But while LI president Neil Williamson has refuted claims of a cover-up of the body's mammoth financial problems, he has admitted that accountability has been opaque.
"There is an element of legitimate criticism," he acknowledged. "There has been relatively little reporting on management and financial matters to members. Given the events of the past nine months, this state of affairs may seem archaic and inadequate, but there has never been any attempt to hide anything from anyone."
Williamson was responding to allegations of "reckless spending" from Spanish LI member Gabino Carballo, who has set out a review of the LI's accounts over the past five years.
Carballo said the body set "unrealistic" budgets, in which expenditure exceeded income, and he criticised the LI for "reckless spending and mismanagement".
"I, other trustees and senior staff have not been abusing our positions by improperly profiting from charitable funds and the allegation we have attempted to systematically mislead or conceal the true state of affairs is completely groundless," added Williamson.
One of the major bugbears for critics of the LI has been the rent cost of the organisation's base in central London - £90,000 a year before a proposed doubling from the landlord earlier this year.
Landscape Institute North West member Penny Beckett said: "The LI should never have gone to Great Portland Street in the first place. The rent was always far too high for a small institute such as ours."
Writtle College landscape architecture lecturer Tim Waterman said he represented a silent majority that believed the issues had been blurred.
"I am hoping the latest EGM will see an end to the rift and that what is needed most is for the membership to pull together."
-The EGM will take place on 15 July at 6.30pm. It will be held in the Council Chamber, Congress House, 28 Great Russell Street, London.
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All Comments
The one issue that has been blurred has been accountability and responsibility. The LI has acknowledged that the facts -as presented by me- are correct. They simply object to my conclussions regarding potential wrongdoing and accusse me of being "deluded". This is not good enough.
Resignations at all levels in the LI are long overdue and a major enquiry regarding this gastly affair should be launched as a matter of urgency.
The "silent majority" has failed in its duty of scrutiny of the Boards actions. It has also failed to uphold fundamental professional values and our duty of care towards clients and the general public.
This points towards mass "professional meltdown": we do not seem to be guided by any principles anymore, just convenience.
Can Landscape Architecture continue to be considered a serious profession in the UK in the face of current and past events?
I suspect that -without radical change- the answer is a rotund NO.
the trouble is that your views have been dis-credited and you have been dis-owned Gabino by your fellow EGM signatories because of your unevidenced cries of corruption and extremely abusive language and bullying of the Landscape Institute secretariat. Your claim that the LI has not upheld its duty of care to values and to clients and the public is another unsubstantiated piece of nonsense.
There is no meltdown, as you would wish. There are well published guiding principles on the LI website.
Yes, Landscape architecture can be considered a serious profession in the UK. It has undergone change as a result of the financial crisis everyone is experience and it will continue to do so with a governing body that is now made up of new and varied opinions including those of some of the EGM requisitioners.
Your personal stance is a lone and now unbelieved voice.....ask your fellow EGM requisitioners if you don't believe me.
best regards
brodie mcallister FLI VPLI