Below is the unedited resignation letter seen by EG from Dame Janet Paraskeva to RICS president Ann Gray, dated 23 June 2023.
Dear Ann,
Please receive this letter of resignation, as I am today, resigning my position as Chair of the Standards and Regulation Board. I am saddened to have made this decision, but I believe I have no choice given that in your letter to me of 20th June you have made it clear that it was your intention to remove me from the governance role as Chair of the Standards and Regulation Board. I do not believe I would get a fair hearing and, for that reason, I will not be attending the hearing scheduled to take place later today.
Nevertheless, I wish to make it clear and to place it on record that I disagree entirely with the allegations made against me. Indeed, I believe that having repeatedly raised serious regulatory and legal concerns including about the ongoing attempts to erode the SRB’s independence and the failures to implement the recommendations in the Bichard Report (including as I set out in detail in my letter of 19 May 2023), RICS has decided to penalise me by seeking to manufacture reasons for which to terminate my appointment.
I have always acted in good faith in order to preserve and promote self-regulation for the Institution and the profession and entirely refute the accusations made against me. Whilst there is far more detail which I would be able to provide in response to these allegations, I do not see the value in setting out such detail in this letter.
I would note that you yourself gave permission to the Director for Building Safety at DLUHC to reach out to me “ to get my views as Chair of the SRB on the transformation programme” answering three specific questions and in order to provide further information on two areas of concern that he had already raised with you. I do not therefore accept that I failed to inform RICS about the matter.
I have repeatedly warned that the independence of SRB is being threatened and that the Bichard Review recommendations and the Regulatory Framework Document which emanated from those recommendations, both sets of which were agreed by GC on 27 October last year, are being usurped. Your letters to me of 27 April 2023 and 2 June 2023 are evidence of this.
I have not said that Clause 221 is needed but have said, and did point out to GC at the meetings on 18 April and again on 23 May 2023 that the possible use of the Clause was evidence of the Government’s interest in RICS and self-regulation as a warning of possible intervention if the institution did not provide the independence required and indeed signed up to after accepting the Bichard recommendations in full.
In so doing, I was fulfilling my “overriding duty to ensure that the exercise of the regulatory functions are not prejudiced by any representative function or other responsibilities it may have.” (RFD para 6), a duty which every RICS officer has by virtue of Governing Council’s Regulatory Framework Document. I do not therefore accept that I have failed to comply with my obligations and, even if I have done so (which I refute), there is not a proper basis for the termination of my appointment.
The Board has expressed their unanimous support for me and the work I have done on behalf of RICS to deliver and protect self -regulation for the profession.
Given the way in which I have been treated including, in particular, in response to my decision to raise genuine legal and regulatory concerns in good faith and in accordance with my responsibilities, I have the right to leave immediately as a result of the repudiation of my contract. However, I do not want to leave the SRB exposed and without giving RICS the time to find a replacement and I am therefore prepared if you wish to serve my notice to support the staff and to effect a smooth handover and the establishment of new delegations, which will be vital for the continuation of the delivery of regulatory functions.
I want also to make to plain that my resignation in no way reflects the hard work of the staff who work tirelessly to protect the public interest on behalf of the RICS.
I do not intend to make any public statement about my resignation but reserve my right to respond to public comments made about me and my role.
All my rights are reserved, including my right to provide further details of my defence to the allegations made against me.
Yours sincerely,
Janet (Paraskeva) Chair SRB
See also
RICS resignations – read the letter that started it all >>
Strong words as RICS SRB quits – read the resignation letter in full >>
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