 CIPFA
members have been recognised for their achievements
at the Accountancy Age magazine awards. Conrad Hall,
chief accountant at London Borough of Lambeth, Nathan
Elvery, director of finance and resources at London
Borough of Croydon, and the finance team for social
services and housing at Richmond Borough Council were
all winners at the prestigious black tie event.
www.cipfa.org.uk/press/press_show.cfm?news_id=25892
Two CIPFA members have been honoured in the Queen’s
2006 New Year Honours. They are: Richard Douglas, NHS
director of finance, who has been awarded the Companion
of the Order of the Bath; and John Lindsay, chief executive
of East Lothian Council, who has been awarded the Order
of the British Empire (OBE) for services to local government.
 CIPFA
members should have recently received a letter from
CIPFA president, Diane Colley, to encourage relevant
colleagues or acquaintances to consider taking the Professional
Accountancy Qualification (PAQ). CIPFA is in excellent
health and the public services have never been more
in the spotlight. So this is a great time to secure
the outstanding professional qualification for careers
in public finance and accountancy.
If you know of colleagues who may be interested in
the PAQ please direct them to www.cipfa.org.uk/students/prospective
or call one of our education advisers on 020 7543 5846.
The Tom Sowerby Award honours those who have given
outstanding service to CIPFA students and this year
will be presented at the National Student Forum (NSF)
Conference on 28 June in York.
If you know of a colleague, tutor or mentor who has
shown particular dedication to CIPFA students, why not
make a nomination?
For further information, please visit www.cipfa.org.uk/students/current/sowerby.cfm.
The deadline for nominations is Friday 17 March 2006.
 There
is still availability for Level 1 courses for the Diploma
in Public Audit at the CIPFA Education and Training
Centres (CETC) in Bristol and London.
The Diploma in Public Audit is the only public sector
focused audit qualification and is suitable for both
those new to audit who wish to accelerate their career
development, and those who have been working in the
audit field for a while and do not hold a professional
qualification. Successful completion of the one-year
course provides affiliate membership to CIPFA, so if
you know anyone at your organisation that would benefit
from the qualification let them know they need to enrol
soon.
Enrolment forms are available on the CETC website:
www.cetc.org.uk.
The Diploma in Public Audit is also run by CIPFA Northern
Ireland and Liverpool John Moores University. For further
information visit www.cipfa.org.uk/students/current/colleges.cfm.
Started your IPDS portfolio yet? CETC is offering
a one-day practical course focusing on the IPDS scheme
at all four of their locations during January. This
invaluable course entitled Essential Skills looks in-depth
at the IPDS scheme and what is required of students.
To find out dates and register for this course call
CETC on 020 7403 4300.
A number of our other Added Value course providers
also offer short courses to support students with IPDS.
For details, please visit www.cipfa.org.uk/students/current/useful_links.cfm.
The Local Authority (Scotland) Accounts Advisory Committee
(LASAAC) has now released modernised guidance on accounting
for insurance in local authorities in Scotland. The
guidance was approved at the last
meeting of LASAAC and is available for immediate use
and with immediate effect. Download a copy of the guidance:
www.cipfascotland.org.uk/download/LASAAC_Accounting_Insurance.doc.
 Unlocking
Scotland's Potential is the theme of CIPFA in Scotland's
Centenary Conference and Exhibition. The conference
will consider how to unlock the potential for even more
efficient, economic and effective public services. Speakers
this year include Dr Carol Craig, John Seddon and Tom
McCabe MSP, Minister for Finance and Public Service
Reform.
For full programme details or to book online visit
www.cipfascotland.org.uk/conference.
Local
Government VAT: Education - 25 January, Edinburgh
In association with PricewaterhouseCoopers, this course
looks at the way VAT impacts on a local authority’s
provision of education.
Option
Appraisal & The Business Case - 25 April, Glasgow
This workshop provides delegates with practical guidance
on option appraisal using 'Green Book' (HM Treasury)
guidance and the business case as a management tool.
For information on other CIPFA in Scotland training
courses and events in 2006, please visit www.cipfascotland.org.uk/events.cfm.
The 17th World Congress of Accountants will be held
in Istanbul, Turkey on November 13-16, 2006. The Congress,
organized around the theme "Generating Economic
Growth and Stability Worldwide," will feature plenary
sessions and workshops led by internationally recognised
speakers from the public and private sectors. They will
address issues of accounting, auditing, ethics and financial
management. For more information and to register to
attend, please visit www.wcoa2006istanbul.org.tr.
 In
April 2006 a new Government agency, the Tribunals Service,
will be established to administer the largest central
Government tribunals. The agency is being set up by
the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and
will focus on delivering services to tribunal users.
Two non-executive positions have become available, one
for a member of the agency's management board and audit
committee; the other for a member of the board and chair
of the audit committee. These are three year appointments
starting in March 2006. For an information pack, please
email mary.jakeman@dca.gsi.gov.uk.
The closing date for applications is Monday 23 January.
The ICAEW's annual Leadership Challenge develops leadership,
motivational and management skills in young professionals
by engaging them in a new and exciting way. By developing
their leadership skills, the innovative Challenge programme
benefits both individual participants are their sponsoring
organisations.
The Challenge is specifically tailored for young finance
professionals, and each team of six must include at
least one ICAEW or CIPFA member. The first round Challenge
Days will be held throughout the country between May
and July 2006. The Semi-Finals will take place in September
in Europe and the Final in October in South Africa,
culminating in the Leadership Challenge Ball in November
2006.
If you think you can rise to the 126 Leadershp Challenge
then log onto www.126challenge.co.uk
for more details.
 The
International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board
(IPSASB) of the International Federation of Accountants
(IFAC), the global organisation for the accountancy
profession, is seeking to fill a key technical manager
position. This position will be located either in Toronto
or at IFAC headquarters in New York. A complete job
description for this position, along with additional
information concerning preferred background and experience,
is available on the IFAC website at www.ifac.org/JobsAtIFAC.
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