FDA General Secretary Election 2026
Please note that only current FDA members are eligible to stand or nominate candidates in this election.
Our General Secretary, Dave Penman, was last elected General Secretary on 6 September 2021. Section 46 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 sets down the duty for Trade Unions to hold elections for certain positions every five years. One of these positions is General Secretary.
Therefore, Dave Penman’s current term of office ends on 5 September 2026 and the FDA has to complete the process of election of the FDA General Secretary by 5 September 2026.
The Executive Committee (EC) is required under FDA Rule 22(b) to make arrangements and determine a timetable for the election. This same rule allows for the EC to nominate any person (whether or not a member) before it is open to members to nominate a candidate.
As part of this process the EC has to ensure that sufficient time is allowed within the timetable to enable any member who wishes to stand for election to obtain the requisite nominations.
2026 Election Process
In June 2025, the EC met to consider the General Secretary election process and whether we wished to invite our current General Secretary, Dave Penman, to make a presentation at the EC meeting on 3 December 2025 outlining his vision for the FDA over the next 5 years and reflecting on lessons learnt from his current term. It was agreed to invite Dave to present on 3 December 2025 to enable the EC to decide whether they wished to nominate him as their preferred candidate or to enter into a recruitment exercise during which they would consider candidates as well as Dave.
During his presentation, Dave highlighted the successes of the FDA under his leadership, the record 72% growth the FDA has achieved in the last decade against a wider declining union membership in the UK; remaining engaged and relevant to members, increasing the FDA’s capacity and visibility in the devolved nations, enhancing our learning offer and significantly enhancing the union’s external profile.
The EC considered Dave’s record as General Secretary and his priorities and vision for the future. They decided that it is in the union’s best interests if he were to be retained as General Secretary and unanimously decided to nominate Dave as their candidate of choice.
What happens next
At the EC meeting on 19 June 2025, it was agreed to appoint Popularis (Nutsey Lane, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RL) as scrutineers for the General Secretary election and adopt the following timetable:
Wednesday 4 February 2026 – formal notice placed on the website, email notice sent to members to give details of election and inviting nominations – by post to those without email.
It is open for any member who wishes to stand to do so if nominated by no less than thirty members, including a minimum of five members from each of five different constituencies (as determined under FDA rules). A nomination form can be downloaded below:
FDA General Secretary Election 2026 nomination form
The nomination form should be submitted to Anne Hock, Popularis Ltd. Either by email annehock@popularis.org or by post:
Anne Hock
Popularis Limited
Nutsey Lane
Totton
Southampton
SO40 3RL
Wednesday 11 March 2026 (midday) – Nominations close
If there are no other valid nominees then Dave will be re-elected as General Secretary and the process will be completed on 11 March 2026 with official notice from the scrutineers on 12 March 2026.
If there are other valid nominees then the timetable is as follows:
Friday 20 March 2026 – Closing date for election addresses, scrutineers to be provided with the names of validly nominated candidates and other materials
Thursday 26 March 2026 – issue of voting papers
Thursday 23 April 2026 (midday) – ballot closes
Friday 24 April 2026 – receipt of scrutineers’ report completes the process and the result is announced to the membership.
Please contact info@fda.org.uk if you require any further information regarding the election.
FDA President
Margaret Haig
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