Rebecca Taylor, FIFP CFP^CM, IFP President, said: “The consultation process which has been taking place over the past month, gathered feedback and input from across the membership.

“The board has greatly appreciated the honest discourse from members and we’d like to thank all those who took the time and effort to engage with us through webinars, face to face meetings and phonecalls.

“At the meeting today the IFP board will have a thorough discussion of all issues which have been raised by members during this period. We will then decide whether or not to proceed with the proposal to merge with CISI.”

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When the merger proposal was put forward at the start of August, Ms Taylor said “evolution is essential to stay strong and progress” and explained the board had undertaken a recent and lengthy strategic review before putting it out for discussion by members.

Four IFP past Presidents have thrown their weight behind the proposed merger.

Ian Shipway FIFP, CFP^CM, Jane Wheeler FIFP CFP^CM, Campbell Edgar CFP^CM FIFP and Barry Horner CFP^CM have backed the move, saying they believe it would be beneficial for the future of Financial Planning in the UK.

Mr Horner said: “The key beneficiary of good Financial Planning is the UK consumer. The challenge however is that most UK consumers have never heard of Financial Planning or how to access it. The proposed merger of IFP and CISI gives me real hope that this will change.”