On the anniversary of the completion of the Bacta restructure which culminated in the creation of a new slimmed down National Council, President John Bollom has identified persuading Labour Ministers to implement the reform package contained in the White Paper as being his ‘number one priority’ over the ensuing 12-months.

John Bollom, who drove the first major restructure in the trade association’s 50-year history confirmed that the slimmed down National Council is working well. He said: “National Council meets monthly which means that we can react to events quickly and act decisively. It is acting like a Corporate Board and we are lucky to have some of the most talented people in our industry committing their time to make it a success. Being completely candid if we wanted to buy-in that calibre of expertise the fact is that we simply could not afford it.”

Identifying his personal highlight since becoming President as being the announcement of the White Paper reforms with advances such as the introduction of cashless play and changes to machine numbers in AGCs representing what he described as being “a huge potential step forward for our sector,” the last Government also features in his low point which he identified as “watching Rishi Sunak calling the snap General Election meaning there was no time to introduce the reforms.”

Alongside Bacta’s programme of political engagement undertaken with Ministers, Shadow Ministers and constituency MPs the restructure has also sought to elevate how the trade association interacts with and involves its membership. “I believe we have made significant progress in membership engagement” stated Bollom. “The decision to move a National Council meeting to Leeds was well received and this was followed up with a successful meeting with Scottish members in Glasgow. I want us to get out of London as much as we can.” 

He continued: “In terms of communications I was particularly pleased with the two webinars we organised on the White Paper reforms which saw over 100 members dialling in from every part of the UK to have exclusive access to the very latest updates and insights.

“The contributions made by our MSOs are, I believe, really important. They are Bacta’s feet on the ground getting closer to the members, identifying and responding to their specific needs. I’ve also had positive feedback about my regular Presidents’ Updates of which there have been 30 since the turn of the year.” 

With a laser sharp focus on the future John Bollom has also been leading a review of the income needed to meet the demands of effective representation. He noted: “Another personal priority in the next 12-months will be the introduction of new arrangements for Bacta membership subscriptions. They’ve not been changed in the last 50-years and there is an overwhelming case for having a fairer system.”

He concluded: “I want to ensure that Bacta delivers a breakeven budget in order that we can continue to promote and protect members’ business interests in the years to come.”