INSIGHT
INSIDE: Annual Conference & Performance Awards report • Scottish Conference report • FOI update
NOVEMBER 2010 £5.50 www.irrv.net
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136
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I’m a Believer!New IRRV President, Kerry Macdermott looks forward with energy, experience and infectious optimism
The monthly journal of the Institute of Revenues, Rating & Valuation
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IRRV INSIGHT
Managing Editor
John Roberts
Editorial Director
Lester Dinnie
Art Director
Don Tregartha
Designers
Clare Barker
Roddy Clenaghan
Publisher
Tregartha Dinnie Ltd
IRRV
Chief Executive David Magor, OBE IRRV (Hons) 41 Doughty Street London WC1N 2LF T 020 7831 3505 E [email protected] W www.irrv.net
Enquiries Membership 020 7691 8996 Conferences 020 7691 8987 Subscriptions 020 7691 8996
Advertising T 020 7691 8996 E [email protected]
Editorial John Roberts IRRV (Hons) T 07952 659 258 E [email protected]
Tregartha Dinnie Ltd Ibex House, 5 Keller Close, Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes MK11 3LL T 01908 306500 W www.tregartha-dinnie.co.uk
IRRV Insight is produced by Tregartha Dinnie Ltd on behalf of the IRRV.
Unless otherwise indicated, copyright in this publication belongs to the IRRV.
November 2010 ISSN 1361-1305
© IRRV 2010. Reproduction in whole or in part of any article is prohibited without prior written consent. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute. Whilst all due care is taken regarding the accuracy of information, no responsibility can be accepted for errors. Any advice given does not constitute a legal opinion.
IRRV Council: IRRV President Kerry Macdermott IRRV (Hons); Senior Vice-President Roger Messenger BSc (Est Man) FRICS IRRV (Hons) MCIArb REV; Junior Vice-President David Chapman IRRV (Hons); Phil Adlard Tech IRRV MlnstLM MCMI; Alan Bronte FRICS IRRV (Hons); Robert Brown BSc FRICS IRRV (Hons); Tracy Crowe CPFA IRRV (Hons);
Carol Cutler IRRV (Hons); Tom Dixon RD BSc (Est Man) FRICS IRRV (Hons); Ian Ferguson IRRV (Hons); Geoff Fisher FRICS (Dip Rating) IRRV (Hons) REV; Richard Guy FRICS (Dip Rating) IRRV (Hons) MCIArb; Richard Harbord MPhil CPFA FCCA IRRV (Hons) FIDP FBIM FRSA; Mary Hardman IRRV (Hons) FRICS MCMI; Gordon Heath BSc IRRV (Hons); Julie Holden IRRV (Hons) MCMI CMg; Caroline Hopkins IRRV (Hons); Maureen Neave Tech IRRV; Tony Masella MRICS MCIOB IRRV (Hons) AFA F.Inst.AM; Graham Ryall FRICS IRRV (Hons); Peter Scrafton IRRV (Hons) FCIArb MRSA (Hons); Kevin Stewart IRRV (Hons) MAAT MCMI; Angela Storey Tech IRRV MCMI; Bob Trahern IRRV (Hons); Julie Trahern IRRV (Hons); Allan Traynor FCCA IRRV (Hons).
Chief Executive’s notes 05“Are we approaching the road to ruin?”, asks David Magor, as the government’s public sector change programme is revealed
News and events 06
Running the Institute 08
Education & membership 09
FOI update 34
IRRV international 36
Technology 38
Doherty’s despatch 40If Universal Credit is to stand a chance of success, don’t underestimate the cost of integrating the benefit system, says Pat Doherty
Viewpoint 42Viewpoint newcomer John Frost hits the ground running as the unfolding reform agenda looms ever closer
Mysteries at Midsomer DC 43Kate Miller’s new monthly series
Annual Conference report & Performance Awards winners 11Insight brings you a pictorial summary of the ‘big event’ of 2010, the Institute’s Performance Awards gala dinner, together with highlights of the conference presentations
Don’t hang up! 22Julian Mead, National Manager of Inform Communications, explodes a few myths about what the public really wants
Scottish Conference report 24Challenge is the name of the game, David Scott discovers, as he pays his annual visit to the Institute’s Scottish Conference
Cover story 31Welcome, Mr PresidentNew IRRV President, Kerry Macdermott looks forward with energy, experience and infectious optimism
Regular items Features
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Editor’s welcome
What’s in the next issue ... – Scrafton’s Law on de minimis occupation – Back office best practice in Southwark
is uncovered– Audit Commission Protecting the Public
Purse report
Faculty board update 26The IRRV’s Valuation Faculty Board have welcomed the opportunity to evaluate the success of the 2010 business rate revaluation, as Roger Messenger outlines
Student column 27Insight brings news and views from some of the newly-qualified Conference attendees
Benefits bulletin 28The devil is in the detail, Julie Holden discovers, as the government’s major welfare shake-up is announced
Social inclusion 29The future is still unclear for third sector providers, says Colin Holden, in spite of government promises of increased participation
Valuation Corner 30Hands across the sea. Institute Immediate Past President Geoff Fisher’s final weeks saw him ‘globetrotting’...
Faculty review
The event continues to draw delegates and award finalists in significant numbers, with this year’s exhibition providing the ideal opportunity for participants to take in the latest technology and support services, as our industry faces one of its biggest challenges.
With over 5000 hits on the website within the first few hours following the announcement of the award winners, the Institute’s own technology has once again shown it can bring you up to the minute news and views. Don’t forget that you can also view all the Annual Conference photos at www.irrv.net.
Our cover story features recently installed Institute President Kerry Macdermott, who unveils his thoughts and plans for the year in office. The editorial team offer their congratulations to Kerry, and we will be following his progress through these pages as the year progresses.
This month’s magazine also offers the opportunity to catch up on events north of the border, as David Scott delivers his report on September’s Scottish Conference, held once again in the delightful surroundings of Crieff Hydro. We also welcome John Frost as a new ‘Viewpoint’ contributor – John is taking Kate Miller’s slot as Kate introduces a new monthly column based on the trials and tribulations of a fictitious sleepy District Council... or is it? Enjoy!
John Roberts IRRV (Hons)
Managing Editor
“As we catch our breath following the hugely successful 2010 IRRV Annual Conference and Performance Awards, Insight is pleased to bring you a summary of the event in both written and pictorial form.”
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Performance Awards
2010 The IRRV would like to thank Gandlake for the main sponsorshipof this year’s awards programme
Performance Awards
2010 The IRRV would like to thank the following companies for their sponsorship:
IRRV ANNUAL CONFERENCE ANd ExhIbItION 2010
IRRV Conferences www.irrv.org.uk
Conference & Courses DiaryScottish Benefits ConferenceCrieff, 1 – 2 December 2010
Benefits ConferenceSouthport, 8 – 10 February 2011
Spring Pre-Examination Course Keele, 9 – 15 April 2011
Miscellaneous Income Conference Keele, 14 – 15 April 2011
Collection and Enforcement Conference Harrogate, 7 – 8 June 2011
Welsh Conference Llandrindod Wells, 16 June 2011
Scottish Conference Crieff, 7 – 8 September 2011
Annual Conference Bournemouth, 4 – 7 October 2011
Autumn Pre-Examination Course Keele, 28 – 31 October 2011
For more information please visit: www.irrv.org.uk or call: 020 7691 8987
For sponsorship opportunities please call: 020 7691 8987
For exhibition opportunities please call: 01908 306 500
Rarely do I allow myself to be concerned at edicts from government departments. However...
...the events of late October and early November, and the
communications which emanated from the CLG, Treasury
and DWP are examples of, at best, misleading spin. The two
events were the announcement of the cancelled council tax
revaluation, and the various decisions relating to Social Security
Reform, particularly those on Local Housing Allowance,
Child Benefit and the Universal Credit.
Let me initially turn my attention to the council tax
announcement. Whilst I accept it is the right of any government
to determine a policy decision and deliver it, it is wrong that
this should be presented to the public in a grossly misleading
way. The announcement from the Secretary of State showed at
best a misunderstanding of the impact of a revaluation, and at
worst a deliberate spin on the impact of this change to create
a totally false impression in the mind of council tax payers.
Are we approaching the road to ruin?Asks David Magor, as the government’s public sector change programme is revealed
The comments concerning an annual £320 increase for all
council tax payers is, as our readers all know, quite simply
wrong. This is not the impact of a revaluation - a revaluation
redistributes the burden. As far as the council tax is concerned,
this burden can be controlled and manipulated by adjustments
in the banding process. It is not my intention to use this
valuable space to explain to all of you what you already know.
The message I want to get through to government in these
difficult times, is for them to please tell the truth when trying
to impose policy decisions upon the general public. In these
difficult times, the government needs to develop a bond of
trust between itself and the citizens. The announcements on
the revaluation fall well short of the basic standards of clarity
and honesty.
The second issue was the announcements on the local
housing allowance and other housing benefit changes, together
with the abolition of tax credit for those individuals paying
tax at a higher rate. These proposals are startling in contrast
to the sentiments put forward by an earlier Secretary of State
announcement proclaiming that the government will do
everything in its power to avoid trapping people in poverty.
These proposals do exactly that. We all understand that the
deficit needs to be reduced. We all understand that the social
security system needs modernisation. We all understand that
people should be encouraged into paid work. These three
objectives can however be achieved without pitching tens of
thousands of people into poverty and despair.
Chief Executive’s notes
“The announcements on the revaluation fall well short of the basic standards of clarity and honesty”
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5David Magor OBE IRRV (Hons) is Institute Chief Executive
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News and events
News of MeMbersLATesT News
Government welfare reform programme takes shapeThe first big phase of the government’s radical welfare reform programme has started, as long-term incapacity benefit claimants in Burnley and Aberdeen are the first across the country to be reassessed for their ability to work.The reassessment is designed to end the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to those
with health conditions and disabilities which has led to 2.1 million people being
trapped on benefits. Ministers are determined to reform the welfare system and
help those who have been previously written off get back to work and regain
their independence.
Incapacity benefit claimants in Burnley and Aberdeen will have a Work
Capability Assessment, which determines what a person can do, not simply what
they cannot do.
Ministers are clear that the most severely disabled and people who are
terminally ill will not be expected to look for work and will get extra help through
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
However, those people who are
reassessed and found fit for work
will move onto Jobseekers Allowance
and will be expected to look for
work like other jobseekers. Those
who could work but need extra
help and support to become
work ready will move onto ESA
and receive tailored support to
get back to work.
IrrV faculties step up activityWith all streams of the Institute’s membership seeing unprecedented activity, the
Faculty Boards have been busy producing responses to consultation documents
issued by a number of bodies. Recent issues on which the IRRV has provided a
response are:
Council tax increase referendums•
Students disregards for council tax •
Proposed Magistrates Courts and County Courts closures •
The VOA 2010 non-domestic rate revaluation evaluation •
Parliamentary CLG enquiry into ‘localism’.•
The responses can be viewed through the Institute’s website, www.irrv.net.
Public sector cuts could be painful all roundResearch from accountancy giants PwC has concluded that as many as 500,000
private sector jobs could be at risk as a result of the impending cuts to public
sector jobs and services. The research highlights in particular areas where the
private sector is providing supplies for the public sector, pointing once again to
the need for government to take great care before wielding the knife.
On yer bike!
North Wales Association Past PresidentIain Marshalsay (pictured second fromright) led a team in the British HeartFoundation’s annual London to Paris cycleride. RB Performance sponsored the cycletops for his team. Although it ’s billed as ‘London’, they actually started at Chartwell,former home of Winston Churchill in Westerham, Kent.
Moving south! Following the departure of Paul Walker, IRRV East Midlands stalwart Rob Andrews and Equita Business Development Director is now responsible for the company’s revenues growth for the entire country with the exception of Greater London. Rob has three years experience in developing Equita’s business in the north of the country, and now brings that experience to the remainder of the country.
IrrV National Council successAt the 2010 Institute AGM in Harrogate, the
candidates elected to the six vacant ‘corporate’
seats on the IRRV National Council were
announced – Tracy Crowe, Richard Harbord,
Gordon Heath, Julie Holden, Tony Masella and
Peter Scrafton. Phil Adlard, Maureen Neave
and Angela Storey were elected to the three
vacant places reserved for other members of
the Institute.
December Insight will feature a pictorial celebration of the installation of the new Senior Vice-President, Roger Messenger and Junior Vice-President Dave Chapman, together with the recognition of the new fully qualified ‘honours’ members of the Institute and prizewinners from the June examinations.
Gary L Watson IRRV (Hons) is
Deputy Chief Executive of the IRRV
1. The first Annual Conference was held on the 24th and
25th April 1936 at the Caxton Hall, Westminster, also a past
venue for the Institute’s examinations. The venue was also
where many celebrities ‘tied the knot’ – Diana Doors (1951),
Elizabeth Taylor (1952), Orson Welles (1955), Billy Butlin
(1959), Roger Moore (1969) and Wendy Richard (1972).
Peter Sellers returned to get married again in 1970 (having
first got married there in 1951) whilst I returned to Caxton
Hall back in the 1970s, having failed ‘Local Authority Finance’ at the first attempt!
2. The demand to attend Annual Conference necessitated
a change of venue, and the event was later transferred
to Central Hall, Westminster, and after it was built, the
Festival Hall on the South Bank. However, the later
venue came with its problems as sessions were often accompanied by orchestras practicing in adjoining
rooms for forthcoming concerts.
3. In 1958, National Council took the decision to switch the
Annual Conference away from London and to seaside towns
such as Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Eastbourne,
Scarborough, Torquay and in-land towns such as Harrogate.
Conferences were switched between the ‘north’ and ‘south’,
and in the early days, attracted attendances of around
1,500 delegates – those were the days!
4. The Institute continues to follow the ‘north/south’ approach, and having just held the Annual Conference
in Harrogate, will be returning to Bournemouth in 2011.
The venues available to the Institute are limited when one
is looking to hold an Annual Conference supported by an
exhibition and a conference dinner for 700. The availability
of suitable hotel accommodation and local restaurants is key
to the decision making process, while the need to keep costs
to a minimum is essential too.
5. Today, the Conference Dinner is traditionally held on the
Thursday evening of conference. Different formats have
been used over the years, now including the presentation
of awards to finalists in the Performance Awards scheme.
Much has changed over the years, and the Institute’s records
note that back in 1922, a proposal was put forward that two ladies should be invited to the Conference Dinner... a proposal that was firmly rejected. It would
be a brave man today that puts forward such a proposal,
particularly with the new Equality Act having just come
into force.
Getting to know your Institute
As the 2010 Annual Conference becomes yet another memory, Gary Watson has been scouring the record books for some memorable previous events
London and Home Counties Association Golf DayThe annual London and Home Counties golf day took place in September at South Herts Golf Club.The competitors were very fortunate to catch probably the last day of summer,
with the rain only starting as the players were making their way to the 19th
hole. In a tightly fought contest, Matt Kelly of Dacorum Council was overall
winner, with Association Vice-President Phil Black of Westminster retaining the
shield for the highest scoring Association member. Special thanks go to Andy
Cummins for once again organising such an enjoyable day, and also to our
sponsors Equita, Newlyn and Phoenix. As well as a great day of golf, the players
also managed to raise a considerable sum for Association President, Nick
Rowe’s charities – Macmillan Nurses and the Shooting Star childrens’ hospice.
Thames Valley meets London and Home CountiesThe newly revitalised Thames Valley Association, together with London and Home Counties Association colleagues, held a joint meeting in September at Chiltern DC. The meeting was fortunate to secure the services of Paul Howarth and
Penny Higgins from DWP, who gave a very interesting talk about the future
of housing benefit under the coalition government. A lively debate followed
their presentation, giving valuable material to the IRRV’s Benefits Faculty Board
on the DWP Consultation paper, 21st Century Welfare. The meeting drew a
sizeable audience, which included both the IRRV National President and Chief
Executive (active members of London Home Counties and Thames Valley
associations respectively).
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News and events
Pictured from left to right are overall winner Matt Kelly, Association President
Nick Rowe, Phil Black and Andy Cummins
IRRV meets DWP
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Running the Institute
Commercial Services CommitteeThe meeting was chaired by Carol Cutler – key
reports considered by Committee included:
Sales and sponsorship (including advertising)•
Annual Conference (including Performance •
Awards)
Conference programme 2011•
Forum (and Benefit Advisory) services•
Update on activities in Scotland and •
Northern Ireland
Communications Working Group (magazines, •
website and publications).
The Committee devoted the majority of
their time to the arrangements for Annual
Conference, including the Performance
Awards evening. This included a tour of all the
facilities. The conference programme for 2011
was also agreed. A key aim for the Committee
is to generate income from the commercial
activities of the Institute. This year, despite
increased pressure on budgets, increased
income had been generated from sales and
sponsorship (including advertising).
Education and Membership CommitteeThe meeting was chaired by Kerry Macdermott
– key reports considered by Committee
included:
Examinations report•
Options for the Level 3 Certificate •
qualification
Certificates of Service •
Valuation Diploma•
Course monitoring•
Membership.•
The Committee continued to focus their
attention on the development of the
Institute’s qualifications and course provision.
Key decisions needed to be taken on the
future approach to the Level 3 Certificate
qualification and the options for the Valuation
All systemsgo...
This report focuses on the latest decisions
of the National IRRV Council, which held
its latest quarterly meeting prior to the
Annual Conference in Harrogate on 27th
and 28th September.
CouncilThe meeting was chaired by Geoff Fisher –
key reports considered by Council included:
Reports of Standing Committees•
Membership subscriptions•
Co-options to Council•
Chief Executive’s report•
President’s diary.•
Policy and Resources Committee The meeting was chaired by Roger Messenger
– key reports considered by Committee
included:
Management accounts to 31st July 2010•
Draft budget 2011•
Update on IRRV Solutions Ltd.•
Sale of Doughty Street•
Professional fees and expenses•
Administration.•
The Committee were advised that the Institute
remains financially stable, although the outturn
from the Annual Conference was key to the
overall position for 2010. The decision to
sell the offices in Doughty Street had been
taken forward and the property is now being
marketed. Smaller premises, preferably in
Central London, were being sought.
...for the IRRV Council, as Gary Watson reports on another busy round of meetings
Gary L Watson IRRV (Hons) is Institute
Deputy Chief Executive
Diploma. Membership remains a key priority
for the committee, and a variety of options
were considered for boosting members; not
just in the UK, but also worldwide.
Law and Research CommitteeThe meeting was chaired by Dave Chapman
– key reports considered by Committee
included:-
Reports of the three Faculty Boards•
Meetings with government bodies•
Research matters•
Questionnaire on committal fees•
Responses to consultation documents•
Approach to the Spending Review. •
The Committee continued to consider the
implications of the new coalition government,
and the various consultation documents
published since the General Election.
The Institute continues to work closely with
Ministers and key government departments,
while the Faculty Boards take the lead in
responding to consultation documents,
circulars etc., the Committee remains ‘geared-
up’ to respond to the announcement on the
Spending Review.
Although a number of reports (particularly
those considered by Commercial Services
Committee) are deemed to be ‘commercially
sensitive’, National Council remains keen for
the membership to be made aware of
matters discussed at the quarterly cycle of
meetings. Should any member require
further information on any of the reports
considered by National Council at this
cycle of meetings, they should contact
Gary Watson (Deputy Chief Executive) on:
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All systemsgo...
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Education & membership
Certificates of ServiceThe Education and Membership Committee
offers Certificates of Service to members with
a good record of service to the Institute at
non-national level. Members who have worked
with their Associations for a significant period
and whose work deserves wider recognition
are therefore eligible.
Association officers are asked to submit
nominations to the Institute on the official
nomination form, obtainable from the email
address right. When submitting a nomination,
Association officers are asked to provide
sufficient detail to ensure that the Education
and Membership Committee can make a
judgement based on adequate information.
Nominations should be submitted without
the knowledge of the nominee – generally
the presentation is intended as a surprise,
and it is often made by the Institute President
at an Association meeting, where that can
be arranged.
Ensure that your hard-working Association regulars are recognised at a national level, urges Michael Hopkins
Michael Hopkins is IRRV Head of
Professional Services – contact him on
IRRV Publications 2010 update
Council Tax Law and Practice
This is an essential guide for anyone involved in the operation of the Council Tax.It shows in detail how the tax works on a practical level, and is fully up to date on all the most recent amendments to the law.Topics covered include: liability; discounts and exemptions; reduction schemes; billing and collection; enforcement; valuation and the valuation list; appeals and the valuation tribunals; insolvency and funds precepts and grants.Council Tax Law and Practice is supplied in hard copy format together with an electronic PDF version.
New Subscription Price: £275.00 (plus VAT and £3.00 p&p per copy)
To order online please visit:
www.irrv.net/publications
EDITOR: Ed Slater IRRV
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Student members Name employerSarah Phillips Breckland District CouncilRobert Conlon Leicester City CouncilJoanne Jeffs Leicester City CouncilRebecca Pettit Leicester City CouncilYiu Tou YMP LtdGemma Wiltshire Leicester City CouncilTim Games Wirral Metropolitan BCAngela Harris Wirral Metropolitan BCSunday Ajibode Compass GroupNicholas Attoe Sutton London BCEmma Bouglas Capita Business Services LtdKevin Brett Capita Business Services LtdJoanne Douglas Lewisham London BCDaniel Gower Sutton London BCAlison Grieve Lewisham London BCRaz Gurung Sutton London BCMohan Hirani Harrow London BCAnn Jones Harrow London BCTrude Leach Watford Borough CouncilBrian Penheiro Not availableAlison Taylor Dacorum Borough CouncilSaanjeevan Thangiah Barnet London BCLeah Towlson Denbighshire County CouncilEmma Allan Midlothian CouncilLynne Anderson Dundee City CouncilLaura Bailey Glasgow City CouncilLaura Campbell North Lanarkshire CouncilNikki Currie Fife CouncilShona Davie Midlothian CouncilShona Duncan Dundee City CouncilAntonia Ferguson Midlothian CouncilDaniel Gibb Glasgow City CouncilGillian Lamb North Lanarkshire CouncilKatie Lindsay Fife CouncilJames Little Dumfries & Galloway CouncilAmanda Lockard North Lanarkshire CouncilLaura MacDonald Glasgow City CouncilGraham McGill City of Edinburgh CouncilAmanda Mitchell Midlothian CouncilSharaz Rasul Dumfries & Galloway CouncilLaura Stewart Aberdeenshire CouncilHeather Sylvester Glasgow City CouncilCassandra Tempany North Lanarkshire CouncilCharmaine Wanless Dundee City CouncilDawn West Clackmannanshire CouncilLouise Bentley Sedgemoor District CouncilMary Bobby Gravesham Borough CouncilLucy Crozier Cornwall CouncilAnne Hocking Cornwall CouncilNatalie Reynolds Mid Sussex District CouncilAdrian Popplestone Capita Business Services Ltd (Southampton City Council)Tom Green BNP Paribas Real EstateKelly Morgan City And County Of Swansea
New members
Technician members Name employerJudith Gleason Great Yarmouth BCSusan Gray Norwich City CouncilJill Healey Norwich City CouncilJoanna Taylor South Cambridgeshire DCAshley Allsebrook Gedling Borough CouncilScott Batchlor Northampton Borough CouncilVictoria Evans Oadby & Wigston BCLisa Hearth South Holland District CouncilNilkesh Patel Leicester City CouncilKirit Varia Leicester City CouncilPaul Williams Rushcliffe Borough CouncilGad Aloh Manchester City CouncilLeanne Carey Chorley Borough CouncilKristen Cureton Wirral Metropolitan BCPeter Freeman Manchester City CouncilRebecca Greensides Oldham Metropolitan BC Sian Henderson Lancaster City CouncilLynsey Holt Lancaster City CouncilNadia Kauser Pendle Borough CouncilDavid Kirby Cheshire West & Chester CChristine Lomax Bolton Metropolitan BCTimothy Maloney Oldham Metropolitan BC Rosa-Maria Rowlands Unity Partnership
Gail Waddington Pendle Borough CouncilCraig Beadle Basildon District CouncilAntonia Bialkova Kensington & Chelsea Royal BCMan Chi Burley Lee Havering London BCAmandeep Chera Hounslow London BCJulie Chester Waverley Borough CouncilMartin Harding Wandsworth London BCCheril Joseph Reading Borough CouncilMathew Kupara Ealing London BCLynda Leesmith Broadland District CouncilTracy Lewis Maldon District CouncilHarminder Persad Hounslow London BCMartin Williams Corporation Of LondonKatarzyna Woropajew Camden London BCSam Allibone Wrexham County BCChristopher Newton Wrexham County BCStephanie Taylor Wrexham County BCNicola Best Stockton On Tees BCMichelle Greenwell Durham County CouncilStefan Houghton Stockton On Tees BCBarrie Bishop West Lothian CouncilCatherine Brannan Dundee City CouncilBrendon Clark North Lanarkshire CouncilAndrew Collinge Clackmannanshire CouncilLes Corbet North Lanarkshire CouncilPaul Fallon City of Edinburgh CouncilDenise Forsyth Aberdeenshire CouncilEoin Gainford Glasgow City CouncilLindsey Gilchrist City of Edinburgh CouncilJulie Haddick Angus CouncilJacqui Kopel Dundee City CouncilKatrina Lowe Falkirk CouncilTracy McCartney Falkirk CouncilSteven McKnight North Lanarkshire CouncilKarla Roarty Glasgow City CouncilAndrew Saum Dundee City CouncilMargaret Thomson Argyll And Bute CouncilDavid Wood City of Edinburgh CouncilDeborah Robinson Swale Borough CouncilBeverley Powe Torridge District CouncilRoss Findlay Brighton & Hove City CouncilColin Adams Stockport Metropolitan BCAlison Bellingham Wolverhampton City CouncilMathew Burgess Newcastle Under Lyme BCJayne Evans Wolverhampton City CouncilLauren Farmer North Warwickshire BCTam Fujii Telford & Wrekin CouncilWilliam Gilmore Solihull Community HousingKaren Holtom Coventry City CouncilNia Jackson Walsall Metropolitan BCMichelle Kettles South Staffordshire DCChristopher Lander South Staffordshire DCStephen Mansell Sandwell Metropolitan BCCarol Anne Newell Nuneaton & Bedworth BCHarminder Pabla Walsall Metropolitan BCSailesh Purohit Walsall Metropolitan BCVictoria Rogers Newcastle Under Lyme BCAlison Root Nuneaton & Bedworth BCBarrie Strain Coventry City CouncilStephen Watkinson Sandwell Metropolitan BCStephen Whitehouse Wolverhampton City CouncilDavid Yates Walsall Metropolitan BCDonna Barlow City Of Bradford MBCSusan Pounder Scarborough Borough Council
Diploma members Name employerRhianon Evans Leicester City CouncilBelinda Green South Northamptonshire CAmy McWilliams Comhairle Nan Eilean SiarKevin Yerrill Bedford Borough CouncilAndrew Lawson Telford & Wrekin CouncilKelly Weaver Colliers InternationalRobert Coleman Pembrokeshire County Council
Honours members Name employerKathryn Ellis Leicester City CouncilLee Learwood-Griffiths South Holland District CouncilSarah Musson Leicester City CouncilAnthony Sherriff North West Leicestershire DCPhil Hampson Preston Office VTS Joanne Blackwood Wandsworth London BC
Malcolm Buckland Witham Office VTSAllan Clark North Hertfordshire DC David Flynn Southend On Sea BCAdrian Strong Adrian Strong AssociatedTracey Fishwick South Tyneside MBCJames McCarthy Highland & Western Isles VJBMhairi Welsh West Lothian CouncilTina Barnard Medway CouncilZoe Kent Swale Borough CouncilZoey Hillary Fareham Borough CouncilGeraint Harris City And County Of SwanseaTony Sykes City Of Bradford MDC
Affiliate members Name employerKhurram Akram Colliers InternationalDerek Brown Colliers International
N/SVQ members Name employerChristopher Kent Cotswold District CouncilChristina Phillips Cotswold District CouncilCarrie Stratford Cotswold District CouncilKerry Wykes Cotswold District CouncilMichelle Lanning Medway Council
More June 2010 examination success!
Latest N/SVQ successes
Congratulations to everyone!!
Belated congratulations are offered to Antonia Bialkova, of Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough. Antonia was the prizewinner in Council Tax Law for the Level 3 Certificate, and her name was inadvertently omitted from the list of successes in October Insight – many apologies, Antonia!
Name employerBeNefits Sharon Strath Stockport MBCClaire Wolvin Stockport MBCSarah Thompson Suffolk Coastal DCSamantha Craven Stockport MBCKerry Edwards Durham CCKath Ward Bradford MBCCarrie Maskell Rugby DCPatricia Turley Shepway DCPauline Bucknor Harrow LBCTracey Randall Mansfield DCChristine Ifill Bath & NE Somerset DCBen Davies Bath & NE Somerset DCLeroy Bellingy Not availableSusan Snape Ipswich BCMelissa Jones Gloucester BCAlexandra Nethercot Harrow LBCStuart Alban Swansea CCRena Dhanani Not availableFrances Slade Gloucester BCMohamed Aden Not availableBen Temple South Gloucestershire DCNadia Kauser Pendle BCMarika Hastie Ipswich BCMike Alvarez Babergh DC
reVeNUesJoanne Saunders Rochdale MBCNick Long Stockport MBCChristine Jowitt Barking & Dagenham LBCRebecca Dean Flintshire CCAndrew Taylor Flintshire CCRichard Mallon Flintshire CCSuzanne Heyslop Bath & NE Somerset DCLucy Hallett Bath & NE Somerset DCTracy Crossley Tower Hamlets LBCHazel Van Rooyen Tower Hamlets LBCJeffrey Williams Swansea CCJason Davies Swansea CCTochukwu Okoye Harrow LBCLiz Lewis Swale BCAllan Ramsay Edinburgh CCRoss McLauchlan Edinburgh CC
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dsInsight is pleased to bring you a pictorial summary of the ‘big event’ of 2010, the Institute’s Performance Awards gala dinner, together with highlights of the conference presentations. With record numbers of entries in several categories, the awards go from strength to strength, and with major change on the horizon in all aspects of the IRRV’s work, next year’s event in Bournemouth is a must – see you all there!
2010 IRRVAnnual Conference & Performance Awards
Overall sponsor
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IRRV PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2010
REV
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REVENUESTeam of the Year
KNOWSLEYMETROPOLITAN
BOROUGH COUNCIL
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TUESDAY
Mayor of Harrogate welcomes the IRRV
Harrogate Mayor Bill Hoult encouraged
delegates to enjoy their stay in Harrogate, as
he opened this year’s IRRV Annual Conference.
Acknowledging the intense activity currently
affecting the Institute’s members, he urged
those present to use the opportunity to further
their knowledge, and spend time visiting the
exhibition, the conference sessions, and of
course his home town!
Government must heed the warnings of the professionals, urges President Geoff Fisher Geoff Fisher’s Presidential keynote address
focused on the challenging times ahead. As
announcements on the Comprehensive Spending Review loom nearer, Geoff warned
government that putting pressure on billing
authorities could risk deteriorating collection
rates. He added that protecting the role of the
Valuation Office Agency was also key, as
was the role of the third sector. “If ‘Big Society’
is going to succeed, it needs supporting,
not cutting”, he stated. Turning to his own
professional expertise, the President described
as “incomprehensible” the decision to yet
again postpone the Council Tax revaluation.
The success of the 2010 business rate
revaluation and the introduction of the IRRV’s
new qualifications regime were successes
worthy of championing, he concluded.
Welfare Reform Minister reassures on anti-fraud measures The new government’s Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, addressed the IRRV for
the first time, with an assurance that he would
continue the fight against fraud. Earmarking
the £9bn cost of administering the welfare system, he championed the government’s
aims for “reduction and simplification”,
promising to “slash administration costs
and the incidence of fraud and error”. It was
“not about targeting the poor, but targeting
fraudsters and criminals” he added. Lord
Freud gave away little on the ‘universal credit ’
proposals, leaving delegates to fire in question
after question, which he was happy to handle,
but without great substance, as the detail has
yet to emerge. The Minister concluded with
a tribute to the dedication of staff within his
own department and local authority staff, and
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IRRV PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2010
BEN
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S Te
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BENEFITSTeam of the Year
NORTH WARWICKSHIRE
BOROUGH COUNCILHighly Commended
Maldon District Council
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a commitment to closer co-operation between
the private sector and local authorities,
particularly in the area of data sharing and
credit referencing.
Economics guru Tony Travers presents his ‘antidote for local government’ Well-known LSE economics expert and IRRV
Honorary Member Tony Travers presented
a fascinating insight into the future of local
government, as he chronicled the current
problems facing the sector. Citing the “sudden
change of direction on public expenditure”
as a major concern, he warned that the
protection of public services such as health
and education would impose greater burdens
and heavier cuts on the rest. While short
term responses such as pay freezes and
job freezes, together with delays in capital
expenditure, were inevitable, new ways of
delivering services were equally important.
Revealing his ‘antidote’, Tony concluded in
upbeat mode, stating that tax raising is still very important, change allows invention and
innovation, and finally that the next four years
will not necessarily be bleak... but they will
certainly be very interesting!
Localism is the key, asserts Nick Sharman of A4e The final presentation of the first day
of Conference saw Nick Sharman, Local
Government Director of A4e, talking up the
role of local authorities in the welfare to work agenda. Nick emphasised the need
for new approaches to the work programme,
and ‘smarter’ regeneration projects with an
increased role for the private sector in the
building of workforce skills. His vision also
encompassed integrated services for people
and communities, and not just to save money,
although he urged organisations working
within their own cultures to bring together the
skills required to carry out that integration.
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MOST IMPROVED
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SUTTON LONDONBOROUGH COUNCIL
(Benefits)
Award Sponsors:
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Ombudsman predicts complaints increase as cuts begin to bite
Local Government Ombudsman Tony
Redmond warned delegates of a potential
increase in complaints as he addressed
the revenues stream of the Conference. In
spite of a decrease in benefit complaints as
administration improvements cut in, the trend
will continue, he predicted. Tony undertook to
consult with bodies like the IRRV to ensure that
complaint trends are monitored. “We are in the
same boat as you”, he announced in relation
to the cuts in funding. Key reports to be issued
by his service awaited included the thorny
issue of the use of bankruptcy – autumn
2010 being the scheduled released date.
Dave Chapman urges delegates to “support your bailiff”Key IRRV player Dave Chapman urged
delegates to ensure effective liaison with
their bailiffs in the new climate. With the
continuous delay surrounding legislative
change, the role of the bailiff industry still
provokes interest... and misinformation... in the
media, said Dave. His search of the internet
for “aggressive bailiff actions” led him to the
view that what was really needed was a search
for “aggressive debtor”, which was far more
prevalent in the current climate. Dave further
warmed to the attendees with his view that
the deterrent of committal should be retained
as a consequence of non-payment.
Conference welcomes clarification of the role of the VTS and the VTEValuation Tribunal Service Chief Executive
Tony Masella treated delegates to a summary
of the enormous changes that have faced
his organisation in recent years, with the
intention, he said, of “removing some of the
criticism thrown at them!” Tony summarised
progress in relation to the issue of practice statements, flagging up the fifteen that had
been issued to date. “Valuers hate the words
‘practice statements’ ”, he added – “they
usually throw tomatoes…often in tins! ”
He outlined the expectations of the new body
at hearings, and took delegates through the
distinction between the VTS and the VTE.
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EXCELLENCEin Customer Service
JOINT WINNERSWALTHAM FOREST
LONDON BOROUGH COUNCIL
WYRE BOROUGHCOUNCIL
Award Sponsors:
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Waltham Forest London Borough Council
Wyre Borough Council
“Understand the needs of your population” says Great Yarmouth’s Jane Ratcliffe
Great Yarmouth’s Executive Director –
Customer Services, Jane Ratcliffe, had a few
simple guidelines to impart to Conference
in relation to dealing with the human aspect
of the recession and its fallout. “Know what
impact your work has on different groups,
gather information, consult, assess the impact
and take action to deliver” she summarised.
Jane also urged delegates to get to know their
population, to treat customers as individuals,
and to identify gaps in service provision.
Quoting from research carried out in Norfolk,
she pointed to the need for ‘community
champions’, and she echoed Tony Travers’
view from the opening day that the current
climate provided a huge opportunity to reinvent things. “Redesign systems to
encourage people to understand why they
should pay”, and appreciating the “power of
the citizen“ were key issues on her agenda.
DWP aims for seamless in and out of work benefit system DWP Head of Housing Benefit Strategy
Division Paul Howarth announced before
a packed house that while no decision had
been taken, “there was a strong argument to
include housing benefit within the proposed
Universal Credit”. Paul conceded that a
transition period with many steps may be
necessary, though, if that were to be the case.
Paul spoke of the “Ballooning costs” of the
benefit system, and took delegates through
the immediate changes that they were facing,
but leading on to the eagerly awaited views
from the Department, he reinforced the new
government’s commitment to radical reform.
Acknowledging that “Council Tax Benefit was
radically different as a rebate on a local tax”,
Paul stated that a localised administration
could still be on the cards. He also warned
delegates that further cuts in administration
grant were likely, and hinted that more
announcements were expected in October.
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EXCELLENCEin Innovation
DENBIGHSHIRECOUNTY COUNCIL
“Business as usual” for Audit Commission
The Audit Commission’s Tim Savill reminded
delegates that in spite of the Commission
coming to an end in 2012, the 2010/11
programme of work will continue, and possibly
beyond. Tim pointed to the successes of the
Commission in working with local authorities,
asserting that, “a good inspection is like
holding up a mirror – it’s a reflection of what
the Commission and customers see”. He
added that he felt that inspections through
KLOE had focused local authority attention
on looking at the right areas for improvement,
and he concluded with a reminder that the
Commission’s latest ‘Protecting the Public
Purse’ report would be released very soon.
Sharing best practice is top of the integration agenda, says Louise FreethLouise Freeth, Revenues Benefits and Fraud
Group Manager with Dacorum Council, was
quick to point to the need to share best practice to combat the current cuts agenda
in benefits. Louise encouraged delegates to
identify opportunities to operate revenues
and benefits alongside each other, to create
better liaison with housing services, and to
explore greater partnership working initiatives.
“Save save save” is the main driver for change,
she emphasised, pushing for multi-skilled
staff and the removal of ‘service overlap’ as a
means of combating the current constraints.
Louise highlighted initiatives such as the
merger of benefits processing with social
services functions, while warning against the
barriers of political will, data protection, and
the occasional lack of direction from counties
within the two tier administration.
WEDNESDAY
The place for ‘lean’ in revenues administration
Chris Howells of the Continuous Improvement
Practice Ltd took delegates through a fascinating
tour of the next phase of the efficiency agenda,
and the continuing demand for change. Chris
raised new options, for example setting up
social enterprises in the collection of council
tax and other debt, urging delegates to stretch
their minds to new thinking and new cultures.
His recipe for continued success included
viewing the Big Society as an opportunity
to be creative, managing and anticipating as
crucial, trusting staff – “it’s amazing where
the ideas come from” – and using continuous
improvement as “the catalyst for change to
save money and make improvements for
citizens and customer service”.
IRRV ‘lean academy’ fits into Tony Worsdall’s plans Tony Worsdall, Managing Director of e-mpirical
Ltd echoed the views of earlier speakers
in warning delegates to avoid reinventing
the wheel as they tackle the government’s
savings agenda. “Lean gives a set of tools”, he
said, “but basically it’s common sense which
constantly needs work to be effective”. The
Big Society idea is an opportunity to configure
services towards local need, he added. Tony
continued with his assertion that benefit users
need a “basket of services” including health
and social care, for example, suggesting that
social enterprises may be able to help deliver
these services. Tony used the opportunity to
promote the IRRV’s ‘lean’ Improvement and Efficiency Academy collaboration, which
will develop and share best practice across
revenues, benefits and customer service, in
addition to delivering added value – delegates
were encouraged to feed back their views
through www.irrviea.org.uk.
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EXCELLENCEin Education, Training
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NORTH EASTLINCOLNSHIRE
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IRRV PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2010
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EXCELLENCEin Anti-Fraud
SUTTON LONDONBOROUGH COUNCIL
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WEDNESDAY
Key benefit practitioners mount fierce defence of local authority benefit service provision
Leeds City Council’s Steve Carey promised
and delivered a ‘rant’! Steve blamed the DWP
for a lack of strategic direction in heading
for a Jobcentre Plus delivery of what local
authority’s could deliver much better. It was his
belief that housing benefit is not a barrier to
work – “worry about loss of income and home
is a barrier”, he asserted. “Universal Credit will
be about managing the limitations of Jobcentre
Plus”. Steve continued by pointing out that
the biggest change for private tenants in
Leeds wasn’t Local Housing Allowance but
unemployment. His conclusion to a punchy and
passionate presentation was a clear statement
that the DWP had failed to focus correctly
on what matters... and local authorities have
contributed by failing to exercise control.
Steve was followed by an equally passionate
view expressed by Tandridge Head of Revenues
and Benefits and IRRV Past President Julie
Holden. Julie said that “the gloves were off”,
seeking support from the floor to tell the
DWP that “we are the best people to deliver
services. Localisation won’t be about shifting
to local government, but moving services from
the centre to local control and delivery”, Julie
added, stating, “if we want to deliver services
we need to say so now!” Julie warned that if
local authorities were just left with discretionary
services, a postcode lottery would prevail.
The benefit secure gateway still needs attention, says Jim McCaffertyDWP targets to reduce paperwork will result in
a lack of verification, claimed West Lothian’s
Jim McCafferty. Jim urged delegates to
challenge the Department on issues of
proportionality and reasonableness, adding that
there are significant risks to local authorities if
the gateway is not protected effectively. Local
authorities need to be aware of their own
data and what it tells them, needing also to
recognise the impact of cuts while addressing
continual improvement. He also pointed to
the need to ensure that members and senior
management were well aware of the potential
risk and loss that could result.
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EXCELLENCEin Social Inclusion
EAST RIDING OFYORKSHIRE COUNCIL
in partnership witharvato Government
Services
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THURSDAY
Andrew Davis
Andrew gave a talk on how Experian is working
with local and central government in the
identification of fraud and also overpayment
recoveries, in respect of tax credits, JobCentre
Plus, housing and council tax benefit, single
person discount and the DVLA. Andrew
reported that his organisation had helped
stop £1bn in fraud. They use electronic ID
verification, which:
Allows for ‘fast tracking’, as no paper proof •
is required
Gives a system that looks at customers’ other •
patterns through credit checking
Provides a probability score on individuals, •
and flags up those with a high risk of possible
fraud for further checking
Provides access to information on past •
fraud offences
Provides profiling (Mosaic) which looks at the •
behaviour of individuals and groups them into
categories, using factors such as the area they
live in, the types of cars they drive, through to
their social habits.
Andrew identified that young well educated city
dwellers commit almost double the fraud than
the population percentage in this type of group.
“This previously unsuspected group is probably
the one that requires targeting”, he asserted.
The software has helped organisations identify
the ‘hard to find’ fraud, and saved DWP/LAs an
estimated £11 to £17 million per annum
in fraud.
Nadia Peterkin of Experian followed on from
Andrew with a stark report on the size of debt
in the UK. She confirmed that personal debt
stands at approximately £1.456 billion, with the
average debt per adult on loans and store
cards, etc., standing at £4467.
Nadia explained that the economic downturn
has affected the ways in which collection can
successfully be carried out, as a whole different
breed of people are finding themselves in a
situation where they are unable to meet their
liabilities. This has brought about the need
for some new approaches for getting the
money back.
Experian estimate there is in excess of £37bn
of outstanding debt in the public sector, and
they have developed a model which matches
their ‘Mosaic’ profiling with authority debtors to
predict likely collection rates.
IRRV PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2010
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Jose Lopez Garrido
Jose gave an insight into the Spanish model
of local government with the discussion
rightly around their taxation system, and
how his organisation, SUMA, was born as the
administration arm for local taxation in the
Alicante region. Again we heard how local
government was best placed to interact with
local citizens.
Local authorities still hold the powers
around local taxation, but delegate this to
SUMA, who is in effect an ‘outsourced shared
service’, although still a public body. SUMA
assists authorities in all tax related issues from
the billing to the collection and enforcement
work for 141 city councils. This provides large
economies of scale and therefore savings to all
councils. It was interesting to note that SUMA
borrows money from banks at the beginning
of the tax year and pays all the city councils in
advance, thus giving the councils the benefit
of all the revenue at the outset leaving them
only needing to concentrate on expenditure.
“SUMA has a high level of autonomy”, Jose
pointed out, as he detailed the manner
in which his teams work with the local
authorities. He impressed the audience
with his low cost of collection figures, and
collection rates, which rival those of UK
councils. This, he explained, was the main
driver behind the creation of the organisation
in the first place, and he went on to outline
the main advantages, which have led to a
network of ‘one stop shops’, and advanced
technological solutions that have contributed
to SUMA as a worldwide award-winning
provider.
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EXCELLENCEin Valuation
THE ASSOCIATION OF CHIEF ESTATES SURVEYORS & PROPERTY MANAGERSIN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
(ACES)
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These reports are provided by Tina Barnard, Allan Clark, Kathryn Ellis, Zoe Kent and Sharon Harvey, to whom the Insight editorial team passes on its thanks.
For more on events on the Thursday of the Annual Conference, read “Student Corner”, on page 27 of this month’s Insight.
THURSDAY
Photographs courtesy of Andrew Mardell of
ARM Photography – www.armphotography.co.uk
and Richard Guy
For more photographs of the event, go to www.irrv.net
Copy
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Don’t hang up!Julian Mead, National Manager of Inform Communications explodes a few myths about what the public really wants
The telephone is still the first choice access channel
So, what’s caused this dramatic turnaround in
customer’s perceptions? Well, as usual, it’s a
mixture of things. Firstly, customer expectations
– they now prefer to get their enquiry resolved
quickly, first time, by whichever method proves the
most convenient and efficient. Massively improved
websites have become increasingly successful in
resolving enquires round the clock but the
telephone remains the most chosen route for
contacting the council. So why not extend the
same customer service message to telephone
customers i.e. you can now access or leave a wide
range of information 24/7/365 – without waiting
in long queues or being asked to call back when
offices re-open? Customers now expect fast,
efficient service delivery 24/7 and are increasingly
willing and able to serve themselves - options and
alternatives are the name of the game nowadays.
Ask an expertAnd, secondly, it took specialist, focused service
providers like Inform Communications to identify
that it wasn’t just the technology that was
important here but the scripting, the way the
service flows for the customer and the ability to
both access and leave relevant, comprehensive
and up-to-date information. This is the art of
building, hosting and updating modern, efficient
Let’s be honest, automated call-handling or IVR
(Interactive Voice Response) has had a tarnished
reputation over the years. In the early days,
many poorly designed services gave very little
information, or simply kept you going around in a
never-ending loop with few, if any, opportunities to
speak to an advisor . Quite justifiably, there was a
back-lash from both organisations and customers.
How times have changed. Automated services
have become increasingly sophisticated whilst
becoming easier to use - here are some figures that
might surprise you.
Quite remarkable results and a Customer Services
Manager’s dream to be able to report high
customer satisfaction, low call waiting times and
zero abandonment rates. Customers are obviously
becoming more sophisticated and used to getting
what they need, on demand, when they need it,
24 hours a day.
It’s a matter of choiceBut the surprises don’t end there. On average,
over 70% of customers choose to remain within
the service rather than speak to an advisor, even
though the scripts give many options to be able to
be transferred. On an annual call volume of 80,000,
this releases the equivalent of five to six FTEs’ time.
In these austere times and with budgets under such
huge pressure, this opportunity should be on
every agenda.
For more information visit
www.informselfservice.com
automated services and takes many years of
experience to get right first time. So even if you
have your own in-house IVR capability in your
telephone system, partnering with a specialist
service provider can save a lot of time (a complete
service can be set up in just six weeks) and
give you options and opportunities for cost and
efficiency savings straight away.
Self Service means good serviceSelf Service is no longer viewed by Inform’s rapidly
growing number of clients as just an ‘ambulance’
for short-term issues such as end-of-year billing,
but as an on-going, permanent, effective business
tool for delivering customer service excellence
across the whole council. For example, London
Borough of Ealing, having started with a Revenues
& Benefits service some three years ago, has now
rolled out the benefits of Self Service to other busy
service areas including Parking, Registrations and
Planning.
Other councils are using Self Service for
Environmental and Housing enquiries.
After only a few months of service Belinda Black,
Director of Customer Services, at the London
Borough of Ealing said:
If you think that automated call handling is generally unpopular, you’ll be surprised to learn that 80% of local authority customers actually prefer it.
UK Local Authority Satisfaction Survey on Automated Self-Service Systems in a Revenues & Benefits Department
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40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%
Easy to understand
Did you have tospeak to an officer?
Got what theyneeded from system
Info wasrelevant
Satisfied withtime it took
YES
YES
YES YESYES
NO
NO
NO NONO
“The financial and operational case for Self Service is truly compelling. The facts speak for themselves, over 18,000 calls successfully answered in the first two months with zero complaints. Staff productivity up, queue length and processing times down. The benefit realised has exceeded the initial business case, providing an improved level of service that would have required an additional six full-time staff for the cost of less than two.”
Automated call handling
Annual Billing and Peak recovery are looming, the phones are going to light up and emails will flood in – and you have to make cuts whilst maintaining customer service delivery and productivity standards.
It’s a tough ask.
If 80% of your enquires disappeared overnight, think how much resource that would release...
Self Service can answer an UNLIMITED number of calls and emails 24/7 from less than the cost of one F.T.E. – and we can prove it.
The benefit realised has exceeded the initial business case, providing an improved level of service that would have required an additional six full-time staff for the cost of less than two.
Belinda Black, Director of Customer Services, Ealing Council
Maybe you can get blood out of a stone...
Call us now and find out how you can improve communications and reduce costs
T 0800 068 2008
W www.informselfservice.com
“”
24/7 Customer Contact Solutions
Hosted & Managed Automated Services
IVR Consultancy
well timed, well informed
self service24/7 Customer Contact Solutions
informINFORM
increased demand...reduced resources...
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SCOTTISH CONFERENCE 2010
Scottish flag up thechallenges ahead
Challenge is the name of the game, David Scott discovers, as he pays his annual visit to the Institute’s Scottish Conference
which included interim reform measures as
a precursor to a longer-term comprehensive
reform for a modernised local property tax
and benefits system. The interim measures
included adjustments to council tax valuation
bands, the start of regular revaluations,
increases in values as soon as improvement
work is completed, enhancement of current
enforcement procedures and measures to
improve tax recovery rates.
In the longer term, discrete capital values
would be introduced. Each council would be
allowed to set their own rate of taxation for
different ranges of properties. There would be
a discretionary power to set a cap on capital
values, and further changes to the benefits
system. Councils would also be given a power
to raise supplementary taxes. The committee
members explained how the inquiry had
provided a real opportunity to look at the
options for change. The intention was to
produce a ‘radical’ report, and not one that
just stood still.
One of the reasons for proposing discrete
capital values was the fact that this system had
already been introduced in Northern Ireland,
and was working very successfully. There was
still an opportunity for more ‘input’ into the
inquiry committee before the final report
was produced.
Scottish Association Executive member
Ian Ballance said he believed there was no
point in ‘tinkering’ with the present council tax
system. A system based on 1991 valuations
was ‘dead in the water.’ He did not think that
adding bands to the top and bottom was very
practical. “We’re wasting time and resources
tinkering with it,” he said.
On the second day of the conference,
views on the interim report were given by
leading spokesmen from the four major
political parties in Scotland. Derek Brownlee
MSP, finance spokesman for the Scottish
Conservatives, underlined his party’s
continuing commitment to a property based
The late summer sun shone on the Perthshire
town of Crieff when members of the IRRV
Scottish Association held their annual
conference in September. But the gloomy
clouds of the recession hovered menacingly
in the distance. It was perhaps inevitable
that the recession and the impact on public
services were prominent on the agenda during
the two-day event – valuation in a recession,
securing welfare rights in a recession and
delivering services in a recession.
However, the word ‘challenge’ also
dominated the speeches and debates – the
challenge of change, of protecting services
in one of the most difficult financial periods
experienced in living memory, and the
challenges of taxation reform at both national
and local level.
The conference saw the publication of
‘emerging findings’ from the IRRV committee
of inquiry into local taxation in Scotland.
The original aim had been to produce a
final report, but the inquiry committee felt
it important to consider the implications of
the change of government and the October
spending review before publishing the final
report, which is now timed for the end
of 2010.
Three members of the inquiry committee –
IRRV Chief Executive David Magor, who chaired
it, Scottish Association President Brian Jeffrey,
and IRRV Council member Richard Harbord
– commented on the emerging findings,
David Scott is a freelance writer specialising
in Scottish governance issues
tax. However, he stressed that his party was
inherently sceptical about the idea of moving
away from a band system to one purely based
on property value.
Scottish Labour’s local government
spokesman, Michael McMahon MSP, agreed
that a property based tax should be retained.
He pointed out that in the three year period
since Labour went out of office at the Scottish
Parliament, the party had been looking again
at the future of local taxation and was hoping
to issue a report around October.
Jeremy Purvis MSP, finance spokesman for
the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said it was
‘bizarre’ that a system should be based on
1991 values, but added that his heart sank
at the prospect of ‘constant revaluations.’
Mr Purvis reaffirmed his view that a local
income tax (LIT) was the best way forward.
John Wilson MSP, representing the
Scottish National Party, stressed his party’s
commitment to LIT. However, the most
controversial issue raised by the speaker
concerned the Scottish Parliament member’s
bill for the enforcement of local tax arrears.
The proposed legislation aims to align
local authority powers to pursue tax debts
with those of other debts. Mr Wilson argued
against councils continuing to have the power
to pursue people with council tax or poll tax
arrears for up to 20 years, whereas ordinary
creditors had to initiate court action to pursue
debts within the ‘more reasonable’ timescale
of five years.
Brian Jeffrey emphasised that the inquiry
committee had come out strongly in favour
of retaining summary warrants as the primary
route to recovery. Dorothy Lowe, President of
the Society of Messengers at Arms and Sheriff
Officers in Scotland, disputed Mr Wilson’s
claim that, according to the experience of one
constituent, sheriff officers charged the council
tax debtor a fee of £50 for a home visit.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael
Moore, was due to address the conference
CrieffHydro
“The committee members explained how the inquiry had provided a real opportunity to look at the options for change”
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SCOTTISH CONFERENCE 2010
but was unable to attend due to another
commitment. His place was taken by
Alisdair McIntosh, Director, Scotland Office.
Mr McIntosh spoke of the challenges facing
public services in Scotland and the changes in
prospect for the future funding of the Scottish
Government and Scottish Parliament. With
deficit reduction “a must, not an option” cuts
in public spending were inevitable in Scotland.
There was scope for improved productivity in
public spending. Mr McIntosh also referred to
increases in welfare spending, pointing out
that this had risen by almost 50 per cent in the
past ten years.
Responding later, David Magor said the rise
was “totally inevitable.” The majority of it was
due to statutory growth. Welfare spending
was not out of control. Year on year increases
were linked to inflation and due to increases in
unemployment. “The sooner the government
understand that the better,” Mr Magor told
the audience.
A new government – where now for benefit
reform? This was the question addressed by
Paul Howarth, head of the housing benefit
strategy division at the Department for Work
and Pensions, and by benefits adviser Peter
Meehan. Mr Howarth outlined the overall
context of reform – the rising cost of housing
benefit (which would cost £21bn in 2010-
11), the principle of fairness, improved
work incentives, working age benefit reform
and different arrangements for pensions.
Richard Gass, chair of Rights Advice Scotland,
predicted that Scotland could lose out by
£234 million as a result of the change from
incapacity benefit to employment support or
job seekers’ allowance.
During the two day conference, delegates
listened to a number of contributions
providing examples of how efficiency can be
improved and services maintained at a time
of recession. These included the benefits
of shared services, as explained by Sir John
Arbuthnott, who chaired a review of joint
working in the Clyde Valley, and by Tim Delany,
Head of Revenues and Benefits for the CenSus
Partnership. The advantages of providing
customer friendly online services were
outlined by former IRRV national President
Carol Cutler, Director of Customer Services
at Harrow Council, while the importance of
continuous improvement was emphasised by
Chris Howells, of Continuous Improvement
Practice Ltd, and by Mark McAteer, of the
Improvement Service.
Lloyd Clark, director of the local government
business group Liberata, spoke of the almost
CrieffHydro
“During the two day conference, delegates listened to a number of contributions providing examples of how efficiency can be improved and services maintained at a time of recession”
unprecedented challenge facing the public
sector today. Perth and Kinross Chief Executive
Bernadette Malone explained how her own
council was tackling the delivery of services
in a recession. Ms Malone reminded the
audience that, “we are here to deliver for
the customers and the community”, and she
emphasised, “We cannot be complacent
about that.”
The issues facing valuation in a recession,
including the prospect of a higher number
of appeals, were highlighted by Craig Wilson,
Head of Rating for Eric Young and Co., and
by the Deputy Assessor for Ayrshire, Alastair
Kirkwood, while IRRV national President
Geoff Fisher gave an insight into the property
and regeneration implications of the 2012
London Olympic Games. In valuation, does
transparency mean correct? This question was
addressed by Glasgow City Assessor Hugh
Munro and Billy McKaig, Senior Director,
BNP Paribas Real Estate.
At the conclusion of the conference,
Mr Fisher summed up the highly topical
speeches and debates. He predicted that
seven years of difficult times lay ahead. There
was general agreement that the conference
had provided a well-timed opportunity to plan
for these years of challenge.
President Geoff Fisher with Scottish Association President Brian Jeffrey and successful Scottish students Feeding time for the IRRV HQ team
The bustling exhibition areaA grilling for the awards village participants
Faculty Board update
26
The IRRV’s Valuation Faculty Board have welcomed the opportunity to evaluate the success of the 2010 business rate revaluation, as roger Messenger outlines
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Roger Messenger BSc (Est Man) FRICS
IRRV (Hons) MCIArb REV is Chairman of
the Valuation Faculty Board, and Senior
Vice-President of the Institute
Evaluating the revaluation...
bodies represented on the PBLG. This action
was viewed as unacceptable.
A further significant problem occurred on
the website, where ‘Lisa’, the virtual assistant,
appeared to inform ratepayers not only that
appeals lodged by advisers would not receive
any priority (correct and proper), but that
employing an adviser could delay the handling
of their case (incorrect and clearly improper).
The Institute’s response concludes that
the fundamental issue of concern in the
2010 revaluation process is the capacity,
management, and financing of the Agency’s
information technology capability.
It was pleasing to be part of the Institute’s
Valuer Conference, at the Annual
Conference in Harrogate recently. A packed
room witnessed a series of thought-provoking
presentations, starting with IRRV President
Geoff Fisher, at home in his specialist area.
The morning session saw Geoff joined on
the platform by fellow Institute Council
Member and VOA Director Mary Hardman,
speaking on the role of the Agency, followed
by the Institute’s own Gary Watson, giving
the low-down on completion notices. Robert
Brown from Sanderson Weatherall, at home
in his native Harrogate, and the ‘man in the
frame’, Professor Graham Zellick, President of
the Valuation Tribunal for England, kept the
audience captivated until lunch time.
The afternoon saw Duncan Preston, Roger
Messenger, Bob Perry of the Association of
I reported recently that the Valuation Office
Agency had commenced an evaluation review
of the 2010 NDR revaluation and sought
feedback on all aspects of the revaluation
process, including how it deployed its
communication strategy, how well it improved
its property database, and its methods of
obtaining accurate and up to date rental,
trade or cost information upon which to base
valuations. The Agency has also sought to
improve both the number of valuations that
are both validated at a much earlier stage in
the process and which are right first time,
and the arrangements for notifying ratepayers
of their draft valuations, helping them to
understand their likely rates bill, and dealing
with the subsequent enquiries.
The Valuation Faculty Board led on
the IRRV response. It was noted that the
Agency’s timeframe for delivery of the
various stages of the process was significantly
tighter than in previous revaluations, and was
successfully achieved, allowing earlier and
fuller publication, which in turn appears to
have improved the acceptability of the new
assessments, together with a fuller and more
‘user friendly’ website for ratepayers to
investigate the process as it affects them.
In particular, two issues on communication
marred the overall success and goodwill for
professional advisers as represented in the
National Ratepayers’ Forum (NRF) and the
Professional Bodies Liaison Group (PBLG).
The Agency, having sought extensive
co-operation to agree the wording of a
covering letter to be sent to ratepayers,
then without consultation wrote to firms of
accountants, encouraging them to act as
advisers to ratepayers, without extending the
invitation to other professions, notably the
Chartered Estates Surveyors – later in the
week to celebrate a win in the Valuation Team
Award – and Philip Maud of Hammonds, who
concluded the day with a fascinating review
of current compulsory purchase, regeneration
and compensation issues. A more complete
report on the event will be provided in the
December edition of Valuer.
A three week response window opened
and closed in October for comment on
the proposed Lands Chamber Practice Directions, which will supplement the new
Rules to govern proceedings in the Upper
Tribunal (Lands Chamber), and which will
replace the Interim Practice Directions made
on 13 May 2009. At the time of writing VFB
were formulating their response.
The proposed Practice Directions largely
incorporate what is contained in the Interim
Practice Directions, save in three respects.
These are:
Section 6• of the proposed Practice Directions
(replacing section 9 of the Interim Practice
Directions) which deals with statements of
case. This is because new provisions relating
to them are made in the new Rules
Section 7• of the proposed Practice
Directions (replacing section 17 of the
Interim Practice Directions) which deals with
expert evidence. Some of the content of
section 17 of the Interim Practice Directions
is now in new Rule 17, and provisions are
now included that relate to the instruction of
a single jointly-instructed expert witness
Other parts of the Interim Practice Direction •
have been excluded because they are no
longer considered to be appropriate in a
Practice Direction (e.g. “Arranging
the hearing”).
The full letter of response to the VOA
consultation on the 2010 revaluation
is reproduced in Valuation Corner,
on page 30 of this month’s Insight
“the fundamental issue of concern in the 2010 revaluation process is the capacity, management, and financing of the agency’s information technology capability.”
student column
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friendly, with easy to understand prompts
and good navigation.
Once this is all set up and running
correctly, there is the option to force
customers away from the old trusted method
of picking up the phone, by reducing phone
answering services, which would push the
customer to use the new electronic method
of contact. To take this all a step further,
your aspirations should include some sort
of access for the citizen to their data, so
that they can check their accounts through
a secure pathway, for example viewing
their decision notices for benefit on line
or perhaps checking what payments have
actually been made.
Insight brings news and views from some of the newly-qualified Conference attendees
deal with some social service functions,
revenues, benefits and school meals, etc. This
would mean that the customer could tell us
once of the change via an electronic customer
interaction, and everything would be dealt
with at the same time, from free school meals
to their housing benefit. So there is a real
chance for customer satisfaction as well as
efficiency savings.
The key to this approach is however shifting
your customers to this sort of interaction, and
therefore your citizen demographics must be
studied to ensure everyone can still obtain
a service from you. For example, work may
be required with the third sector, to ensure
vulnerable customers don’t slip through the
net. Work would have to be undertaken to
try and identify what percentage of your
customers actually have access to electronic
communication. Most importantly, you must
ensure the platform you are providing is user
Dominic Cain of Southwark LBC presented an
interesting talk on what could be described as
‘channel shifting’. He entitled his discussion,
‘The good the bad and the strategy’, centring
around the paper he produced for his own
authority in an attempt to bring customer
contact and satisfaction to the forefront of his
corporate management team.
Dominic, like many other speakers,
identified the need to move customer contact
away from the expensive ways of the past
and into a more electronic and therefore less
‘human interacted’ service. “Self-serve is the
way forward, and will produce a real saving
for authorities”, he said, “as less time will be
needed for officers to answer enquiries from
their customers and ultimately less staff will
be needed to provide the same level
of service”.
Again localised services were to the fore,
with Dominic stating that one service could
“Success is not measured by what you
accomplish, but by the opposition you have
encountered and the courage with which
you have maintained the struggle against
overwhelming odds”. In Richard Harbord’s
IRRV/Liberata research into shared services
his opening line rang true not only in the ‘hot’
conference topic of shared services, but also
as a graduate of the IRRV (Hons) route.
When I committed to studying for the
full professional qualification, I found a
motivational statement that I wrote on my
kitchen blackboard from Anita Roddick – a
woman I admired for her tremendous courage.
It goes, “Be courageous, it is one of the only
places left uncrowded”. This line saw me
through the ‘ups and downs’ of committing
to four years of study with a new husband
and two small step-children. For me, the
overwhelming sense of ‘success’ drives you
to continue to be ‘courageous’ in the current
climate of cultural change.
Richard encouraged us (in his inimitable
humourous style) to challenge existing
services and the way they are delivered,
especially in the areas of service
rationalisation, shared services, grouping of
services for ‘lean’ efficiencies, and providing
better value for money. To work together
and generate an environment of trust and
confidence in what you are doing, he added,
“If you believe in local authorities and
localism, saving money is a by-product of
the things you do for your community”. We
must continue to design our services around
customer service and resident satisfaction.
And, to be successful you have to ‘feel’
successful on the inside. Enduring trust and
commitment, honest consultation between
stakeholders, commitment from the top
(Chief Executive, Leader(s) of councils and
service directors), co-operation from staff and
management openness, communication and
transparency are all key to success.
This rings true not only in the shared
service agenda, but also if you are embarking
on a full professional qualification. So go on,
be courageous, because it really is one of the
only places left uncrowded!
Readers are urged to return the IRRV/Liberata questionnaires sent to every local authority on shared service provision to date. Your experiences are needed as this key subject gathers pace.
Kathryn Ellis IRRV (Hons) is Revenues and Benefits Team Leader (Front Line Services) with Leicester City Council
Allan Clark IRRV (Hons) is Senior Benefits Officer with North Hertfordshire District Council
Don’t forget to check out pages 11 to 21 of this month’s Insight for more Annual Conference highlights
benefitS bulletin
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... Julie Holden discovers, as the government’s major welfare shake-up is announced
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Julie Holden IRRV(Hons) CMgr MCMI
is Head of Revenues and Benefits with
Tandridge District Council and an
IRRV Past President
see a degree of unrest and unhappiness about
this. Maybe you say, “good, about time”. I
however reflect on the original intention of child benefit (CB), paid to the mother to
ensure that the child received the benefit of
this money, helping to alleviate child poverty.
If the future is that most benefits are taken
into account, then it is the self same CB that
must be taken away from the child to pay the
landlord the shortfall between the capped HB
and the rent. I also prophesy a quick change to
disregards in HB, as CB is clearly up for grabs!
I accept the need to radically reform the
benefit system, but I do question whether
capping HB through an overall benefit
allowance is the most sensible way of doing
this, as I can only see problems in meeting
rent levels and a lack of understanding in
respect of what has happened. It is another
layer of complexity that we shall have to
explain to customers, as we deal with
the backlash in our new simplified
benefit scheme!
Thanks for this, Mr Osborne – it ’s nice
to know that ‘localism’ features so highly
in welfare. I can’t wait any longer before
submitting this piece, but it ’s IDS’s turn on
the platform next... !
The devil is in the detailleads to more evictions and as a result more
homelessness. What about those people who
are already in temporary accommodation? This
factor alone worries me – rather than restrict
rents, the condition of receiving HB is based
on other entitlements and an overall cap. This
is another change to S130 that will be needed
in the primary legislation.
If landlords are prepared to accept lower
rents, families (and let’s not kid ourselves –
this announcement will affect families more
than any other type of claimant) will be able to
remain, however as their entitlement increases
to other benefit, for example the birth of
another child, HB will reduce. Landlords will
reach their limit. Either monies intended for
non-housing related matters will have to be
paid over, or arrears will accrue. I wonder if
this is legally challengeable?
Among all this is the administration of the
HB scheme itself. A software update will be
necessary to allow this to be catered for, and
there is currently no need to place the actual
income levels of 'passported' cases into the
systems, so this will change. We need to know
the actual amounts and input them so that
the system can calculate an overall amount of
benefit to be awarded as HB.
Clearly, notification letters will have to carry
this calculation, appeals will be available, and
we of course get to be the ‘bad guy’ and give
this news to the benefit customer. I can only
Two days after I had pledged to submit this
article, the Conservative Party conference
started with quite a bang for housing benefit
(HB) delivery, so I thought it best to consider
the announcement by Mr Osborne, and the
effect this may have.
Of course it is all headline stuff and there
is no detail as yet, but the announcement
was that no family would be eligible from 2013 to receive more than £500 per week (£26,000 per annum) in total benefits. This would be administered by local
authorities as part of the HB assessment, with
reductions to HB being applied to ensure that
the overall limit is not exceeded.
So what does this really mean? First of
all, the £26,000 is the guideline as to the
national average family wage. The intention
is that no-one who lives on benefits should
have a total income larger than the average
wage of those who support themselves. This
is clearly a laudable policy and one that will have a great deal of support. However,
the devil will of course be in the detail, as we
are already told this will probably only apply
to working age, it will not apply to those with
disabilities (does that mean the claimant and
partner or the whole household?) and no
doubt there will be other groups, so it starts
to reduce the numbers of people that are
affected by this... and therefore the
overall saving!
As the reduction to the cap is being made
through HB, this means that many people will
not see that they have an entitlement of say
£250 per week HB, but only the amount that
is paid after the cap is imposed – let’s say
£150. The tenant is likely to tell their landlord
that they only qualify for HB of £150, and
therefore that is all they can pay. This surely
“the intention is that no-one who lives on benefits should have a total income larger than the average wage of those who support themselves.”
social inclusion
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The future is still unclear for third sector providers, says colin Holden, in spite of government promises of increased participation
Colin C Holden IRRV(Hons) is General
Manager of East Sussex Credit Union.
Contact him on
recession was to be a benefits assessor –
this is as true today as it was then.
Government is also moving on the policy
of the ‘Big Society’. I met with Nick Hurd
MP, Minister for Civil Society, to talk about this
during the summer, at which time they were
still developing this idea and that of the
‘Big Bank’ financed by dormant bank
accounts. He made it clear that this would
be used for local people to deliver local
services within their communities, with the
state being rolled back so that local charities
and organisations would have a say in how
services were delivered.
However, this assumes that there are the volunteers out there to do this work .
Speaking as a manager of a large number
of volunteers, they will be in for a shock!
Every volunteer organisation has a very
small nucleus of volunteers who stick with
the organisation and become very useful.
However, most organisations have trouble
recruiting volunteers, and when they do they
stay just long enough to get trained, and then
go and get a job.
What I am also not so certain about is
how will this happen in a climate of declining
funding for operating those groups and
charities, and is this not what local councils
are elected to do anyway? It ’s all very well
local and national government moving to a
commissioning process for lots of services,
but if the organisations they want to tender
do not have the capacity to tender due to
previous cuts, then the whole policy will fail.
I think this will be a window to watch,
and my crystal ball is still very misty!
The clouds are gathering
Besides cutting basic incomes, the
government is eager to accelerate previous
proposals to push single parents and claimants
on disability benefits back into the labour
market, and to cut benefits for the long
term unemployed by an indefinite sanction
equating to ten percent of their HB. There
are also ‘hidden’ cuts which will have major
impact, such as the potential increase in
non-dependant deductions whereby money
is deducted from HB/CTB for others over 18
living in the household apart from the claimant
and their partner. How many parents will be
able to bear this loss of benefit? The line is that the ‘non-dependant’ should make up the difference, but this rarely happens, so
disposable income takes another hit.
The effect of all this will be the creation of an
army of people desperate for jobs, however
badly paid, which no doubt will be exploited
by more unscrupulous employers, and for any
in work that wish to take industrial action there
will be plenty of people that will be willing to
step into their shoes if they strike. A further
consequence will be that the numbers seeking
accommodation is likely to rise exponentially,
which in turn will put pressure on housing
providers, and on local authority benefit
teams. There was a view in the eighties that
the best job to have in a local authority in a
As I am writing this before the government’s
spending review in October it is difficult to
deal with specifics, so I will gaze into my
crystal ball to find the impact on the third
sector. What we do know is that the third
sector, as well as local government, is holding
its breath regarding what may happen. But
pleasingly for them, the Prime Minister has
recently issued a statement putting councils
under pressure not to cut grant funding
– despite the fact that the government already has by reducing its Capacity Builders Funding. So we are seeing huge
amounts of political manoeuvring around
possible cuts from all quarters. For instance,
all Chief Constables seem to be issuing dire
warnings about losing policemen off the beat
as a lobbying tactic, whilst local and national
charities are giving out warnings about cuts
in services.
So what exactly is the background to all
this? Well, as a direct result of the banking
crisis over one million people have lost their
jobs. At the time, the government of the day
threw money at the problem to stabilise the
economy, and what we are looking at now is
the consequences of this. The announcements
in October are likely to throw at least another
1.3 million people on to the dole queue,
many of whom will come from the public
sector – all this at a time when the
government is launching a restructuring of
the welfare benefit system.
These proposed cuts will affect both
claimants in work and out of work. Cuts to
Housing Benefit (HB), Council Tax Benefit
(CTB) and Tax Credits will hit millions
throughout the country. According to the
Chartered Institute of Housing, 750,000
people are likely to lose their homes. In
addition, it is likely that these cuts will throw
both individuals and families into spiralling
debt at a time when resources for debt advice
and support for the work of credit unions is
already under extreme pressure.
“There was a view in the eighties that the best job to have in a local authority in a recession was to be a benefits assessor – this is as true today as it was then”
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Valuation Corner
Hands across the sea...
Institute Immediate Past President Geoff Fisher’s final weeks saw him ‘globetrotting’. As readers will know, Geoff ‘s work with Strettons takes in the 2012 Olympic site, but this time he took time to visit a previous Olympic site – Montreal
1976 (pictured), as he and IRRV Chief Executive David Magor delivered presentations to sister body the International Property Tax Institute’s conference earlier in the year. Geoff is also pictured with land and property policy specialist body the Lincoln Institute stalwarts and long-standing friends of the IRRV, Jane Malme and Joan Youngman
The IRRV Responds
was constructive. However, two issues on
communication marred the overall success
and goodwill for professional advisers as
represented in the National Ratepayers’
Forum(NRF) and the Professional Bodies
Liaison Group(PBLG).
The Agency, having sought extensive
co-operation to agree the wording of a
covering letter to be sent to ratepayers,
then without consultation wrote to firms of
accountants encouraging them to act as
advisers to ratepayers, without extending
the invitation to other professions, notably
the bodies represented on the PBLG. This
was clearly partial on the Agency’s part, and
unacceptable as such.
A further breach of impartiality occurred on
the website, where ‘Lisa’ appeared to inform
ratepayers not only that appeals lodged
by advisers would not receive any priority
(correct and proper) but that employing an
adviser could delay the handling of their case
(incorrect and clearly improper). In a process
which relies heavily on mutual trust and
co-operation, these breaches were damaging
and unnecessary.
There were a number of instances of
assessments and groups of assessments
being significantly increased between the
draft and final Lists (presumably in most cases
because the valuations had not been properly
completed in time for the draft list) and this
should be avoided in future. Otherwise the
timetable worked well.
The fundamental issue of concern in the
2010 Revaluation process is the capacity,
management, and financing of the Agency’s
information technology capability. Although
this worked well in the early stages, it failed
to cope with pressures created by the new List
coming into force, and in some key aspects
broke down completely. This is unacceptable,
and the overall IT capacity and robustness
of software must be addressed as a matter
of urgency.”
2010 Revaluation Of Non-Domestic Properties: Project Evaluation: IRRV response
As reported in Roger Messenger’s Faculty
Board report (this month’s Insight – page 26),
the IRRV has responded to VOA consultation
on the recent revaluation of business property.
The Institute’s response is reproduced below:
“This response is restricted to the terms
of reference of the evaluation, which is itself
confined to the mechanism of the revaluation
process, up to its final publication and coming
into effect on 1st April.
The outcome, in valuation terms, and
the accuracy of the new assessments are
therefore outside its scope, and indeed have
yet to be tested.
The Agency’s timeframe for delivery of the
various stages of the process was significantly
tighter than in previous revaluations, and
was successfully achieved, allowing earlier
and fuller publication, which in turn appears
to have improved the acceptability of the
new assessments; together with a fuller and
more ‘user friendly’ website for ratepayers
to investigate the process as it affects them.
The system can never be fully transparent
until a way is found to enable the detailed
rental evidence on which the assessments
have been based to be available for public
scrutiny, but we accept that this is a data
protection issue and as such beyond the
Agency’s authority. It must however remain an
aspiration for future revaluations.
The gathering of rental information also
improved, with more sources being used, and
Forms of Return being better ‘targeted’. There
are still difficulties regarding the issue of
Penalty Notices to be resolved.
There was a significant emphasis placed
on Customer Service, both on the website
and in written advice to ratepayers. There
was also continual liaison through ratepayers’
forums and with the professional bodies which
Welcome,Mr President
Cover story
Kerry Macdermott is the first Welsh President of the IRRV for more than 40 years and proud of it. With infectious optimism, he looks forward to promoting the Institute’s work and interests in what promises to be a difficult period for the public sector. Lester Dinnie reports
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Local government has changed so much
since then” he says, “there is so much more
competition for jobs, much more sense of
purpose and a continual drive for best value
and better performance.
This,” he says, “is why the Institute must
be even more assertive in taking its message
to the marketplace in what promises to
be a tough time for the public sector. The
Institute focuses on achievement and
developing best practice, epitomised by the
annual performance awards which are a
recognition of the achievements of all. It’s
up to the Institute in areas like education
and membership to extend our base. We are
constantly engaging in best practice, advising,
mentoring and educating. We have a member
base that comprises experts in Revenues ,
Rating and Valuation and it is vital that we
continue to be proactive in providing advice to
the relevant government bodies.
Maybe we should also spend a little
more time ensuring that those in ministerial
positions and the media are fully aware of the
vital role of our members.”
Most of all, the new President of the IRRV
is keen to see the Institute in the vanguard
of public sector lobbying following the
government’s comprehensive spending review.
“We mustn’t just accept the fact that we’re
an easy target” he comments, “and the public
sector cannot be expected to repair all the
damage caused by private sector errors.
Constant lobbying of politicians is the key,
a classic illustration of the success of the
practice is the reaction by the government
to the public condemnation of their recent
announcement to remove child benefit from
high earning families. In reality, this is a
low key welfare benefits change compared
to those on the horizon and yet they have
backtracked and qualified the announcement.”
Cover story
Kerry is a patriotic Welshman with the
thoroughly Irish name, courtesy of a Dublin-
born grandfather which truly makes him one
of the ‘little people’ vertically speaking.
When he tells you that his career began
in Swansea more than 35 years ago, it takes
a while to reconcile that information with the
energetic style of the new President of the
IRRV who becomes the 91st holder of
that office.
Currently Head of Revenue Services with
Pembrokeshire County Council, a post he has
held since the inception of the authority, Kerry
intends to attend as many of the Association
events as possible, as they are the lifeblood of
the Institute.
In talking to him, it ’s easy to see
that ‘performance’ is something of a
recurring theme.
“I recall in my early days in local government
that the culture was to have extended Friday
lunches in a local hostelry (where I would
partake in the occasional lemonade) and this
was universally accepted as the norm.”
“We have a member base that comprises experts in Revenues, Rating and Valuation and it is vital that we continue to be proactive in providing advice to the relevant government bodies.”
Looking forward to a busy and active year
doesn’t entirely stand in the way of reflecting
on past times. Indeed Kerry is adamant that
his long association with the IRRV will help him
be an empathetic and effective president.
“I’ve studied valuation. I’ve got a background
in revenues and benefits, so I’d like to think
that I have something to offer all three
faculties. Also I’ve got friends and colleagues
in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and
look forward to catching up with old friends
and colleagues at the Association events.”
A man with experience in a number
of local authorities having spent time in
Swansea, South Somerset, Llanelli and South
Pembrokeshire, he might be expected to have
selected his career path after very careful
consideration. Kerry, however, is perfectly
happy to concede that his success is owed
entirely to his mother and on somewhat
questionable grounds. “When I left school, I
had three opportunities; one with the Midland
Bank, one with Customs and Excise and one
with the local council in Swansea. My final
decision was swayed by my mum saying it
would be nice to tell the neighbours that I
work in the Guildhall! ”
The burning question is does Kerry fit the
traditional characteristics of the Welsh nation,
in the world of music and song?
“Absolutely not! ” he laughs, “my 12 year old
daughter recently auditioned me for an IRRV
event in Scotland which involved karaoke.
I attempted two Tom Jones hits, ‘What’s New
Pussycat’ and ‘It’s Not Unusual’ then the
slightly less vocally challenging Monkees’ hit
‘I’m a Believer’. This last one on the basis that
if a donkey and a big green monster could
get away with it, so could I. My daughter’s
assessment was brutally honest. She said all
three were rubbish.”
Long time friend, colleague and past
President, Bob Trahern will also vouch for
the new President’s status as being ‘culturally
challenged’, relegating Kerry to the back row
of the chorus in the now infamous Caerleon
Keele reviews.
And Bob has reason to know Kerry as
well as anyone. Attending the same event
on one occasion he found himself without
a room. Following best practice and best
value he checked himself into Kerry’s room
to the astonishment of the receptionist who
“I honestly believe that authorities who don’t work with us will be missing out. When you have staff who are IRRV members you know they are going to be professionally competent and can understand and interpret the relevant legal provisions. They will be the people who perform.”
Lester Dinnie is Editorial Director of Insight
and has worked with the IRRV for over a
decade. His writing credits extend from
technical articles to TV ads.
demanded to know whether SHE would mind.
(In the interests of good taste INSIGHT’s
reporter is able to add that the room in
question had two double beds, and in the
word’s of an eminent politician of our time,
they shared a room but not etc, etc, etc.)
The next Presidential year of office promises
to be highly challenging both for the Institute
and the public sector, but in Kerry Macdermott
it seems the IRRV has someone with the
energy, experience and optimism to do
the job.
“I’ve been on the Institute Council for more
than a decade, taught on the revision courses
since 1992 and been a committee chair for
three years” he reflects, “and I know what
we have to offer our students, our members
and our business partners. Our background
experience and knowledge is far superior
to other professional bodies. I firmly believe
in the Association and the role of President.
We can help local government to be better
educated and better able to deliver in the key
performance areas, which government will
demand and people will expect. I honestly
believe that authorities who don’t work with
us will be missing out. When you have staff
who are IRRV members you know they are
going to be professionally competent and can
understand and interpret the relevant legal
provisions. They will be the people
who perform.”
Cover story
“there is so much more competition for jobs, much more sense of purpose and a continual drive for best value and better performance.”
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FOI update
The Tribunal’s second decision in the case of
Alasdair Roberts v IC and Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (EA/2009/0035) offers further guidance
on applying the fees provisions. The case
concerned a request for lists of records and
comments together with the names of the
creators of the same. The Tribunal accepted
the established principle (see John Jenkins v Information Commissioner and Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EA/2006/0067)) that costs of redacting
information (in this case names) are to be
excluded when working out whether the
request would cost over the appropriate limit.
At paragraph 37 though, it qualified this
as follows:
“…And where the task is as complex as it
would have been in this case, we do not think
it appropriate for the whole process to be
ignored for cost estimate purposes simply on
the basis that it could be said to fall within
the broad scope of “name redaction”.
That may be appropriate where the task is
simply to locate individuals’ names and redact
them if they fall below a particular grade of
seniority. But where, as here, the process
requires a judgment to be made, document
by document, balancing the various criteria
we have identified, then we believe that
much, if not all, of the process should be
regarded as retrieving from each document
the information which requires to be disclosed
and therefore properly included in the
cost estimate.”
Putting a price on personal freedom
Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2002 (FOI) and the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No 3244) (the “Regulations”) mean that when a public
authority wishes to refuse an information
request on grounds that to comply with it
would be over the appropriate limit (of £450
or £600), it can only take account of the costs
in doing four things calculated at a rate of £25
per hour:
determining whether it holds the information •
locating the information, or a document •
which may contain the information
retrieving the information, or a document •
which may contain the information, and
extracting the information from a document •
containing it.
“The next question for the Tribunal was whether disclosure of the personal data would be fair and lawful in accordance with the First Data Protection Principle.”
Ibrahim Hasan continues to delve into the complex world of freedom of information and data protection, taking in fees, costs and disclosure case law
Ibrahim Hasan is a solicitor and director of
Act Now Training (www.actnow.org.uk).
He is the course director for Act Now’s
ISEB Certificate in Freedom of Information
course and runs the FOI helpline
“This case shows that the matters of fees and costs estimates are by no mean straightforward, especially when it comes to considering the cost of redacting names from requested documents”
This case shows that the matters of fees
and costs estimates are by no means
straightforward, especially when it comes to
considering the cost of redacting names from
requested documents. What is extraction
to one person may be simple redaction to
another, depending on his/her knowledge and
capability. Expect more arguments to come
on this point. The Roberts decision also
examines the section 40 exemption which we
will come to later.
In the light of the many instances of
controversial use of surveillance by councils
under the Regulation of investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) , the media often make
FOI requests to public authorities for copies
of Office of Surveillance Commissioner (OSC)
inspection reports. These are aimed at ensuing
that public authorities are complying with
Part 2 of RIPA when doing covert surveillance.
There is no single exemption which covers
such reports, and often they will be disclosable
in their entirety, as they will contain no specific
information about surveillance operations.
However, where this is the case or the request
is for wider information about surveillance
activity, the section 31 exemption (law
enforcement) may be claimed.
In an Information Commissioner decision
involving the BBC (Ref: FS50188663 06/05/2010) the complainant requested a
copy of the 2006 OSC inspection report.
He also requested a copy of the OSC’s
covering letter and the BBC’s response to the
report. The BBC disclosed a redacted copy of
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the report, citing section 31. The redactions
included the following types of information
in relation to the BBC’s enforcement activity
against those who do not hold a TV licence:
The number of RIPA authorisations granted •
for the use of equipment in 2006
The process undertaken when investigating •
unlicensed premises, and
Information about detection equipment.•
The Commissioner considered that the
withheld information, in the context of
television licensing, is extremely sensitive, and
was satisfied that disclosure would be likely to
undermine the tactical advantage and ability
of the BBC’s monitoring officers to effectively
use covert surveillance. He was therefore
satisfied that the exemption in section 31(1)
(a) was engaged. He went on to rule that the
public interest in maintaining the exemption
outweighed the public interest in disclosure.
Section 40 provides an exemption from
disclosure of personal data about the
requestor as well as that of third parties.
With regard to the latter, the public authority
must show that disclosure would breach one
of the data protection principles. In Bryce v IC & Cambridgeshire Constabulary (EA/2009/0083) , the request concerned a
report that had been produced following an
inquiry undertaken after the appellant and two
other individuals raised concerns about the
way in which the police had investigated the
death of the appellant’s sister, who had been
killed by her husband in September 1996. The
report addressed the adequacy of the criminal
investigation, as well as the way in which the
complainants had been treated. This judgment
is important because of the definition of
personal data it applies, as well as giving
guidance on the approach to adopt when a
request contains information about a number
of people.
The first question is whether the information
being requested was personal data. Much
has been written over the years about the
significance of the Durant decision (Durant v Financial Services Authority [2003] EWCA Civ 1746) which seems to have substantially
narrowed the definition of personal data.
In the words of Auld J:
“…not all information retrieved from a
computer search against an individual’s name
or unique identifier is personal data within
the Act… It seems to me that there are two
notions which may be of assistance. The first
is whether the information is biographical
in a significant sense, that is, going beyond
the recording of the putative data subject’s
involvement in a matter or an event that
has no personal connotations, a life event
in respect of which his privacy could not be
said to be compromised. The second is one
of focus. The information should have the
putative data subject as its focus rather than
some other person with whom he may have
been involved or some transaction or event in
which he may have figured…”
The Tribunal applied the Durant approach to
the concept of ‘personal data’ in this case
rather than the arguably more liberal approach
embodied in the Commissioner’s guidance,
‘Determining What is Personal Data’. It concluded that not all the information in the
report was personal data, e.g. the glossary,
executive summary or background information.
The next question for the Tribunal was
whether disclosure of the personal data would
be fair and lawful in accordance with the
First Data Protection Principle. The Tribunal
approached this question by conducting a
discrete analytical exercise in respect of each
different person’s personal data. It is clear
from the Tribunal’s analysis that it was of
the view that very different considerations
applied, for example, in respect of police
officers’ data, as compared with data relating
to the husband’s family. A public authority
cannot simply adopt a blanket ‘one size fits all’
approach to information comprising different
types of personal data.
The Tribunal’s second decision in the
case of Alasdair Roberts v IC and Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (EA/2009/0035) also provides
more guidance on considering the First Data
Protection Principle. The two main points are,
first, when considering whether the processing
would be fair, senior civil servants (Grade 5 or
above) do not have a reasonable expectation
of anonymity in respect of any document, no
matter how sensitive. More junior civil servants
might have such an expectation, but this will
be less cogent where the job is “public-facing”
(such as a Job Centre manager), and more
cogent where the information is controversial
(such as information about animal testing).
Second, when considering whether there
is justification to disclose under a schedule
2 condition, paragraph 6 allows disclosure
where it is in the legitimate interests of
‘parties to whom the data are disclosed’. The
Tribunal found that the requester’s strong
individual interest (for research purposes)
was not sufficient to override the fact that this
information was of very little interest to the
world at large to whom an FOI disclosure
is made.
The section 40 exemption continues to
be the subject of many Commissioner and
Tribunal decisions. It will be interesting to see
the outcome of the recent Ministry of Justice
call for evidence on the operation of the Data
Protection Act and whether it has any impact
on the definition of personal data.
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IRRV International
of each state, and not from federal regulations.
Each state has its own legal system and
constitution. Local government works in line
with these, and not centrally imposed rules.
County and municipalLocal government within a US state tends
to have two levels – county and municipal.
The use of the word ‘tends’ is deliberate.
It ’s hard to make general points about the
structure of US local government.
Approaches vary according to population
density, and the size and number of urban
and rural environments.
Broadly speaking, each state constitution gives America’s 3,034 counties the legal powers to provide local government. The exceptions are the states of Alaska and
Louisiana. They don’t have counties. Instead,
the boroughs in Alaska and parishes in
Louisiana perform similar functions.
Three further exceptions are the states of
Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
They don’t have any form of county
government. The cities and towns deal with
all local matters.
These differences give some idea of the
freedom states have to run their affairs,
and the variation in the number of residents
within local government areas confirms this.
The smallest local government community is
in Florida. The number of people it serves is
38. At the other end of the scale, the
New York City municipality copes with eight
million citizens.
Such diversity can be complex. There are
around 19,400 municipalities within the
counties plus 16,500 townships, 13,500
school districts and 37,000 special purpose
districts. Each one of these local government
units has specific duties. Many can also raise
taxes. In some areas of the US, it ’s possible
for a resident to deal with half a dozen or so
local government bodies.
DiscoveringAmerica
In tough times at home, studying a different
local government system may suggest new
approaches to old problems. With this in mind,
US local government can merit a closer look,
even if some of the ways in which it works are
unusual by UK standards.
The basic structureThe basic model of US local government is familiar – it follows the UK method of
elected councils. But this link with Britain is
purely historical. Since gaining independence,
Americans have changed local government to
reflect the way they want to run their lives. Any
other similarity with the UK occurs by chance.
US local government starts not with the
federal government, but with the states.
The federal – or central – government handles
the issues that are vital to the common good
of the country. The most notable of these is
defence. The 50 states deal with local matters
relevant to their communities. Such matters
gain their legal status from the individual laws
“Each state has its own legal system and constitution. Local government works in line with these, and not centrally imposed rules.”
“They Do It Their Way”, says Kevin Watson, as he explores local administration in the United States
Kevin Watson is a freelance writer
“In one state, for example, someone recently out of work cannot claim any benefits until he or she has taken part in a month-long job search scheme”
ServicesThe services that these bodies run are
extensive. A county maintains the highways
and decides on the location of major new
roads. It may also arrange the boundaries
of voting and school districts. County or
municipal government may handle services
such as water, sewerage, transport, fire,
hospitals, cemeteries, police, parks, housing,
tourism, urban planning, street cleaning, street
signs and libraries. Depending on the size of
the area, each of these may have its
own department.
Special districts rather than municipal cities
or townships are responsible for a growing
number of the services. The popularity of
special districts among residents is such that
the number has increased threefold in the last
fifty years. These districts, which residents
often refer to as commissions, boards or
authorities, may often provide just one service.
This is usually something crucial such as water
or the police.
The school system is equally mixed.
States, counties, cities and towns may manage
education, but school districts can also
have this responsibility. School districts are
self-contained local governments. They have
financial and administrative autonomy. Their
purpose is to give elementary, secondary
and higher education to the children of a
specific area.
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IRRV International
Welfare
When it comes to welfare benefits, the states
and local government establish eligibility,
make payments and issue food coupons. Like
many welfare systems, the details are involved.
Individual state law can also define the way
the welfare system functions. In one state, for
example, someone recently out of work cannot
claim any benefits until he or she has taken
part in a month-long job search scheme.
RevenueThe federal government foots the bill for much of the welfare system in the US. It does this by issuing grants to each state.
Some city municipalities such as Buffalo and
Oklahoma City also rely heavily on federal
money to run their other services. Most local
government, however, raises money through
taxes. Such local taxes cover a wide range –
two of the most commonly levied are property
taxes and sales taxes.
The property tax applies to buildings and
land. Some areas of the US even use it
for personal items such as cars, boats and
investments. For buildings and land, the
tax is usually a percentage of the value. Tax
assessors decide on this value using three
criteria – the likely sale price of the home, the
cost of rebuilding in the event of damage, and
the prices for which similar local homes have
recently sold. Taxes on business property in
the US generally work to the same principle.
The sales tax is a percentage that local
government places on the sale of all or certain
goods within its boundaries. A standard sales tax in the US is 5–7%. Other local taxes that fund services are a
tax on petrol, tolls on bridges and roads, and
taxes that relate to a region’s raw materials. In
New England, for example, there is a tax on
newly-cut timber. Some states also impose an
income tax, and residents pay this in addition
to the federal income tax.
Political InfluenceDespite all these possibilities for taxation, and
the likely concerns of residents, US political
parties cannot take part in local government.
Every person who stands for an election must do so as an independent. The periods of election may be for two,
three or four years. Furthermore, there
are often limits to the number of times a
candidate may hold a post. Those who are
successful in the elections have various
titles. Depending on the region, they may be
members, aldermen or selectmen.
ManagementOther titles commonly encountered in US
local government are mayor, city manager,
sheriff and judge. In many areas, residents
vote directly for their preferred candidates
to fill these posts. Sometimes, the elected
members choose the mayor or city manager.
The mayoral system is popular, although the
power of a mayor isn’t always the same from
one place to the next. In some states, the law
allows the mayor to make significant decisions.
In others, mayors must seek advice and
support before any major change. The elected
members meet regularly. The meetings receive
local press coverage, including broadcasts on
cable TV stations.
Full time local government workers enact
members’ decisions and carry out day-to-day
management. The workers’ numbers and roles
differ according to the size of the district. A
large city may have a host of employees in
a major headquarters. Among the staff will
be admin officers, general managers, and
specialists such as lawyers and architects.
Home RuleAlthough US local government must work
within the law of the state, it ’s possible for
cities, towns and villages to have ‘home rule’.
In this circumstance, the state grants a charter
that has the same role as a constitution.
A city with a charter, for example, can decide
its own laws and management structure. The
only condition is that the city doesn’t promote
opposition to the state. New Jersey is such a
city – it has a home rule constitution and local
government independence.
The futureConcepts such as home rule have led some
people to wonder if US local government is
too diverse. In response, federal politicians
have proposed more unified frameworks. All
such proposals have failed. Residents have
resisted them. And in the last ten years or so,
most politicians have come to accept that the
US local government system is here to stay.
There is just one major idea that has
support. This is the formation of regional local government groups – their purpose is to take advantage of economies of scale for some services. Time will tell if this idea gains ground.
Meanwhile, there’s little doubt that the
revenue system of US local government is
hard to follow. There’s also a shortage of
money. But many Americans are satisfied with
their local government. It has an appealing
non-partisan style, and it encourages local
managers to meet community needs.
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Technology
more services and business move online. But
this issue isn’t just about fairness as Martha’s
work shows, promoting digital inclusion is
essential for a dynamic modern economy and
can help to make government more efficient
and effective.”
So what is digital inclusion and why is it important? The UK has 40 million internet
users, with 30 million people using the web
every day, and it has some of the world’s
cheapest broadband prices. Half of all leisure
travel is now booked online, and seven million
job adverts were placed online last year.
The UK has some of the most sophisticated
web users in the world in terms of our
willingness to communicate and transact online:
58% of UK adults buy goods and services •
online, the highest in Europe, and they spent
an estimated £4.4bn online in April 2010.
Over 38 million people have used
ebay.co.uk, and seven million of us have
sold something on the site
The UK is the largest online travel market in •
Europe, with 87% making travel plans over
the internet. We book more than half our
leisure travel online at an estimated annual
value of £17bn
There are over 25m active Facebook •
accounts in the UK — only the USA has more.
However, there are still ten million adults in
the UK who have never used the internet.
To put this in perspective, that number is
equivalent to the combined size of the entire
population of our five biggest cities.
What’s worse is that four million of
those are among the most disadvantaged:
39% are over 65•
38% are unemployed•
19% are families with children.•
It has been revealed that use of the web
decreases with age and increases with income.
While only 10% of 16 to 24 year olds are
offline, this rises to 50% of 65 to 74 year olds.
Other characteristics of non-users are:
47% of those living in households earning •
Racing to get everyone online
What’s your email address? Please visit our
web site at www..., join our Facebook group...
– being able to answer, visit or join means
that you are digitally included. Imagine if you
weren’t – how would you survive in today’s
technological and digital environment?
What if by getting everybody online and
digitally included in this country we would
not need to have any austerity cuts to the
welfare state?
The Labour government was very fond of
digital inclusion, with one of its last visions
being a connected digital economy. At the
heart of this economy was going to be a new
MyGov portal, whereby every citizen would in
effect have a personal website for the majority
of their interactions with the state.
However, it ’s all been very quiet on the
e-government front since the new coalition
government came to power. In fact, the
biggest news story is that Martha Lane Fox has
been reappointed as the UK digital champion.
One of her remits is to continue the
Race Online 2012 campaign, which she
founded, to encourage as many people as
possible to get online.
Ms Lane Fox will have a seat on the
Efficiency Board, which is co-chaired by
the Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude,
and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander. The board will oversee
the government’s efficiency and reform
programme. The very word efficiency seems
to infer that the board is looking for savings.
What is clear from this board’s remit and
the lack of activity around the use of the
internet for government interaction is
that there is little or no money for further
investment in schemes that would promote
digital inclusion. But can a government run the
country where ten million of its citizens are
digitally disadvantaged?
David Cameron has commented that,
“In the internet age, we need to ensure that
people aren’t being left behind as more and
Simon Bailey is on the starting block as the UK prepares to step up the challenge of online access for all
Simon Bailey IRRV (Hons) is a
Director of ISCAS: contact him on
[email protected] (www.iscas.co.uk)
“It challenges people and organisations to inspire, encourage and support as many people as possible to get online by the end of the Olympic year.”
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less than £11.5k do not use the internet.
compared to only 4% of those with an
annual income of over £30k
48% of disabled people are offline •
Urban areas of Scotland, South Wales and •
the north of England have the highest
concentrations of working-age people who
are offline
Rural and coastal areas have the highest •
concentrations of older residents who don’t
use the internet.
So why do we want people to be digitally included? Well, it ’s not only good for them,
but it ’s also good for the country. In a time
of austerity anything that contributes to the
national wealth must be a good thing.
A report by Price Waterhouse Coopers
in 2009 highlighted the benefits for digital
inclusion as:
Consumer benefitsHouseholds that are offline are missing out •
on savings of £560 per year from shopping
and paying bills online.
Education benefitsHome access to a computer and the •
internet can improve children’s educational
performance. If the 1.6 million children who
live in families which do not use the internet
got online at home, it could boost their total
lifetime earnings by over £10 billion.
Employment benefitsUnemployed people who get online •
could increase their chances of getting
employment, with an estimated lifetime
benefit of over £12,000 for every person
moved into employment
If 3½% of the digitally excluded found a •
job by getting online, it would deliver a net
economic benefit of £560 million
People with good ICT skills earn between •
3% and 10% more than people without
such skills. If the currently digitally excluded
employed people got online, each of them
would increase their earnings by an average
of over £8,300 in their lifetime.
Improved Government EfficiencyEach contact and transaction with government •
switched to online could generate savings of
between £3.30 and £12.00
If all digitally excluded adults got themselves •
online and made just one digital contact each
month instead of using another channel,
this would save an estimated £900 million
per annum.
Total Economic BenefitsThe total potential economic benefit from •
getting everyone in the UK online is in
excess of £22 billion. To put that amount in
perspective it would easily cover
the £15 billion worth of welfare
benefit cuts announced recently.
So if the government has no funds to boost internet usage, what is being done?
The answer is a technology manifesto issued
by Race Online 2012, launched by Martha
Lane Fox in July of this year. It challenges
people and organisations in every sector
and in every corner of our country to work
together to inspire, encourage and support
as many people as possible to get online by
the end of the Olympic year. It works on a
basis of cooperation from what it simply calls
‘partners’. Partners are organisations that have
pledged to help Race Online, and they range
from local authorities to small businesses –
there are over 600 at present.
It is the ambition of Race Online 2012,
that by the end of this Parliament:
everyone of working age should be online, •
and
no-one should retire without web skills.•
Interestingly the manifesto has some significant
recommendations for the government and
local authorities. These include some drastic
recommendations which appear to force the
use of the internet upon those who are most
likely to be digitally excluded:
Local authorities should encourage all parents •
of school-age children to get online. Local
authorities should signal that they expect all
school admissions and free school meals
applications to be submitted online by 2011
The DWP should introduce an expectation •
that people of working age should apply for
benefits online, and have the skills to look for
and apply for work online
Race Online 2012 partners should support •
work by DWP to ensure that no-one enters
retirement unable to use the internet
All government departments and agencies •
should follow DWP’s lead in identifying the
key information and services that they should
expect working-age adults to pursue online.
If the recommendations from the Race Online
manifesto are taken on board by government
and local authorities, we should start to see
a shift to almost forcing all people to transact
on line, but importantly only after they have
received the support and guidance necessary.
Are we moving towards a utopia where one
day we will see all benefit claims completed
electronically? Be aware that other countries
such as France and Finland have made the
right to internet access a basic human right
enshrined in law. Whilst this country is not
going down that route at the moment,
I believe it will be only a matter of time before
the lack of internet access will become a
violation of a person’s human rights here.
“can a government run the country where ten million of its citizens are digitally disadvantaged?”
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Doherty’s Despatch
The savings
The savings in the proposed new system are:
There is a strong possibility that more people •
will move into employment (assuming
employment is available) because the
system will be less risky for people who want
to try out work, and because the financial
incentives to try a few hours’ work will be
greater than they are under the current
system, as they do not immediately lose all
entitlement to benefit
The joined-up administrative system, in •
which real-time tax information will be used
to crosscheck benefit claims, is likely to
reduce fraud and error. How much of the
£5bn can actually be saved is unknown, but
most of the cost will remain.
The costsIn terms of the potential for increased
expenditure, there are two groups of people
who will benefit financially from the proposed
changes, and providing benefits to these
groups is the main reason why the reform
could prove to be expensive.
First, the reforms will provide more money
to people working a small number of hours
per week. Currently the system provides
little support to people until they reach the
16 hours-per-week mark. These ‘hours rules’
are likely to go in the new system, with more
money going to people undertaking short-
hours jobs.
Second, by lowering the withdrawal rate,
the system will bring more mid-income
families into the benefit system, and this
is unavoidable in a system that withdraws
benefits more slowly.
In addition, there are potentially large
hidden costs in this reform that depends upon
how claimants respond to the new system,
for example, simplification of the system is
aimed at reducing fraud and error, but it is
very likely that a simpler system will increase
take-up of benefits among those currently
deterred by the complexity of the current
Searching for net savings...
So there we have it after all the speculation
this summer – the new radical reform of the
welfare benefit system that will bring all the
separate benefits into a single payment or
credit. Iain Duncan Smith’s benefit reform
proposals have been given the green light by
a government that is determined to overhaul
the tax credit and benefit system to make it
simpler and ultimately cheaper – although in
the short term it will cost more.
The consultation paper and the plans are
still very much in outline, and are derived
from the paper issued by the Centre for Social
Justice – ‘Dynamic Benefits’, but we should
ask ourselves if the new system will save
money once it ’s up and running. Arguably
there are at least two reasons why the
proposed reforms will save money…but there are at least four reasons why it will cost more.
“Successive governments have not had a great track record in the development of national systems, and there have been some well publicised failures.”
If Universal Credit is to stand a chance of success, don’t underestimate the cost of integrating the benefit system, says Pat Doherty
Pat Doherty IRRV (Hons) CPFA is an
independent consultant and a Past
President of the IRRV. If you wish to
comment on anything in the article please
email him at [email protected]
system. If this happens, it will be expensive for
the government. Currently, take-up of available
money is around 80% across the benefit
system, with £16bn per year going
unclaimed. If take-up in a simplified system
were to rise to say, 85%, the exchequer would be on the hook for a further £4bn per year, effectively negating the proposed savings. There are currently millions of people
working around 16 hours per week who will
have an incentive to reduce their working
hours. This will raise costs to the government
in the form of higher benefit payments and
lower tax revenue. The government plans to
introduce conditionality on those working
low hours that will limit this effect, but the
administrative cost of an in-work conditionality
system will probably be high.
Overall, whilst simplification of the welfare
benefits system might be desirable for other
reasons, as has been advocated by the IRRV, I
find it difficult to see how the new system will
reduce costs over the longer run.
Administration of Universal Credit (UC)This is where it gets interesting for local
authorities, as the concept appears to be that
they will act as the ‘front office’, with DWP as the ‘back office.’ While there is no
doubt that this can work from a technological
point of view, one has to wonder how it will
work from a liaison aspect. Even now within
local authorities that operate front office/
back office setups, there are often issues
of communication – this is likely to be
exacerbated when two different organisations
are involved.
Turning to the software aspects of UC, it is
clear that the development of one software
system held centrally has the potential for real
savings once the initial development costs
have been met. If councils were also then
to have access to this system and data was
shared, this would have positive effects in
terms of systems such as the administration
sa
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Doherty’s Despatch
of free school meals, etc. That said, successive
governments have not had a great track record
in the development of national systems,
and there have been some well publicised
failures. When it comes to developing systems
the government would be well advised to
approach the suppliers of HB and CT software,
as they have a good track record for delivering
systems on time and to specification.
A single centralised system could also open
up opportunities for the reform of PAYE and
wider data sharing by HMRC. This would ease
the problems that a UC that included housing
costs would cause in terms of rent and local
tax collection. Separating council tax benefit
from the council tax account and incorporating
it in to the UC will impact on collection levels
and increase collection costs.
Lessons must be learned from where
we are now, with the highly complex and
cumbersome benefit system. Many of its
problems stem from the desire to design for
exceptions rather than deal with the majority
of cases within a core system, with the
exceptions being addressed outside this. A
further problem with a ‘super system’ is that
through lack of competition it could be difficult
to ensure software company co-operation on
cost, timescales for enhancements, etc. At
least with the present systems operated by
local authorities there is healthy competition
by the suppliers.
If HB and CTB as they currently stand
are removed, and incorporated in UC, the
existing contracts that local authorities have
with software suppliers and others will need
to be terminated. There will no doubt be
costs that will have to be met, and which the
government should meet, as failure to do
so will mean that they impact directly on
local taxpayers. It is interesting to look at
the proposals and ask yourself why HB was transferred to local government to administer in the first place – the principal
reason was to allow for more connection
between housing policies and housing
benefit in order to combat the housing and
homelessness problems in a LA’s area. Under
any new system it is important that home
security and stability is maintained, as it is a
foundation to moving into and maintaining
employment. HB currently plays a vital part in
supporting people into work.
One hopes that the government will give
local authorities a strong positive role in the
administration of UC, and not allow them to
just become some form of glorified ‘post box’.
The IRRV has long argued that local authorities
have a track record of efficient and effective
service delivery and that benefit practitioners
have the skills and expertise to be able to
meet the challenge of delivering a reformed
system. Local authorities are the key players in
providing the local gateway to benefits.
Over the past 25 years, local government
benefit practitioners have shown that they
can meet the challenges posed by central
government and have worked constructively
with partners in the DWP to ensure that the
focus of their work is to assist people with
their housing costs. They have continually
improved performance on speed and
accuracy, and they have the lowest levels of official error overpayments, the lowest level of fraud, and the highest level of overpayment recovery. They also carry out
more intervention work, ensuring that the right
benefit is continuously being paid, and also
secure more sanctions.
For many local authorities, HB and CTB are
key service areas, and play a big part in a local
authority’s corporate plan. Because of this
prominent focus, the delivery of a reformed
system would, if provided by a local authority,
have a keen local interest as well as a national
interest and the integrity of the system would
be enhanced rather than compromised.
“local government benefit practitioners have shown that they can meet the challenges posed by central government and have worked constructively with partners in the DWP ”
42
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Viewpoint
changes to pensions (the list goes on), is a
clear indication that many of the changes
proposed for activation from April 2011 are
profound. Their consequences will touch each
of us, and certainly have significant social and
financial consequences and a deep and lasting
effect for years to come. Such is the depth,
passion and ferocity of the public sector
funding debate and especially welfare benefit
reform that it has over the last two to three
months featured more in the media than the
fact that we are at war in Afghanistan!
The final element of the austerity jigsaw
fitted into place on the 20 October 2010 – one could say a historical date for local government, as the full impact of the
government’s intentions to reduce the budget
deficit will be revealed. So we have to brace
ourselves for brutal cuts to our service areas
followed by the need for radical change.
Despite having very little guidance on how to
achieve such savings, we need to be ready to
respond to an unprecedented scale of
challenge. There will be no room for tinkering
at the edges of our structures or working
practices, no half measures on reducing costs,
no room for creative accounting, no hiding
of budgets.
The maths has already been done. We know
there is no money, so reducing our overall
costs while continuing to provide key front-line
services is going to be a real challenge
– a challenge that will demand clear leadership
and managerial skills like never before. We will
need to focus on how revenue and benefit
services should react to the inevitable. In my
view this is very much a time for staff and
managers alike to come together to meet the
challenges head on.
With recent talks of amalgamating many
welfare benefits, it may be that we’re too late
to influence the final thinking in relation to
welfare reforms. It may be that the eventual
centralisation of the system is the way forward.
But change of such magnitude takes time,
and as anyone remotely connected to these
multifaceted activities is aware, such changes
are incredibly complex, often have unknown
and unpredictable outcomes, and most
certainly will have to be funded.
I am not an advocate of the centralisation
of our functions. In my view it demeans
local accountability and true democracy, and
would undermine the government theme of
decentralisation and moving more services
into local control, but I can see the attraction
to the uninitiated armchair accountant in terms
of the cost cutting agenda.
So, as revenue and benefit specialists and
practitioners, we have to continue to engage
in the debate whilst ensuring that we carry
on providing our key services to the public.
We also have to up our game, ensuring
that when the time comes (and it certainly
will) we’re in a strong position in terms of
cost effectiveness, performance levels and
customer satisfaction.
We need to convince the public that it ’s
local services provided by the local authority
for local people that will make the real
difference. It’s the local authority that best understands what the local issues and priorities are, such as housing, welfare,
employment and the environment. Centralised
services are remote, impersonal and take
no account of local issues, local priorities or
needs, and are invariably unaccountable and
driven purely by an ever increasing desire to
cut costs.
The debate is almost over and it ’s game
on. By the time you read this lets hope that
the direction of travel is about local services
accountable to local people and driven by a
desire to meet local needs!
It’s time to support the local teamWe’ve had further snippets of information,
leaks and formal announcements of what
we can expect in terms of the coalition
government’s austerity measures over the next
few years and it ’s not looking good for services
such as revenue and benefits – in fact its
looking decidedly depressing.
You would have to have been in the Big
Brother house or be a City banker not to have
noticed how welfare benefits reform is high on the coalition’s agenda in relation to savings, and the message is that despite
significant improvement over the years in the
way in which we at a local level do our job, it is
clear that we can no longer consider our services
as the sacred cow within local government.
Fortuitously the so called ‘credit crunch’ has
indirectly presented the coalition government
with the opportunity (Labour would have done
the same!) to pursue policies and change that
only a few years ago would have proved to
be totally unacceptable to the populace, and
suicidal for any political party.
It ’s no longer about bankers’ greed, fat
bonuses or the catastrophic mismanagement
of the economy. Suddenly the blame culture
has turned, and it ’s the public sector’s fault,
because we’re too expensive in managing and
administering systems – and those within our
society on benefits are getting far too much
from the welfare budget and those collecting
local taxes aren’t collecting enough.
The austerity measures already taken such
as the abandonment of ID cards, the abolition
of the Audit Commission, the proposed cuts
to the welfare budget as well as the proposed
Viewpoint newcomer John Frost hits the ground running as the unfolding reform agenda looms ever closer
John Frost is Head of Revenue and Benefit
Services with Cambridge City Council
“ We need to convince the public that it’s local services provided by the local authority for local people that will make the real difference.”
The office can be a dangerous place.
Professional jealousies, fears of redundancy, rivalries in love and
dodgy expense claims make for a potentially lethal mix in Insight’s
new monthly serial.
Scene: Revenues and Benefit Department at Midsomer District Council. A sleepy afternoon; half a dozen staff are at their desks. Emma Barnaby, Benefit Fraud Team Leader, age 37, enters carrying a heavy briefcase. She heads for her office door when junior revenues officer, Danny Marlow, age 26, reminds her:
DANNY Rungeley’s in there.
EMMA Who?
DANNY Mr Rungeley. The auditor doing his special review of the department. He’s using your office.
EMMA Is he?
Georgia Hemming, Head of Revenues andBenefits, enters; age 45, plump, smartlydressed, harassed-looking.
EMMA Georgia, why is this inspector using my office?
GEORGIA I’m not having him near me. I can’t stand the way he looks at me when he says he going to “trim the fat” in this department. And everyone
knows I’ve done so well at Slimming Life recently...
EMMA I know...
GEORGIA Anyway you’re supposed to be out in the field, Emma.
EMMA I’m back from the field and I need my computer.
She knocks briefly on her closed office door and marches in. She gives a loud cry and rushes out again.
EMMA Quick! We need help!
DANNY What?
EMMA The auditor. He’s collapsed – it’s like he can’t breathe. Does anyone know how to do mouth to mouth??
Staff variously examine their nails, look out of the window and answerimportant emails.
EMMA Who’s the first aider?
DANNY Gina. She’s off sick.
Georgia goes into the office.
GEORGIA Call 999 Danny! His lips are turning blue!
Emma and Georgia examine Rungeley. He is slumped over the desk, one hand clutching a glass of water. Emma picks up the glass to move it away, then peers at it.
EMMA Ugh. The water looks greasy. (She sniffs it). Sort of chemical smell too.
She feels Rungeley’s pulse, and as shedoes so, moves the computer mouse. The hibernating computer flickers back intolife. On the white screen are the words:
A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDACINE...
Emma goes to the door and speaks calmly.
EMMA Danny, when you’ve phoned for the ambulance, I think you’d also better call the police...
Kate Miller is a freelance writer and former editor
of IRRV Magazines
EPISODE 1 – An Inspector Falls
Kate Miller’s coluMn
Opportunities is read by front-line staff, middle & senior management as well as Heads of Service. In particular we have 100% coverage of Revenues, Benefits & Investigations departments in UK Local Authorities.
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For more information regarding studying for an IRRV qualification by Distance Learning call:For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV For more information regarding studying for an IRRV
Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, self-motivated, can manage time effectively and are dedicated to achieving your goals.your goals.
you can share your learning experience with your fellow students via our you can share your learning experience with your fellow students via our discussion forum.discussion forum.
Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused,
you have constant access to the wide-range of learning resources;you receive full support from our distance learning team and tutors;
you can share your learning experience with your fellow students via our discussion forum.
Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, self-motivated, can manage time effectively and are dedicated to achieving your goals.your goals.
What qualifications are available?IRRV Certificate IRRV Professional DiplomaIRRV Honours (available from November 2010)
For more information regarding studying for an IRRV
Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, self-motivated, can manage time effectively and are dedicated to achieving your goals.
What qualifications are available?> IRRV Certificate> IRRV Professional Diploma
IRRV Honours (available from November 2010)
you receive full support from our distance learning team and tutors;you receive full support from our distance learning team and tutors;
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Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, Studying via Distance Learning also shows employers that you are focused, self-motivated, can manage time effectively and are dedicated to achieving your goals.
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Why use Distance Learning?> you do not attend lessons but study on your own, at home or wherever
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Studying via Distance Learning also showsemployers that you are focused, self-motivated,can manage time effectively and are dedicated to achieving your goals.
What qualifications are available?
> IRRV Certificate
> IRRV Professional Diploma
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“TO WORK IN REVENUES AND BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION OR RATINGVALUATION YOU NEED MANAGERIAL,PROFESSIONAL AND IT SKILLS ASWELL AS DRIVE, DETERMINATION ANDTHE ABILITY TO THINK HARD ANDSTRAIGHT. THE IRRV PROVIDESQUALIFICATIONS TO GET YOU THERE.
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“
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