At the next RICS general council meeting on April 26, the international committee will recommend that the institution should withdraw from CASLE membership next year.
According to its executive director, Simon Keith, the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy will collapse if the council agrees because, at a subscription of £25,000 pa, the RICS is CASLE’s largest member.
“If CASLE ceases to exist our profession would be the only one not represented in Commonwealth forums. The grant from the Commonwealth Foundation would cease. Other professions will seek to fill the void,” says Keith.
He argues that RICS members living abroad, particularly those who also belong to their own national member societies, are often dissatisfied with the benefits which they receive for their RICS subscription. “CASLE provides a vehicle through which service and assistance may be channelled to them. Its abolition could cause greater dissatisfaction resulting in the loss of RICS membership,” he maintains.
Jane Woolley, director of international affairs at the RICS, was unavailable for comment.
