RCVS announces 2024 RCVS Council and VN Council election results

Three veterinary surgeons and two veterinary nurses have been elected to RCVS Council and the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council respectively following the 2024 RCVS elections.

RCVS Council is responsible for the governance of the College, for example, by setting veterinary professional and educational standards. In this year’s election there were 14 veterinary surgeon candidates standing for the three available elected places on the body.

In total, 7,383 veterinary surgeons (representing 19.7% of those eligible to vote) cast their votes. This compares to turnouts of 16.7% in 2023, 18.6% in 2022, 24.5% in 2021, and 26.2% in 2020.

The three candidates elected for four-year terms, which will start at this year’s RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 5 July 2024, were as follows:

• Dr Zara Kennedy MRCVS – 2,264 votes
• Dr Sinead Bennett MRCVS – 1,796 votes
• Professor David Barrett FRCVS – 1,747 votes

Also at this year’s AGM Professor Christopher Loughrey FRCVS, Professor of Experimental Cardiology at the University of Glasgow School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, will be replacing Professor James Wood FRCVS as a Veterinary Schools Council appointee to RCVS Council.

In this year’s election for VN Council, which has the overall responsibility for all matters concerning veterinary nurse training, post-qualification awards and the registration of qualified veterinary nurses, there were three candidates standing for the two available elected places.

In total, 1,710 veterinary nurses (representing 7.4% of those eligible to vote) cast their votes. This compares to turnouts of 8.8% in 2023, 8.4% in 2022, 12.4% in 2021 and 17.1% in 2020.

The two candidates elected for three-year terms, which will also start at this year’s RCVS AGM, are as follows:

• Kirsty Young RVN – 995 votes
• Susan Howarth RVN – 923 votes

As with previous years, the 2024 elections were conducted entirely online with Civica Election Services, which runs elections on behalf of the RCVS, sending emails containing secure links to their respective voting websites to each eligible veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse, along with reminders throughout the voting period.

The full voting report can be found on the RCVS Council election and the VN Council election webpages. 

Royal College Day on Friday 5 July takes place at the Royal Institute of British Architects and is open for all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to attend. Further information will be published in due course.