Following an extension to the candidate nomination period for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Veterinary Nurses (VN) Council, an election will now be taking place as a record number of candidates came forward before the extended nomination period finished at the end of February.
This year’s VN Council election will be taking place from mid-March until 5pm on Friday 23 April 2021 and the 14 candidates are:
•Samantha Jayne Anderson
•Kirsten Cavill
•Rebecca Jane Clark
•Sophie Louise Connolly
•Olivia Jade Dunlop
•Thomas Griffiths
•Daniel James Hogan
•Steven David Patrick Johnson
•Carly Kilby
•Donna Leigh Lewis
•Lee Thomas Vaughan
•Francesca Ware
•Diana Elizabeth Joyce Wilson
•Tania Yelland
As current VN Council member Susan Howarth RVN was the only candidate to come forward before the original deadline of 31 January 2021, she has automatically been re-elected to VN Council for a further three-year term. This means that only one remaining elected place is now available on VN Council.
As with the RCVS Council election, this year, for the first time, the VN Council election will also be carried out completely online.
Matthew Rendle, Chair of VN Council, said: “This is quite an astonishing development to go from having just one candidate to a new record, but I am very thankful for the 14 colleagues who have come forward and who are showing a commitment to join VN Council and help drive forward our profession.
“To my fellow members of the profession, please do make sure to engage with the election and cast your vote. VN Council not only makes important decisions on matters relating to veterinary nursing training & education and registration, but, along with the British Veterinary Nursing Association, also helps set the direction of travel for the VN Futures project which is looking at how our profession can be a vibrant, rewarding and sustainable one, now and in the future.”
Voting is due to open in the week commencing 15 March when Civica Election Services (formerly Electoral Reform Services) will send emails or letters to eligible veterinary nurse voters. Voters will be able to cast a single vote for the candidate of their choice to take up a three-year term on the one remaining elected place on VN Council.
Further details about the election and each of the candidates, including their biographies and manifesto statements, can be found here.
Last year’s VN Council election saw the previous record of 13 candidates standing for election.