Fury over the scrapping of the RIBA Trust looks set to force Portland Place to hold a special general meeting for the first time in more than a decade.
Following the unceremonious abolition of the trust at the end of last month – a move masterminded by RIBA chief executive Harry Rich and narrowly voted through by council – former trustee Roger Zogolovitch has launched a petition to get the action overturned.
He told BD that he hoped to secure the 280 signatures from chartered members needed to trigger the special general meeting.
The last time such a meeting was triggered in this way was in 1997 when traditionalists rebelled against the modernising agenda of then RIBA director-general Alex Reid.
Zogolovitch, who believes Rich’s plans were bounced through without proper discussion or consultation, said he hoped to use the RIBA’s own democratic structure to mount a challenge.
He has registered the name for a new campaign website, www.tm-trustmatters.co.uk, and email address, support@tm-trustmatters.co.uk.
“At the moment, there is no RIBA Trust,” he said. “I’m trying to collect signatures, which will give people time to air the issues about the future of the trust.
“The motion put to the meeting would seek its re-instatement… my belief is that this needs to be overturned by people who were on the trust board along with past presidents and those who understand the intellection value of the [RIBA Trust] collections.”
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