October 2017 – President’s log - a farewell from Ian!

Hello everyone,

Well, this is my last article as your President.  I am writing whilst at the Scottish Conference, in the wonderful town of Crieff, and I still have a number of events to attend in the last four weeks of my tenure, which makes it a very busy time for me. 

There is a very international feel to the events as I visit Scotland, Wales (to speak at a seminar in Cardiff), the Annual Conference and Performance Awards in Telford and a visit “across the pond” to speak with our Chief Executive David Magor and Paul McDermott at the International Association of Assessing Officers’ conference in Las Vegas. 

During the course of the year I have had the pleasure of visiting many Institute Associations, to welcome and be welcomed by members of fellow professional bodies. I must say a big thank you to everyone I have met for that welcome and the kindness shown to me and my family as we have toured the UK. 

It is a real pleasure to see how vibrant many Associations are, and indeed to witness the very different ways each of them goes about its business. There is of course no right and wrong way - as long as the Association is assisting its members and colleagues from our very varied professions we will continue to go from strength to strength.

I was recently asked what has been the highlight so far. This was a very difficult question and in reality one I couldn’t answer. To say there was a highlight would indicate to me that one was better than the all the other events and experiences I have had this year - in truth, they have all been wonderful experiences.

However, if I was pressed to pick something, it would have to be seeing the pass lists for our examinations and signing the successful candidates’ certificates. As many of you will know, I undertake a bit of teaching myself and run the courses up in the north-east. Whilst it gives me great pleasure to see students begin their studies and grow to the point where they pass their examinations, I also know that it is vital to the success of our Institute that we continue to offer a professional and knowledgeable organisation for our members and their employers, to ensure that whichever profession you are employed in - whether it be revenues, benefits, rating, valuation or collection - you are able to offer advice, support and speak with professional authority when required to do so.

As I have already mentioned in my articles, these are very difficult times for all those working in our industry, with reducing budgets and further changes.  A vibrant Institute is therefore vital. There is no doubt that as we experience further welfare reforms in the coming months, it is time that there was a wholesale change to both the rating and council tax regimes. Business rates are coming under more and more pressure as ratepayers become ever more disgruntled with the rates they are asked to pay and they look for more ways to avoid paying, in addition to the growing discontent for the appeal system. In addition, the government keep tinkering with the reliefs and discounts, which again cause more discontent with both ratepayers and those who administer the system.

This is of course also true of the council tax regime, which is now ridiculously out of date, with a system that was hurriedly brought in as a way of getting rid of the poll tax. A major overhaul is desperately needed.

During the course of my year we have lost a number of members of the institute who played a significant part in its success and diversity, the most recent loss being that of Pat Doherty. A tribute to Pat falls opposite this article, but I would simply like to add that he was not only a fellow member of the Institute, member of the council and Past President, but a personal a friend of mine. He always offered help and advice and he will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

As I come to the end of my time as President and the end of this article, I wish to again thank all those who have invited me this year and welcomed me so warmly.  Also, to those who have helped me get there on time, particularly David Magor, who has travelled to many of the events with me, and endured my jokes at his expense … and of course to my employers, County Durham Housing Group, who have supported me throughout my Presidency.  And, of course, to my family - Karen and Matthew - for both ably supporting me whenever they could, and holding the fort while I was away on my travels.

It just leaves me to hand over to your next President and to wish Gordon Heath all the best for his coming year. I am sure he not only will have a fantastic year, but will bring his customary knowledge and enthusiasm with him.  Good luck, Gordon!

Yours, 

Ian

President’s log - September 2017

It is probably the quietest time of our year with annual billing over, the early recovery runs undertaken, the rush of new benefit claims following annual billing processed and, for this year, the initial interest in the revaluation also subsided. Many offices are quieter than normal, as many of us take our well-earned holidays.

Well, that’s the way it should be, but of course in the revenues and benefits world there is always something on the horizon. Many authorities, and any organisation involved in the provision of housing, are preparing for the rollout of the full service for Universal Credit.  Many are also of course fearful of the consequences of this on rental income and other payments such as council tax, utility bills and everyday living costs. 

The potential for families to go into debt, especially those who have always paid their way, is worrying, and of course it could well be the landlord or local council that they will turn to, to help them through a difficult period in their lives.

As I say, it should be the time of year when we take a breather, have a break and prepare for the next round of change or implementation of government policy.  However, this is not the case for those of you who work within the business rates arena in particular, as you grapple with the latest government idea of the discretionary rate reliefs for pubs, supporting small businesses and the local discretionary fund. This of course was announced in the Budget and included a pot of money amounting to £300m to help small businesses.

However, as it includes a local scheme, there is a lot to do in designing a scheme and consulting on it, which wasn’t helped when the government promptly decided to hold a General Election!  Many local authorities are only now going out to consultation on their local scheme. It is therefore very annoying, and worrying, when local authorities receive letters from Marcus Jones effectively berating local authorities for not having a scheme in place. Either relations between his department and local government are at a very low point or he doesn’t fully understand the requirements and the potential for challenge of a local scheme. 

The weather has been pretty miserable over the past couple of weeks, but we were fortunate to have fine weather for the national IRRV golf competition, organised by Bob Trahern at Nuneaton Golf Club. We had more players and sponsors than we have had for quite some time and many players were able to take the time to catch up with friends and colleagues from around the country.  Whilst it was an excellent day all round, it didn't all go to plan for every player, as the photo (right) testifies.  In light of this success, I am looking to hold a golf competition at Oswestry Golf Club on the Monday before our Annual Conference in early October - look out for details.

Yours, 

Ian

President’s log - August 2017

Hello readers,

There have been many headlines over the past few weeks, including the dreadful events in Manchester and London and the political upheaval of the government losing its majority. The impact of all these and other events, of course, has an impact on local government and the services we provide.   

Many of the services and personnel delivering them have quite rightly received the praise they deserve, as people put their own lives in danger to help others. In addition to the immediate response, there is often a great deal of help required for many months - even years - following these events and local government is at the forefront of delivering these services. These often include our own revenues, benefits and advice services, as we ensure our residents receive the financial assistance to which they are entitled, with discounts/exemptions identified and delivered, and appropriate payment plans negotiated. 

Unfortunately, whilst these events get the attention to which they are entitled, once again politicians think that local government can be an easy hit, for example as Vince Cable comes out and criticises the collection rates for council tax and business rates, concentrating on the uncollected monies rather than the collection rates for these taxes. 

During 2016/17, local authorities in England collected £26b compared to £22b in 2012/13. Whilst the collection rate understandably went down in 2013/14, owing to the introduction of the local council tax support schemes, the collection rate now is not far off the rates achieved in 2012/13.  In Wales, the story is the same, with local authorities achieving the highest ever collection rate, at 97.4%.  And in Scotland, In-year collection rates have improved steadily from 87.2% in 1998/99 to 93.8% in 2006/07 and now 95.8% in 2016/17.

These collection rates are set against the continuation of austerity and reducing staff num-bers, as budgets are cut and in England the poorest in our society have to make a contri-bution towards their council tax bill.

Wouldn’t it be easier if the politicians came out and congratulated revenues and benefits staff for the incredible job they do in delivering the most efficient tax system in the world, at the same time ensuring our residents receive the benefits to which they are entitled?  I’m not sure how we can reverse this particular thought process!

******

Since my last article, I have been extremely busy undertaking presidential duties and have been to many parts of Great Britain, including visits to Scotland (the Revenues Symposium) and to the Wales Conference in LLandrindod Wells. I thank everyone for the warm welcome I receive everywhere I go. 

I have a small number of events to attend over the next couple of weeks before there is a lull in activity during August as the holiday period reaches its climax…..at which point I hope you all have the holiday and rest you undoubtedly deserve! 

Yours, 

Ian

President’s log - June 2017

Hi there everyone,

I am pretty sure many of you reading this will be starting to think of your well deserved summer holidays. Just goes to show just how quickly my year as your President is going!

The last few weeks have been very enjoyable but also very different - social events, repre-senting the Institute on an international level, looking forward to the future and ensuring our Institute remains vibrant and relevant.

The three social events were varied and enjoyable, the first being a lunch I hosted in London for the Presidents of kindred Institutes. This was a very informal affair, with no speeches or presentations - just an opportunity to get to know each other and discuss the issues that impact us all.

The second was an event I had been looking forward to - the Lancashire and Cheshire Association dinner. This was particularly enjoyable as it was the members of the Lancashire and Cheshire branch, as they were then, who took me under their wing as a young student and helped me both through my exams, introducing me to many of the events and people of the Institute. The help and kindness shown to me then has carried me throughout my career and I still look back on my time as a member of the “branch” with great affection.

The most recent social event was as a guest of North East CIPFA, at their dinner in New-castle. The evening was a success and again gave me the opportunity to meet up with friends I hadn't seen in a number of years. In fact, speaking to one old friend we reckoned it had been nearly 30 years since we last had a drink together!

I was also really pleased to represent the Institute at the latest TEGoVA (The European Group of Valuers’ Associations) conference, which was held in Belgrade, a really interesting city. I think we can all take pride in the way our Institute is revered by the European and North American valuation professions.  This was borne out when our very own Roger Messenger was re-elected as the organisation’s Vice Chairman for the next three years.  Congratulations to Roger!

However, arguably the most important event was the meeting of the national Council, where a number of discussions took place on the future of the Institute. We are only a small organisation, and unfortunately the current climate means that our number and therefore our income is reducing. We are not alone in this situation, as many of our compatriot Institutions are experiencing the same issues.

Therefore, it is imperative that we address these issues and formulate a plan going forward, so that we ensure that we have an Institute that is as strong, relevant and as highly thought of as it is today. These discussions are continuing and we plan to bring proposals before you at the Telford Annual Conference in October.  I look forward to reporting on our conclusions.

Yours, 

Ian

President's Log - May 2017

Dear reader,

It’s that time of year where everyone feels better as the days get longer and warmer - even here in the north-east!  The lambs are in the fields and daffodils are blooming. 

That said, the stresses and strains of year end and annual billing certainly put a damper on the “feel good” factor. For some it will probably feel even worse, as the next phase of welfare reform kicks in and the poorest in our society see further cuts hit their pockets.

In years gone by, I was a member of Round Table, an organisation which does a lot for its local community in terms of raising money for local charities. Whilst this is a commendable attribute, another main aim is fellowship and helping to develop its members by undertaking tasks they might not otherwise do, such as public speaking, chairing meetings and organising the events.  

One of the highlights of the year for the Warwickshire area is a weekend away called “High Tiddle”. This is basically a group of men going away for the weekend, undertaking a hike to over 2000 feet, where they play Tiddly Winks and walk back down again!  The purpose of Tiddly Winks? Simple - the winners organise the following year’s event! I was invited onto this year’s walk, as it was my old Table that had won the previous year and organised it this year.  It was great to meet up with old friends and to meet a few new ones as we worked our way up and down the mountain and, of course, a few bars.

The weekend had me thinking about all the things that I had done as a member of Table, including travelling to Germany, Holland and South Africa to meet up with Tablers from those countries.

Many members of our Institute ask me what they get for their money when they pay their subscriptions, besides a monthly magazine. I try to explain that it does many things, such as keeping the professionalism of their vocation, giving them the opportunity to train and develop through our courses, representation at government level and the opportunity to meet with others who work just as hard in the same field of work in difficult environments - and of course to learn from others.

It seemed to me as I walked along in the beautiful dales that lovely sunny day in March that members of the two organisations are not dissimilar in many ways. They are like minded, have similar goals and harbour a desire to do well. But it also seemed to me that those who get involved in their respective organisation tend to get more from it than those who don’t. So perhaps the answer to those who ask the question, “what does the Institute/organisation do for me?” should be “what can you do for your Institute/organisation?” It is easy to get involved with the Institute at a local level and I urge you to do so - you will be very welcome.  It’s true in life that the more you put in, the more you get out.

Yours, Ian  

President's log - April 2017

April 2017 Insight – President’s log

Dear reader,

Welcome to my latest contribution as my year progresses.  There is not too much to report since my last article, as it has been relatively quiet on the Presidential front and I as write this article I have not travelled or visited any more Associations or attended any other gatherings. 

There was one duty which I had to perform, however, which was probably one of the most pleasing I will undertake during my year as President - to sit and sign all the certificates for the successful students from the December examinations.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am extremely keen on membership and qualifications for our Institute, and to sign so many certificates was a real joy, especially as many of them were from the north-east!  Well done and congratulations to all those who passed in December - hopefully I will get to meet you as I travel the country and visit your Associations.

There is unfortunately a down side to this story. Many of the students who pass our exam-inations very quickly let their membership lapse, particularly when they have to pay their own subscriptions. It is in my view very shortsighted of employers to see so many of them no longer paying these subscriptions once a student has qualified. 

Having spent so much resource, in time and money, and then not to continue to support the professionalism of staff and their continuing professional development seems a little negative.  As staff numbers reduce and those with extensive experience leave, it seems to me to be even more important that those left behind should be professionally qualified, motivated and supported in their ongoing professional journey.

I realise for many that the subscription renewal notices come at a bad time of year and everyone is having to pull in their financial belts, but having strived so hard to gain the qualification it is well worth having a look at what membership of the Institute can do for you.

Certainly, if you go along to your local Association and meet with others who work in the same arena and have the same issues, you will not only meet folk who are similarly minded but also those who are able to help with the problems we all face each day at work. Hopefully you would also follow me in meeting friends who last a lifetime.

I would also encourage the Associations to reach out to those who have recently qualified, invite them along to the next meeting or seminar, showing them that membership can be of real benefit, both on a personal as well as a professional level.

Yours, 

Ian     

Happy New Year from the President!

Merry Christmas!

President at Scottish Forum & Christmas Reception

The President addressed the IRRV Scottish Revenues & Benefits Forum in Edinburgh on Thursday 15th December and later attended the IRRV Scottish Association President's Christmas Reception.

Here's two photographs from the day :

The President addresses the Forum meeting in Edinburgh

The President and Scottish Association President Joan Hewton present Cara Lawson
of Fife Council her certificate following her success in the IRRV examinations

Scottish Benefits and Welfare Reform Conference

The President chaired the first day of an excellent Scottish Benefits and Welfare Reform Conference today.    More details here.

A couple of photographs from today :

The President chairing a conference session

Ian at Scottish Benefits and Welfare Reform Conference

Miscellaneous Income Conference - Scotland

Ian addressed the Miscellaneous Income Conference for Scotland in Grangemouth on 1st December.

Here's a couple of photos!

Ian speaking to the conference delegates

Ian with IRRV Junior Vice President Louise Freeth, who also addressed the conference

President's log!

A sneak preview of the first "President’s log" of Ian's Presidential Year - with thanks to the IRRV monthly "Insight."   Read more in the December 2016 "Insight"!

Dear reader,

Welcome to my first contribution to Insight as President. My first duty is to congratulate my good friend Jim on his successful year and I only hope I can follow his enthusiasm and hard work in my year in office.

But phew, what a week!  It started off quietly enough with a Friday night at the blues club which is held in our village every couple of months or so. We have some great artists and Friday was no exception with the excellent Gerry Jablonski headlining. This and real ale at £2 per pint - what more could you ask for on a Friday night!

Then things began pick up apace. I travelled down to Telford on the train with a rail company whom I will not name - they are not my favourite and once again a lack of service and punctuality was on show.  Once I arrived at Telford I made my way to the conference centre to meet Gary Watson. It is my responsibility, as chair of Commercial Services Committee, along with Gary, to make sure all goes well at the conference.  Tuesday morning saw Gary and I meet early with the Chief Executive and President to discuss the days events and make sure all eventualities were covered

I then went on to open the conference.  The day went well and it was good to see the exhibition area sold out.  Wednesday saw the arrival of more delegates and the conference had a real buzz about it. I must at this point say thank you to the sponsors, exhibitors and of course the delegates for an excellent event and also take this opportunity to record my thanks to all those who work behind the scenes to make sure all goes well.  The guys and gals who build the stands, the staff from the centre and most of all the staff from HQ who work so hard before during and after the conference to ensure all goes well. 

Of course the highlight was the awards dinner and again I must congratulate all the finalists on their initiatives and hard work.  At the end of the dinner it was a very proud moment for both myself and my family who were in attendance when Jim handed me the chain of office.  

My first duty as President was to attend the Association Representatives’ meeting on Thursday morning.  Then the drive home, clearing my case of dirty laundry, some clean clothes and off to Dublin the following day for the IPAV/TEGoVA Assembly.  I really enjoyed the event, meeting representatives from so many countries, including Latvia, Spain, Montenegro, USA, Canada, Italy, France and more.

Another early start on Sunday to catch my plane home, and the week finished as it had begun with music and a trip to the Gateshead Sage, a really excellent venue, to see an old favourite of mine - Heaven 17.  Driving home at the end of an exciting but tiring week I had the music playing with the best of Joy Division.  As I pulled up on the drive, I realised the track playing was “Disorder”, not a sign of things to come, I hope!

Yours, 

Ian  

Ian Ferguson - our new President!

Last night, Ian Ferguson became the new President of the Institute of Revenues, Rating & Valuation.

Over his Presidential Year, Ian will be keeping IRRV members regularly updated about his activities for the Institute as President in his blog updates - so do check out www.ian-ferguson.blogspot.co.uk for all Ian's updates between now and October 2017!

Here's a photo of Ian with his wife and son take last night just before the IRRV Annual Conference and Performance Awards Annual Dinner and Presidential Handover :

A welcome from Ian!

From Ian Ferguson, IRRV President 2016-17 :

Ian was, until recently, Head of Revenues and Benefits at Durham County Council. He was Divisional Head of Revenues and Benefits at Derwentside District Council before the creation of Durham County Council. 

Prior to this he held a number of roles at Nuneaton and Bedworth Council and previously held various roles with four other councils. Ian was elected onto the IRRV Council in 2008 already being a co-opted member of the Local Taxation Faculty Board. Ian has been an active member of the Institute speaking at various association meetings and conferences including the annual national conference. 

He is a past president of the West Midlands Association. He is currently both secretary and education liaison officer for the northern counties association. He has tutored in the subjects of Revenues Administration, Council Tax Law. Non Domestic Rating Law and Benefits Administration at certificate, previously technician level and Revenues Administration at Level 2. 

He has taught at both Dudley and Catterick courses as well as the pre exam revision course at Caerleon and Keele university. He has also written articles for the Insight magazine and HB Direct. 

He became IRRV President in October 2016.

Looking forward to a year in office

From Insight - October 2016 :

A proud Teessider with almost four decades of service in local government, Ian Ferguson is the next President of the IRRV.   His mission is to promote education and membership during his year of office. Lester Dinnie reports : 

As a youngster who started work with his Stockton-on-Tees local authority in 1975 at the tender age of 16, Ian Ferguson soon discovered that more education was the key to success.

His early experience of the then Rating and Valuation Association examinations convinced him that the standards, fellowship and practical advantages of membership were going to play a major part in his career.

Studying via distance learning in the pre-digital age was not, of course, quite the efficient process that it is today. However, when Barry Smith took him on at Chester City Council in 1980 he was able to undertake a course of study at Preston Polytechnic. This was the real kick-start to his future and to a number of lifelong friendships along the way, meeting and being influenced by the likes of Gil Young, Allen Shaw, Peter Fairhurst and Alf Alker, some of whom went on to become Presidents of the IRRV themselves.

It was at the Lancashire and Cheshire branch of the IRRV that he met a certain Mr J C Roberts, another President-in-the-making, who was destined to become a regular room-mate at Annual Conferences in the heady days of room-sharing at seaside B and Bs. Readers of Insight will, no doubt, judge whether this was, for Ian, a series of inspirational interludes or merely a valuable exercise in dealing with life’s challenges. Whatever the conclusions, according to Ian much was done by discussion into the early hours on how to put the world to rights.

Together these two ‘young guns’ would regularly invite themselves to conference drinks reception, no doubt in pursuit of professional networking rather than free alcohol. These days the two are still regularly in touch with Ian as a contributor of articles for Insight magazine.

The Lancashire and Cheshire branch has been a rich source of camaraderie and professional support for Ian over the years, notably from Linda Price, Ann Sizer (Penn), Ray Dart and Richard Mason.

As a sports fan from the Teesside area it’s no surprise to find that Ian is a lifelong Middlesbrough supporter, now a family tradition with his 16-year-old son following him as a season ticket holder. Ian is still a regular at ‘Boro’s’ home games, these days in the magnificent environs of the Riverside Stadium. He points out that amongst all the exotic owners of English football clubs, from Russian Oligarchs to Middle Eastern Royalty, Middlesbrough’s owner is former local authority accountant Steve Gibson.

With the club currently sitting proudly in the Premiership, maybe there are hints of further success this season following recent promotion. Ian talks, slightly wistfully, of the days when his club was managed by ex-England and Manchester United captain Bryan Robson and the blandishments (climate?) of Teesside brought the likes of Italian international Ravenelli and Brazilian legend Juninho to the club.

Looking back in the world of work, by 1983 Ian had moved on to what is now Redcar and Cleveland authority as a senior Rating Assistant, thence to Gateshead as Principal Rating Officer and by 1988 was Revenues Manager at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. Like everyone who served in local government but most particularly those involved with revenues and benefits, this is the time best remembered, or perhaps most easily remembered, for the introduction of the Poll Tax! First in Scotland in 1989 and then in England in 1990.

Quite apart from the intense political atmosphere and the practical need to recruit more staff, Ian’s experience at Nuneaton and Bedworth has a darkly humorous aspect to it. With a Labour-controlled council fiercely opposed to the tax, the entire team was moved out of its offices in the Council House to a building opposite. With barely concealed irony the building was christened ‘Poll Tax House’, presumably to focus attention on it and to literally distance it from the rest of the council’s business.

As Ian puts it “The council didn’t want to know us and the public didn’t want to know us either!”.

What he also recalls, however, is the camaraderie amongst the hard-pressed occupants of Poll Tax House, particularly among those who shared IRRV membership.

In fact, throughout the whole of this period the IRRV’s next president was developing his passion for education as part of the Institute’s mission and values. Now on the brink of the highest office in the Institute’s governance, he has a distinguished history of contribution to this aspect of the IRRV’s work. He is currently both secretary and education liaison officer for the Northern Counties Association, has tutored in Revenues Administration, Council Tax Law, Non-Domestic Rating Law and Benefits Administration at certificate (previously technician) level, Diploma level Administration and Management and Revenues Administration at Level 2. He has also taught at both Dudley and Catterick courses as well as the pre-exam revision course at Caerleon and Keele University.

By 2003 he was much travelled in local authority terms and now decided to return to the north east with Derwentside Council as Revenues and Benefits Manager. Itself the product of a reorganisation under the Local Government Act of 1972 which merged Consett Urban District, Stanley Urban District and Lanchester Rural District, Derwentside was one of seven District Councils which merged with Durham County Council in 2009, which presented Ian with his next challenge in the geographically large and diverse authority.

As Revenues and Benefits Manager of England’s fifth biggest authority, he found himself responsible for a department of 300 staff and a remit covering 220,000 properties compared to 40,000 on his previous ‘watch’.

“County Durham”, he says, “is a big, largely rural area with a population of half a million and thirteen modest sized towns but no major urban centre. Durham itself is beautiful but by no means big. The Revenues and Benefits offices were located in Spennymoor, which meant the vast majority of staff having to travel, some of them quite long commutes. In addition, we were losing a lot of senior managers with many key functions only needing one head rather than eight. As with all major restructures there were significant changes to people and processes, while the pressure was on to improve performance and efficiency.”

As before, he found that the IRRV was a unifying factor in all of this for those staff who were members, with both ‘unofficial’ mentoring and the structures of the Institute providing a professional level of support.

The final instalment of Ian’s local authority career ended when he left Durham County Council on 31st March 2016. He ruefully reveals that the final four weeks of his long sojourn in the public sector was spent laid up with a snapped achilles tendon.

“I have to confess it was a battle scar of a lunchtime five-a-side football match with some work colleagues”, he says “definitely a life experience which can be filed in the ‘you should have known better’ drawer, but at least I can say my footballing activities died with their boots on.”

As a youngster he had been a pacey outside right and enforced retirement through injury, as all enthusiastic amateurs will agree, is a hard pill to swallow. Now his very occasional golf is something of a consolation although he is mysteriously vague about whether any IRRV golf trophy carries his name.

His other major form of ‘relaxation’ is in the field of popular music. Particularly, but not exclusively, a fan of the 80s genres, his interest is far from being sedentary, with a diary list of live gigs from Lloyd Cole to Bryan Ferry and China Crisis to the Kaiser Chiefs. ‘Being there’ is all part of the experience, not just listening to.

Now, looking forward to a year in office travelling, meeting up with old friends and colleagues, he is far from being ‘retiring’ about the task ahead for the Institute.

In addition to his other duties he has been Chair of the IRRV’s Commercial Services Committee in recent times, so has a good fix on priorities.

“Education and membership are the life blood of any professional institute”, he says “and this of course needs to be supported by a strong income stream from commercial activities.

The public sector is under pressure on costs, which directly affects the resources of local authorities to fund training and education, while private sector providers find local authority spending is down, which influences their involvement in our events.

However, with issues such as the introduction of Universal Credit, our profession will continue to have a focus on its activities and performance. This is something we can turn to our advantage by stressing the need for highly qualified specialists who can implement new policy, procedures and performance targets. If we can’t convince them of the value of Institute membership and qualifications, then many authorities are heading for an implementation disaster.”

In Ian Ferguson, the IRRV has an ambassador for its programme with a wealth of experience to draw on. Not only is this the case with his time in a number of local authorities, but also in his grasp of both revenues and benefits roles, where they overlap and where they divide. In addition, he has served with a number of Associations; Northern Counties; Lancashire and Cheshire and the West Midlands, where he was President, and has also been a regular attendee of East Midlands meetings and with IRRV in Scotland.

‘Education, education, education’ is a theme which might just have been used before, but it’s never been said with more conviction than by the IRRV’s President-to-be – indeed in 2011 he completed a Masters degree in Management! For anyone seeking advice on a future in the profession or with a technical question to be answered, he’s definitely your man.

Ian and his son, supporting The 'Boro at Wembley