Veterinary surgeons have the opportunity to submit a question to the 15 candidates standing in this year’s election to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Council, the governing body for the College.
With the election itself due to start in March, the RCVS is encouraging members of the profession to submit a question on a subject of their choosing to the candidates ahead of the opening of voting. Questions will be collated and then shared with candidates, each of whom can answer one question of their choice.
Details of the 15 candidates standing for the three available elected places on RCVS Council can be found below, and it is recommended that members of the profession read their full biographies and statements before submitting questions. The full candidate profiles can be found here.
The candidates are:
- Dr Sharon Alston MRCVS
- Mr Ian Battersby FRCVS
- Dr Laura Davies MRCVS - BEVA member, mixed practice
- Mrs Ioana Dobre MRCVS
- Mrs Hannah Eastwood MRCVS
- Dr Viliam Hoferica MRCVS
- Dr Benjamin Kennedy MRCVS
- Dr Tom Lonsdale MRCVS
- Dr Rachael McKinney MRCVS
- Miss Alison Price MRCVS
- Dr Peter Robinson MRCVS
- Dr Neil Smith FRCVS
- Dr David Tweedle MRCVS
- Dr Samantha Webster MRCVS
- Dr Lara Wilson MRCVS
Veterinary surgeons should submit their questions to vetvote26@rcvs.org.uk no later than Wednesday 25 February 2026. Please note that only one question per person can be submitted and questions that are offensive, defamatory and inaccurate will not be passed on to candidates.
In terms of Veterinary Nurses Council, because there were only two candidates who came forward for the two available elected places on VN Council, there will be no election this year. The two candidates – Meghan Conroy RVN and Lauren Hargrave RVN – will take up their three year terms at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 3 July 2026.
Their full candidate biographies and statements can be found here.