CIPFA was delighted to be working in partnership with a number of organisations
to offer a series of workshop sessions on topical subjects. Presented in a
format which ensured lively debate, thought provoking presentations, interactive
challenges and the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas with colleagues,
these events were very popular.
WEDNESDAY
14 JUNE 10.45-12.15 |
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Workshop 1 |
Partner: Department for
International Development |
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WHAT’S NEXT IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT? |
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| 2005 was a year of achievements with the Commission for Africa Report,
the Make Poverty History Campaign and the Gleneagles G8 Summit. What has
been the progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals since
then? In this interactive seminar we heard from CIPFA members working
at the cutting edge of International Development; about progress on DFID’s
White Paper on International Development and the effectiveness of current
aid policies. Building on our seminars from the last two years we heard
more about the experiences of public sector financial practitioners and
their contributions to International Development and how you can make
a difference. |
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Partner: IPF Ltd |
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SIZE MATTERS |
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| Political capital suggests that consumers of public services can better
recognise their scope for choice if the local administrative unit is really
local. However, progressive centralisation of public spending could limit
such choice. This workshop explored the impact of local government reorganisation
in this context. Two-tier local authority structures serve nearly half
the population in England. Unitary authorities in Wales and Scotland deliver
local services, although effectiveness can be influenced by the size of
such administrative units. The benefits or pitfalls of further local government
review was be considered - the potential impact on local services, local
accountability, and the sense of community determination. |
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WEDNESDAY
14 JUNE 14.00-15.30 |
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Partner: Government Finance
Officers Association of USA |
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PREPARING FOR DISASTER – THE ROLE OF THE FINANCE
OFFICER |
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As a member of the City and County of San Francisco
Disaster Council, Edward Harrington, their chief fiscal officer, has
a significant role in all aspects of disaster preparedness. Mr. Harrington
presented what the role of the finance officer is in preparing for a
disaster and mitigating risk; responding to a disaster; and supporting
long-term recovery, all while maintaining departmental operations. He
related his own experiences, which included serving as the Finance Director
of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission during the earthquake,
which caused over $3 billion worth of damage including a partial collapse
of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. |
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Partners: Centre for Public
Scrutiny and the Warwick Institute of Governance and
Public Management |
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GOVERNORS AS GUARDIANS OF PUBLIC VALUE |
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| Led by Dr Jane Martin from CfPS and Professor Jean Hartley from IGPM,
this workshop explored how public sector organisations can create ‘public
value’, how public value can be recognised and how public scrutiny,
as part of good corporate governance, provides the public authorisation
which managers need in order to drive innovation and improvement. Participants
were provided with the opportunity to reflect on the role of elected representatives
and other ‘non-executive’ governors, as guardians of public
value and managers’ strategies, for mutually beneficial working. |
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THURSDAY
15 JUNE 11.30-12.30 |
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Partner: Audit Commission |
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GOVERNING PARTNERSHIPS |
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The presentation covered the main findings from the Commission’s
recent work into partnerships and addressed two broad themes:
1. Governance and accountability in partnership working: the partnership
governance arrangements that promote better service and other outcomes
for the public;
2.Value for money in partnership working: the questions that public
bodies should ask themselves to understand if partnerships bring value
for money.
Within these two themes, the presentation focused in particular on
the challenge of managing risk and performance in increasingly integrated
services. |
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Partner: CIPFA Pensions
Panel |
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SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT |
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Estimates of the true cost of pension liabilities across the public
sector - vary widely. And seldom is an overall public sector view taken.
This numbers game gets the headlines but it’s not the best way
to encourage mature debate on the pensions crisis.
The aim of this workshop was to ‘set the record straight’
– providing a platform for two expert speakers to give an informed
commentary of the state of health of the various pension schemes in
the public sector, why we have got to where we are now, and pointing
out the differences between public and private sector pensions. This
session set the scene for the debate on pensions reform and what needs
to be done now to meet the future pensions promise. |
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Partner: Forum for the
Future |
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WHAT HAS SUSTAINABILITY GOT TO DO WITH REPORTING? |
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CIPFA and Forum for the Future are introducing the framework for
Sustainability Reporting in public sector organisations. This workshop
was an opportunity to explore the thinking behind it. What does sustainable
development mean for a public sector organisation? How would you put
it into practice? Why should you bother? What has reporting got to do
with it? It found out how your organisation could be at the forefront of
reporting and explored what your organisation could do to report progress.
Delegates were invited to join CIPFA and Forum for the Future at the
official launch of our joint ‘Sustainability Framework’
immediately after the workshop. |
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