November 17 2017

RIAS secretary and treasurer Neil Baxter has tendered his sudden resignation from the architect’s body, ending a decade at the helm of the organisation.In recent days Baxter’s tenure had come under increasing scrutiny following a widespread revolt among architects at his leadership amidst calls for greater democratic accountability, a lack of impartiality and concerns over finance, governance and salaries.In a statement RIAS president Stewart Henderson said: “The Royal Incorporation has agreed to the request from our secretary, Neil Baxter Hon FRIAS Hon FRIBA, to leave the organisation after ten years of service.“Neil will be standing down as of today and the senior management team at the RIAS will continue to deal with all matters relating to the business of the Incorporation.”Reacting to the news campaign group A New Chapter wrote: "Today’s special announcement from the RIAS confirming Neil Baxter’s resignation as secretary and treasurer raises more questions than answers. The timing of this announcement is interesting in light of previous questions raised in an open letter to our president of 12th September (based on information in the RIAS Summer Quarterly) regarding governance, finance, strategy and relevance."In the most recent RIAS Quarterly the president noted that a RIAS Governance Review Panel had conducted a strategy, which would herald a ‘clean bill of health’ for the organisation."Over the past few months A New Chapter has seen a surge in positive thoughts and ideas about what a progressive, 21st century organisation for architects in Scotland might look like, how it might behave and what it might do. We now look to our president and representatives on council to answer our ongoing questions and now, to clarify why the secretary and treasurer has tendered a sudden resignation."Baxter's responsibilities in the organisation encompassed RIAS policy, governance, business planning and budgets.