On 22nd Nov, a group of accountants and bookkeepers including our Reading firm Specialist Accounting Solutions, gathered at the Caledonian Club in West London to discuss whether the term ‘accountant’ should be protected. At present, anyone can call themselves an account; a fact that is not widely known among the public.
There was unanimous agreement in favour of the motion, with many of the attendees citing the increased prevalence of online ‘accountants’ who are selling their services to UK businesses and individuals despite lacking any qualifications.
Following the discussion, the Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will write to relevant figures in parliament informing them of the points that were raised.
Director of Specialist Accounting Solutions Ltd Sean Hackemann said, “I was delighted to take part in this discussion. It was great to discuss these issues with my peers in the sector.”’
Speaking after the event, Craig Wilmann, director of the Leaders Council added, ‘We’ve never had a discussion before where everyone present spoke with one voice. Recent YouGov polling, commissioned by the association of accounting technicians, showed that 82% of sitting MPs would back this change. The political will is there, we just need to push the issue up the agenda.’
Leaders Council chairman Lord Blunkett said, ‘As far as I am aware, accountancy is the only major profession that isn’t audited. I don’t understand why multiple governments haven’t done anything about it.’
