24th ACIPFAL Conference
25-28 June 2002
Edinburgh

This year the ACIPFAL conference cooperated with CIPFA in Scotland, the name given to the various arms of CIPFA working in Scotland, which include Secretariat and the Scottish Branch. Formed in 1906, 21 years after the creation of the Institute, the Scottish Branch comprises the CIPFA membership in Scotland and has almost 1,000 CIPFA-qualified full members and around 300 student members. A number of important Branch activities take place each year including the annual CIPFA Scottish Conference and the Weekend Seminar. The principal function of the Scottish Branch is to promote the policies and reputation of CIPFA in Scotland.

ACIPFAL welcomed speakers from as far away as New Zealand. The conference programme was packed with contributors including Steve Freer - CIPFA Chief Executive, & Hilary Daniels - Chair of CIPFA E&T Committee.

In attending the Student & Practitioner, and E&T Days at the conference, delegates heard from senior practitioners on the implications and future of devolution, including speakers from Scotland, Wales, and Europe. Additionally, Steve Freer, and Ken Gill presented current challenges for the Institute and Qualification, and sat on an open forum panel with Hilary Daniels, chaired by Dave Sexton (ACIPFAL Chairman).

Read the conference review by Dave Sexton.

Students get national voice at ACIPFAL conference

Students from many regions were represented at this year's conference and played a key role. Building on the enthusiastic participation of students from across the British Isles at its last conference, ACIPFAL built sessions into its 2002 conference to give students a voice at the highest level.

The programme included a dedicated student workshop to allow ideas and concerns to be discussed. Students presented the issues raised at the workshop directly to the conference floor on the following day. Given that the conference delegates included Steve Freer (CEO), Hilary Daniels (Chairman of E&T Committee and incoming Vice President), Ken Gill (Director of E&T), and a range of other senior stakeholders in the CIPFA E&T community, the students had a real opportunity to influence the shape of the scheme.

Read the conference feedback by students Jane Cuthbertson, Chair of the National Students Forum (NSF) and Jayne Stephenson, NSF Representative for the North East.