Peter Raynham appointed Professor of the Lit Environment at University College London, Bartlett School Environment, Energy & Resources (see 1996, the original LET Lecturer).
The sudden withdrawal of ILP as a Trustee prompted the Trustees to review the structure that dated back to 1995. They resolved to change the constitution of the Charitable Trust to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), a structure that provides additional benefits and safeguards. Under the original Constitution, CIBSE was a Corporate Trustee whereas currently the Charity Commission advises against a mix of individuals and corporate bodies on a Trustee board. With the approval of the CIBSE Board, the Institution ceased to be a Corporate Trustee but is empowered to nominate and appoint a representative ‘natural person’ Trustee. As this appointment is written into the Constitution, it is effectively a technicality that, in practice, changes nothing about CIBSE’s influence as a Trustee. The assistance of Dr Hywel Davies was invaluable during these negotiations.
The first Trustees of the new CIO were Hugh Ogus, Mike Simpson, Bob Venning and John Aston (representing CIBSE).
By this time, annual funding from industry sponsors had diminished but, fortunately, the MSc course at UCL Bartlett had outgrown the need for external funding, thus enabling resources to be reserved for specific grants or projects.
All connection with LSBU for the LET Diploma in Lighting Design was discontinued, it now being run “in association with” UCL Bartlett who, in addition to general support, became the moderator for examinations and permitted the use of its name on the Diploma certificates.