A former ACCA council member has secured enough support to demand an emergency general meeting to discuss how the association is run.

Anthony Thomas, a partner with Coventy-based Thomas & Co who was an ACCA council member until 1996, secured 124 votes in support of his motion calling for an investigation into ACCA's governance. The motion asks also calls for an examination of how the president's proxy vote is used in council elections and the role and supervision of the chief executive.

"One of the motivating factors behind this was the way they dealt with incoming president Ray Gardiner last year, getting rid of him on the day of the AGM," Thomas told AccountingWEB. "I'm cross that they should do something like that withouT being held accountable for their actions."

Last year's merger attempt with CIPFA and CIMA also concerned Thomas and his supporters. "They've spent vast amounts of money on it and nobody knows where we are with it. As a membership, we need to know more," said Thomas.

After Thomas filed the paperwork calling for the EGM late last week, ACCA issued a statement criticising the "unnecessary cost of the EGM", which was- estimated at £80,000. "This is the third EGM in four years, called by broadly the same group of members to discuss broadly the same concerns," said ACCA. "On each previous occasion, the membership has supported Council by overwhelming margins."

The statement further angered Thomas. "Around 60 of the 124 people who supported the motion are from overseas - in contrast with the previous EGMs," he said.