星空传媒

RICS governing council member Jeremy Hackett has sent a letter to fellow council members setting out the reasons why he launched his Stop the Rot campaign against the running of the institution.

Hackett, who was elected on the governing council last year, said he sent the letter to clarify his position and standpoint. "Members of the governing council might well be viewing me with great suspicion, which they are entitled to do, but they should do so on a balanced view of the facts," he said.

Hackett said his letter set out how and why he started the Stop the Rot campaign and that it was calling for the RICS to "acknowledge mistakes made in the past in order for the institution to go forward".

Hackett declared his intention to cool down the campaign, first launched in 2003, at the start of the year. However he pledged to continue to raise issues and problems at the institution if he felt they were not properly deal with.

Members of the governing council might well be viewing me with great suspicion

Jeremy Hackett, RICS

In Hackett's last Stop the Rot campaign bulletin, released last month, he said his desire to adopt a low profile in recent months had been undermined by the failure of the RICS to deal with concerns he raised. These included a legal spat he had with former president Barry Gilbertson, as well as his concerns with the way the RICS is managed. Hackett is calling for a root and branch overhaul of RICS departments, a reduction in the size of the governing council and a fair reforming of the RICS' bylaws and regulations.

News of Hackett's letter comes two weeks before the RICS is due to hold a governing council meeting. Members are expected to discuss a new corporate structure put forward by the institution as well as the planned changes to regulatory reform by the RICS.