Consolidation update

Detailed draft proposals for the integration of CIPFA and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICEAW) were published in Spreadsheet and Accountancy magazines at the beginning of April. We are very keen to hear members' and students' views and reactions to the proposals. A final prospectus, refined in light of further discussions and feedback, will be published in September as the prelude to voting and decision making at Special General Meetings in October.

Discussions concerning the possible involvement of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in a larger tripartite consolidation scheme are continuing. We hope that these may lead to further proposals and membership votes during 2006.

More information is available at www.cipfa.org.uk/consolidation

Manchester International Convention Centre
14-16 June 2005

The theme of this year’s conference is 'Raising the bar – building innovative and enterprising public services' and Tony Benn, writer, diarist and veteran Labour politician has agreed to give the closing address. Other eminent speakers include:

Lord Birt, Former Director-General, BBC
James Strachan, Chairman, Audit Commission
Sir Alan Langlands, Chair, Independent Commission on Good Governance
Geraldine Peacock, Chair, Charities Commission
Baroness Julia Neuberger, Lib Dem Health Spokesperson, House of Lords

The conference commences with the Public Reporting & Accountability Awards ceremony, an award scheme sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and CIPFA.

www.cipfaconference.org.uk

Winners announced

A Leeds fire fighter has been named as this year's Outstanding Public Servant of the Year and two teams - one which operates the bus infrastructure in London and a team which improved the learning environment of schools throughout Belfast - have been announced joint winners of the Outstanding Team of the Year Award. The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony which took place on Thursday 21 April at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

Learn more about the winners at www.cipfa.org.uk/awards/winners05.cfm
View the press release at www.cipfa.org.uk/press_show.cfm?news_id=23643

Winners to be announced at CIPFA Annual Conference

Judging for the 4th Public Reporting & Accountability Awards took place on 25 April. The lucky finalists, to be announced shortly, will be invited to an awards ceremony at the CIPFA Conference on Tuesday 14 June in Manchester. Conference delegates are also invited to the ceremony to hear the winners announced. The awards sponsors,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, are delighted to promote this scheme which encourages excellence in public reporting and which celebrates best practice organisations whose imaginative approaches help to achieve real advances in accountability. PricewaterhouseCoopers also sponsor the conference welcome reception, which immediately follows the awards ceremony.

www.cipfa.org.uk/accountability

CIPFA Shop survey: let us know what you think!

We want to know what you think about the CIPFA online Shop and would appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete a short survey. This will identify the features you like most and least about the Shop and any missing features that you would like to see added. All comments will be used to help us develop a new and improved Shop to be launched later this year.

To complete the online survey, please visit www.cipfa.org.uk/shop_survey.cfm

New issue of Spectrum

The March issue of Spectrum includes two contributions from the United States – one reviewing the US accounting standards setting scene and the other drawing on US local government’s experience of encouraging citizen participation in the finance and budgeting process. For details of other featured articles and to download the magazine, please visit
www.cipfa.org.uk/pt/spectrum.cfm.

Checklist for Board Members

The third Checklist for board members covering risk management is now available to download as a Word or PDF document:

www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/rsl/download/rsl_checklist_
for_board_members_march05.doc [Word size: 77KB]

www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/rsl/download/ rsl_checklist_
for_board_members_march05.pdf [PDF size: 31KB]

Local Authority Education Panel newsletter

Issue 9 of the newsletter includes short pieces on the recent Budget and Dedicated Schools Budgets, information on CIPFA Seminar Events and current developments in the sector. The newsletter also contains CIPFA’s response to the Government
initiatives on delivering efficiency in local services. Copies of the newsletter can be downloaded from the Panel website:

www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/education/index.cfm

Health Panel and Social Services Panel e-newsletters

Electronic versions of the Health Panel and Social Services Panel newsletters were distributed for the first time in April. Click on a link below to access the new e-newsletters:

Health Panel e-newsletter
Social Services Panel e-newsletter

Resource Allocation Models in Further and Higher Education

CIPFA published ‘Resource Allocation Models in Further and Higher Education: A Compendium’ in 1997. CIPFA’s Further and Higher Education Panel, which oversaw the development of the Compendium, is now producing an updated volume and seeks institutions with interesting models which could feature in the second review.

If you are a director of finance in a college or university and would be interested in sharing the characteristics of your approach to resource allocation with others in the sector, please contact kerry.ace@cipfa.org.

Getting the Finances Right
A briefing for non-executive Board members

The focus of this briefing is financial management. It looks at the strategic aspects of financial management and the questions that non-executive board members might ask about their organisation’s financial arrangements. A key role of a non-executive member of the Board is to exercise independent and constructive challenge of senior management’s assumptions.

Download the briefing: www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/
financial_management/download/fm_briefing.pdf [PDF size: 147K]

The CIPFA Financial Management Model

High performing organisations consistently demonstrate strengths in leadership, financial management and in managing performance. CIPFA has developed a powerful, self-assessment model for financial management that identifies the contribution financial management makes to a successful public service organisation.

For further information and instructions on how to download the Model, visit the homepage of the CIPFA Shop: www.cipfa.org.uk/shop

Top ten CIPFA graduates celebrate success

CIPFA President Mike Barnes hosted a Prizewinners’ Lunch on 6 April to congratulate the top ten best performing CIPFA students in the 2004 final exams for the CIPFA Professional Accountancy Qualification (Professional 3 level) and the CIPFA Advanced Diploma in Business and Financial Management. Read the press release: www.cipfa.org.uk/press_show.cfm?news_id=23446

CIPFA workshops 2005

During April and May 2005, CIPFA will be offering a series of one-day workshops for students taking PAQ exams. They will be delivered by expert trainers from the CIPFA Education and Training Centre (CETC) at CETC Midlands in central Birmingham. Each workshop will be based on a PAQ module and will focus on
specific topics taken from the syllabus.

www.cipfa.org.uk/eandt/current/show_notice.cfm?news_id=23224

Local Taxation in Scotland

CIPFA in Scotland has responded to the consultation paper, Local Taxation in Scotland, issued by the Local Government Finance Review Committee. This submission contains a range of information for the benefit of the Committee’s independent review.

Download the response: www.cipfa.org.uk/pt/download/ local_ taxation_in_scotland_response.pdf [PDF size: 115KB]

FRS 17 Commuted Sums

There has been recent debate on the accounting treatment of FRS 17 commuted sums and the subsequent concern about the impact upon carry forward arrangements prescribed by the Scottish Executive. LASAAC has worked with both the Scottish Executive and Audit Scotland to clarify the position and to reach agreement on a way forward. The following paper sets out guidance on the proposed treatment: www.cipfa.org.uk/scotland/download/commuted_sums.pdf [PDF size: 29KB]

Upcoming events and courses

Managing Under Pressure - 29 April, Glasgow

This seminar looks at practical ways in which we can alleviate pressure by considering how to manage personal performance, how to manage other people, how to manage the workload and how to manage stress.

www.cipfa.org.uk/scotland/events_details.cfm?events_ID=2215

Annual Audit, Inspection & Regulation Seminar - 3 June, Bridge of Allan

This seminar will include the topics of Audit & Inspection – Too Much & Too Costly, Modernising The Audit, The Internal Audit Manual and Inspecting Social Work.

www.cipfa.org.uk/scotland/events_details.cfm?events_ID=1670

Training

CIPFA in Scotland's programme includes the Introductory Diploma in Management as well as Project Management and Procurement training courses. Read more: www.cipfa.org.uk/scotland/events.cfm#training

Other upcoming events in Scotland include:

10 May  Introduction to Local Government Finance in Scotland - Workshop - Edinburgh
12 May  Process Mapping - Glasgow
17 May  Risk Management Workshop: Backing The Future - Edinburgh
10 June Financial Reporting Standards - Workshop - Glasgow
17 June Introduction to Financial Management - Workshop - Edinburgh

CIPFA in Wales Forum 2005-06

Congratulations are extended to the those individuals who have willingly accepted nominations to serve on the Forum Executive for 2005/06:

Nominations will be ratified at the CIPFA in Wales AGM on 27 May 2005.

CIPFA in Wales AGM and seminar
27 May, Hotel Metropole, Llandrindod Wells

Mike Barnes, CIPFA's President and Vernon Soare, Director of Policy and Technical, will be attending the third CIPFA in Wales AGM and seminar. A highly participative afternoon has been planned on the topic of 'Leading and Motivating People - even the difficult ones!'

www.cipfa.org.uk/wales/events_details.cfm?events_ID=2357

CIPFA in Wales Annual Conference - 'Innovating Public Services in Wales'
November 17-18, Holland House Hotel, Cardiff

Following the success of last year's event, an 'early bird' discount of 15% is again being offered on the full residential package if you reserve your place before the end of May. Further details and a booking form will shortly be available online.

New events

Work is under way to stage the following events:

June - LG Capital Finance and Treasury Management in Wales and Social Services Finance Issues in Wales
July - Introduction to Education Finance in Wales and Housing Finance Issues in Wales
September - Wales Audit Conference

Further details will be made available online at www.cipfa.org.uk/wales/events.cfm

Technical support for Wales office

CIPFA in Wales is actively reviewing the level and quality of technical advice and support it offers. Several enquiries have been received from individuals who may be interested in contributing on a contractual basis to support emerging policy and technical issues in the Welsh public sector. If you would also wish to contribute, please contact maria.jones@cipfa.org for information.

Procurement Solutions conference
London, 21-22 June 2005

This conference will provide an opportunity for delegates and visitors to discover what’s new in procurement, get advice on current issues and become up-to-date with best practice techniques.

Speakers will include David Bentley, head of asset management, CIPFA/IPF and Mohamed Hans, lead adviser to the Procurement and Commissioning (PAC) Forum.

www.procurementsolutions.gov.uk/ipf

Market Research news

IPF’s Market Research Unit is undertaking a survey of local authority Chief Executives and Customer Service Directors to establish the reach of local Customer Contact Centres and One Stop Shops. This survey will also be used to assess the likely demand for CRM Customer Satisfaction Surveys which examine the quality of the caller or visitor experience.

Statistical Information Service news

The fifth edition of the CIPFA Local Government Monitor survey questionnaire is now available to download from www.cipfastats.net. The survey aims to monitor and examine correlations between outputs/results and expectations from within Local Government. An overall analysis of the survey results will be published in the forthcoming fifth edition of the Statistical Research Bulletin.

New CIPFA statistics have been published on Leisure and Recreation, Police Actuals, Personal Social Services Estimates, Crematoria, Cemeteries, County Farms and Highways Estimates. For further information, please visit www.cipfastats.net.

CIPFA FAN Rough Guide to the SIC

Regulation 4 of the Accounts and Audit Regulations (2003) requires audited bodies to conduct a review at least once a year of the effectiveness of its system of internal control and publish a statement on internal control (SIC) with the authority’s financial statements.

To assist practitioners with the preparation of the SIC, the CIPFA Finance Advisory Network has produced a rough guide that is primarily intended to support authorities with their requirement to produce the full version of the SIC from 2004/5
and reflects current knowledge. For further information please email fan@ipf.co.uk or visit www.cipfanetworks.net.

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