RCN membership fees will not be raised at present
Posted 14 July 2023 - 14:01
Resolution giving council the ability to increase rates if required over the next five years was one of three passed at college AGM
The RCN’s membership fees will be held at their current amount, following the college’s decision not to increase charges at the present time.
At its annual general meeting on 10 July, a resolution was passed to allow the RCN’s council to set membership rates for the next five years to ensure the financial stability of the college.
Membership fees may need to be raised over next five years
The full annual membership rate for a nurse is £196.85, of which £157.48 can be claimed in tax relief. A full membership for a nursing support worker is £98.43, with £78.74 able to be claimed in tax relief.
While the fees will remain the same for now, RCN council vice-chair Paul Vaughan was clear they may increase over the coming five years to meet the financial needs of the RCN.
‘Council is not seeking an increase in subscription rates at the present time and we will continue to do everything we can to deliver effectively and efficiently for members in these challenging times,’ he said. ‘It is important, however, that council is able to plan the RCN’s finances to provide financial stability and sustainability.’
Rule change for calling extraordinary general meetings
A further resolution was passed to alter the threshold at which members can call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). This comes after a petition earlier this year calling for an EGM was found to contain fraudulent signatures.
The resolution, passed with a majority of 82%, means that any call for an EGM will now only proceed if it has the support of at least 5% of the RCN’s total membership. This would require 25,000 members to back calls for an EGM, instead of the 1,000 members previously required.
To ensure members can still raise concerns, a process will be put in place to give members a direct route to submit items and speak to council directly at meetings, the RCN said.
Council members’ terms of office to be extended for one year
A third resolution was passed to extend existing council members’ terms of office for one year. Any council member whose term of office is due to expire on 31 December 2023 will have their term extended until 31 December 2024.
The RCN said this was to ‘ensure continued stability, allow current council members to progress work resulting from the Carr and KPMG reviews, deliver the five-year strategy and to avoid an additional set of expensive statutory postal election costs’.
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