BDA elections FAQ

To stand for election to the board you must have been a member (Essential, Extra, or Expert) for a continuous period of at least 12 months on the day nominations are invited. To stand for election to a country council, you must stand in the branch in which you have your primary address. Most of our other committees’ welcome non-members.

Committee, country council, and board members are elected for three-year terms. At the first meeting following each election, a Chair and Vice-Chair are selected to serve for the duration of the term.

As a democratic organization, we depend on the commitment and input of our committees to enhance the working lives of dentists. Each component—committees, country councils, and the board—plays a distinct role.

Committees provide insights into the daily challenges faced by dentists, shaping our policies and negotiations.

Country councils ensure that member feedback guides our strategic direction.

The board oversees the BDA, balancing the needs of the organization, individual members, and the profession.

Committees and country councils are accountable to the board and the practitioners they represent, ensuring that discussions and negotiations serve the best interests of our members.

Ideally, all committee members will actively participate in discussions during meetings. Most roles do not include an obligation to engage more publicly, but doing so can help advance our goals. Chairs and Vice-Chairs may be occasionally invited to participate in media interviews. Our experienced media team is available to support you with public speaking and media appearances.

Yes, but with some caveats. A board member can be a member of a craft committee, however you cannot be a member of a country council while also being a board member. 

You must also work in the type of dentistry covered by each committee that you apply for. For instance, if you work at Bristol Dental School as an academic and work in Wales as a GDP you can stand for both the UK wide academic committee and the Wales GDS committee.

There is no specific checklist for what makes a great committee member. However, the ability to think clearly and independently, express your opinions, and listen to and appreciate others' viewpoints is always valued.

Committee or country council meetings occur at least twice a year, while the board meets five times annually. These meetings can last up to a full day. You will need to dedicate some time before each meeting to prepare by reading relevant papers and liaising with constituents.

Most UK-wide committees hold at least one meeting per year at our Wimpole Street office in London, while committees in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will plan to meet locally. Most meetings are now held online.

Salaried members can typically claim time off work, and there is further guidance about this below. Should you experience difficulties securing time off, then please get in touch with our Employment relations team to find out more.

General practitioners, who are members, may claim a sessional payment for loss of earnings from the BDA for all committees, except the General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC). For the GDPC, committee members will typically be able to make arrangements to claim sessional payments from the Local Dental Committee(s) within their constituency. Further information can be found here.

Board positions offer an annual stipend of £15,000, and we cover reasonable travel expenses and provide lunch for all-day meetings.

Under legislation, the Trade Union and Labour Relations Consolidation Act 1992, members and representatives of a recognised trade union have a right to reasonable paid time off work for carrying out trade union duties. This only applies to employees, such as dentists working in the Community Dental Service, and does not apply to those who are self-employed, such as associates. 

These rights are applicable irrespective of length of service. BDA members have a statutory right to take a reasonable amount of time off work to take part in certain activities associated with their work for the BDA.

Many employers will provide paid time for this work within a dentist’s job plan, or as professional leave. The legislation is supported by a Statutory Code of Practice published by the ‘Advice, Arbitration and Conciliation Service’ (ACAS). This Code of Practice is used as a reference by many employers but is not mandatory.

Employees who are elected BDA representatives (including committee members of trade unions) have the right to a reasonable amount of paid time off work to enable them to carry out specific trade union duties.

Paid time off work is allowed for trade union representatives to attend committee and executive meetings which are about, at least in part, negotiations and collective bargaining of terms and conditions, as these are considered trade union duties. As all employed dentist committee meetings include a discussion or consideration of at least one of the above areas this results in paid time off for employed dentist committee members being applicable

Examples of such duties for BDA representatives may also include but are not limited to, meetings with trade union members, supporting members in formal meetings, and attending workplace meetings to discuss consultations, policies, or negotiations. Trade union training is also covered and should not be unreasonably refused or taken out of study leave/ training budgets.

Although there is no specific definition, the amount and frequency of time taken off work should be reasonable in all circumstances. Employment contracts may contain contractual provisions about time off work for trade union duties and activities and/or professional leave. Similarly, local agreements (e.g., membership of a local negotiating committee) may well be incorporated into employment contracts.

As much notice as practically possible should be given to employers for time off work. This notice should include the purpose of such time off, the intended location, timing and duration. The BDA seeks to arrange employed dentists committee meetings as far as possible in advance in order to ease these requests and help support relationships with employers.

Some employers will offer time off in lieu for trade union leave where duties and/or activities are carried out on a non-working day.

Please note that employers are not required to provide paid time off for an individual representative if they are on strike that day.

BDA members can receive advice and where relevant support to make the necessary case to employers.

For hospital dentists who are BDA members employment relations support is provided by the BMA employment relations team. The BDA has an agreement with the BMA to provide local representation and support to BDA members working within hospital dentistry.

For committee members, hospital dentists who are BDA members and need further advice can expect the BMA to provide the relevant support at a local level with employers. In this case they should contact the BMA by emailing on [email protected] or calling 0300 123 1233.

Other dentists who are BDA committee members should contact the BDA for further advice by contacting the BDA Advice Enquiries on [email protected] or BDA Employment Relations on [email protected]

The BDA does not reimburse employers for time taken for legitimate union activity.

Facilities agreements cover all the wider aspects of employment relations between trade unions and employers including recognition and negotiation as well as time off for union representatives.

They also include other aspects of the union’s rights to represent its members, such as information for the purposes of collective bargaining and access to physical resources like rooms and means of communication. These details are sometimes covered also within in local recognition agreements.