BVNA council election results announced
The elected candidates will work on a voluntary basis to represent the veterinary nursing profession.
Three veterinary nurses and two students have been elected to the British Veterinary Nursing Association’s (BVNA’s) Board of Council following this year’s council elections.
The online poll closed on Friday, 7 July 2023. Out of 6,038 eligible voters, 212 cast their votes, a turnout of just 3.51 per cent.
This was slightly down on the previous year and is part of a trend of low turnouts in BVNA council elections, something the organisation is planning to address in the coming year.
The results in the election of RVN candidates were as follows:
Declan Jones (113) – elected
Victoria Foulkes (109) – elected
Cheryl Plimmer (77) – elected
Krishna Mistry (73)
Felicity Caldwell (72)
Kimberley Boparai (61)
The outcome of the student candidates election was:
Ellis Stokes (101) – elected
Poppy Meredith (96) – elected
Kate Davies (87)
Julia Hamilton (66)
The newly elected members will serve on the 14-member council for three years from October 2023. Elections are staggered so that new council members are elected every year.
BVNA president Charlotte Pace said: “On behalf of BVNA, I would like to thank all the candidates who stood for this year’s council election, along with all members who took the time to vote. We congratulate the successful candidates and look forward to welcoming them onto BVNA Council at the AGM, which takes place at BVNA Congress on Sunday, 8 October. With our ongoing campaigns working towards legislative change, which include statutory protection of the ‘veterinary nurse’ title, it is an exciting time to be representing the profession.
“However, while we were pleased that a good number of candidates stood for election in 2023, we note that turnout to this year’s election was low at 3.51 per cent. In the coming year, we will be proactively investigating how we can encourage improved turnout and overall engagement with the election process. We would strongly encourage our members to take the opportunity to engage with BVNA, which includes using their voice to shape who is representing the VN profession.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
