Yorkshire and District

After graduating with a degree in Humanities in 1995, Vic has spent his entire career to date in Local Government Finance, predominantly working in Revenues and Benefits.  

Starting at Watford Council in 1996, he moved to Harrogate a year later to become a Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating Assistant and began studying for his IRRV qualifications.

In 2000 he changed fields and moved to Benefits and has since held several posts, including his present role of Subsidy & Returns Officer, a position he has held since 2018.

Between August 2016 and March 2017 he took a secondment with the Department for Work and Pensions, helping to develop the Housing Benefit Assurance Process that replaces HB Count from April 2019.

Vic has been a member of the Yorkshire & District Association Executive Committee for the past 11 years, including two as Treasurer and two as President.   During this time he has helped to co-ordinate and deliver seminars and continues to contribute actively to its programme of events and activities.  He have also spoken at IRRV national conferences in Telford, Leeds and Crieff.

Robert is an Executive Consultant for Rating and Compulsory Purchase Services at chartered surveyors, Sanderson Weatherall LLP, and is a fellow of RICS and a fellow of the IRRV.   

Robert is a past president of the Yorkshire and District IRRV Association and first joined the Rating and Valuation Association in 1989, (later changed to IRRV).  He is also a committee member and a past president of The Rating Surveyors’ Association and a member of the Compulsory Purchase Association.

His early career was with the Valuation Office Agency based in York, London, Harrogate and Leeds.  In 1989 he joined Weatherall Hollis and Gale in Leeds to establish a Rating department for the 1990 Revaluation.  He specialises in all types of Rating valuation, compulsory purchase and compensation and has been an expert witness at Tribunal as well as an independent expert on unusual Rating cases.

He has lectured in Rating to clients and students and has contributed articles to “The Valuer” on Business Rates.  He have spoken at both the IRRV Collection and Enforcement Conference and the IRRV National Conference, having attended many IRRV conferences and four joint IRRV/IPTI international conferences.

As a past member of IRRV Council he served on the Law and Research and Professional Conduct committees as well as the Valuation Faculty Board.  He has contributed to the Rating and Valuation work of the Institute for many years in local property taxation issues.

More recently he represented the RSA on the JPIVRF re-examining and reviewing of the Contractors’ Test method of Valuation for the 2017 Rating Revaluation.

I have worked within Revenues and Benefits for over 20 years now, starting as a Recovery Clerk on a 3 month contract back in 1991. Since then I have held 9 other posts in several different councils; not quite a jack of all trades but certainly a master of none! I have been working in Yorkshire for around 9 years, and have been an active member of the Yorkshire Exec for the last 8 years.

My main interest is in education – I tutor in Council Tax law and I am also an external verifier for the NVQs.

Revenues, Benefits & Customer Services Manager

Craven District Council

Tel: 01756 706482

E-mail: ddavies@cravendc.gov.uk