Manchester Statistical Society is a lively forum for discussion of current social and economic issues. Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and from across the region. The Society meets regularly in the winter months to hear a speaker present a paper on an issue on which they are a recognised authority. Presentation of the paper is followed by considerable discussion and debate and members are free to challenge the speaker’s views or ask questions. Almost all the papers read to the Society are printed, with all members receiving a copy.

The Society was founded in 1833 at a time when Manchester was expanding rapidly and faced many social problems. Few of the founders were statisticians in the modern sense. They were keen to improve conditions for ordinary people. The work of the Society was influential in bringing about social reform in the 19th century.

Today, the Society remains an influential forum where social and economic issues are discussed, free from party politics.

John Acaster, President.

John Acaster was born in Sale in 1941. He attended Manchester Grammar School and, in London, Haberdashers’ Aske’s, before joining Williams’ Deacon’s Bank (now absorbed into RBS). During his banking career he worked in the City of London and later at St Ann Street, Manchester. The latter formed the banking house of the Heywood family, leading founders of the Statistical Society in 1833. As had been traditionally the case, John stepped into Treasurership of the Society, which he continued to perform for some 25 years.

Besides practical bank management, John also served for two decades on the editorial committee of the Royal Bank of Scotland Economic Review, contributing many articles concerning the history of the Group banks. He also served on the boards of various substantial charities.

Taking early retirement, he then moved into school inspection, becoming due course chairman of the Association of Lay Inspectors. This brought him into regular discussion with Ofsted, accompanied by the provision of evidence and pithy comment on behalf of the Association to the Commons Select Committee on Education. It also led to his paper to the Society, ‘School Inspection and School Standards’, using the valuably then-standard statistical base of Ofsted evidence.

John Acaster has had experience as a parish councillor. He has also spent six years as senior churchwarden of Manchester Cathedral and is currently a member of the Bishop’s Council. He has also applied his interests in society, history and religion to the study of Freemasonry. This has included a statistical analysis of Manchester members 1750-1860. His broad research and writing have recently led to the distinction of being invited to join Quatuor Coronati Lodge No 2076 in London, the senior lodge of Masonic research in the world.