CIPFA celebrates 125 years
This year marks CIPFA's 125th anniversary.
The Institute was created in the north of England in the 1880s, during the late Victorian era's sweeping social reforms.
Most public spending at that time was made through charitable bodies, with fragmented and variable government intervention which the reforms aimed to address. At the same time, major infrastructure projects were under way in towns and cities to support the new industrial economy and improve the living conditions and life chances of workers and their families.
Local authority treasurers were affected by both the reforms and the infrastructure projects, and responsible for funding many of the works that aimed to help vulnerable people. A group of those treasurers wanted to share their issues and test out solutions with counterparts from around the country, and so a formal association was established.
The Corporate Treasurers and Accountants Institute held its first meeting in Manchester Town Hall on 8 December 1885.
With a Royal Charter, the Institute eventually became the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in 1973 to reflect a membership that had come to represent the full breadth of the public services.
The challenges and ideals that drew our founding members together for their first meeting are as relevant now as they were then. Today, our 14,000 members and 3,000 students work throughout the public services, in national audit agencies, in major accountancy firms, and in other bodies where public money needs to be effectively and efficiently managed.
