new members to our Association. The Board agreed that it has been important to invest in our membership services during and beyond the pandemic to help increase the value added of membership during a challenging time for members. We hope that we will soon gain clarity around the implementation of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act and continue to explore opportunities to diversify, particularly with regard to our accreditations, including the Safer Parking Scheme. The Board agreed to a modest increase in membership fees to ensure we can continue to provide our members with a consistently high level of service against the current backdrop of inflationary pressure. As a not-for-profit Association, we continued to invest strongly in membership services during the pandemic and beyond. Member support remains at the heart of what we do. We continue to provide a place for you to connect with other members to share, learn and develop skills. This includes sector-leading events including Parkex, our flagship annual conference and exhibition. Our innovative and topic-driven events, plus in-person and virtual meetings, give opportunities for members to meet locally and nationally, and our suite of online resources including webinars, guidance documents and virtual community groups are regularly updated via our website. We are continuously working to add even more value to your membership. Please revisit the corporate membership benefits to make sure you are making the most of being part of your Association and tell us if there is anything else we could do for you.* Thank you for your amazing support and being part of the BPA community. * See britishparking.co.uk/BPA-MemberBenefits You can contact Anjna at chair@britishparking.co.uk 40 PN May 2023 pp40-41 View from the board.indd 40 25/04/2023 11:32