Severnside and South West

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the IRRV Severnside & South West Association is to be held on 04 August 2023 at 10:00 am via Microsoft Teams.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies

2. Minutes and matters arising from previous AGM

3. Secretary’s report and forthcoming programme

4. Treasurer’s report

5. Education Update

6. Annual Conference

7. Election of Officers

8. AOB

For those members wishing to attend the AGM please can you confirm via email to secretary.sswassociations@irrv.org.uk.  An invite will be issued via Microsoft Teams nearer the time.

Any nominations for officers should be received by 01 August 2023; details of the current Executive are contained on our website here: http://www.irrvassociations.org.uk/index.php?Aid=9.

The speaker was Julie Holden , Head of Revenues and Benefits and Tandridge District Council and junior vice president of the IRRV. Julie has lectured on benefit courses and is an institute examiner and speaker at forums and conferences and was chair of the benefits faculty board between 2003 and 2006.

We are delighted to announce that Paul Stevens, Director of Rating for the West Country at Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) and Mike Buckley, Relationship Manager, Rates Retention Team, Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have agreed to present to the membership on Valuation matters and more specifically the 2017 revaluation and, hopefully, some details on check, challenge and appeal.  Paul and Mike will look to provide an up to date view on these important topics from their different perspectives.

Paul operates out of the LSH offices in Exeter and Bristol, and sits on the LSH National Rating Executive. He has been dealing with non-domestic rating appeals since the start of the 1990 Rating List so has witnessed significant changes to the way in which both the VOA and the non-domestic rating system work; with Check, Challenge Appeal one of the most significant yet.  Paul acts for a wide range of clients including local authorities and utilities providers, large national institutions such as Nationwide Building Society and Zurich Insurance as well as smaller local firms.

Mike is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and has been employed by the VOA for over 30 years. He has substantial experience in rating appeal casework and revaluation as well as in providing internal guidance for valuation on income and expenditure type properties such as public houses and self-catering holiday accommodation.

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce current thinking, explore recovery through the use of enforcement agents and to network generally.  There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon. 

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being sponsored by Bristow & Sutor.

If you have been forwarded this email and wish to join our circulation list you can do so here.

We are now using Eventbrite to manage events, so to secure your place please click here 

Agenda

1:00 pm                    Refreshments
1:30 pm                    Introduction
1:35 pm                    Mike Buckley, Valuation Office Agency
2:15 pm                    Paul Stevens, Lambert Smith Hampton
3:00 pm                    Q&A
3:30 pm                    Refreshments and Close

There is limited parking on site but the venue is immediately opposite Exeter Central Railway Station.

Flyer for the meeting  can be found here

 This meeting has been cancelled

We therefore can look forward to an excellent talk on a subject, which is extremely topical and could be very relevant to many practitioners in Severnside now or in the future. Please come and support the Association and also get an insight in to different management theories  . Please contact Martin Smith on 0117 9222600 to confirm whether you will be attending alone or with guest(s). A location map of the Council’s offices is available if required.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the IRRV Severnside & South West Association is to be held on 01 July 2022 at 3:00 pm via Microsoft Teams.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies

2. Minutes and matters arising from previous AGM

3. Secretary’s report and forthcoming programme

4. Treasurer’s report

5. Education Update

6. Annual Conference

7. Election of Officers

8. AOB

Any enquiries to Kevin Smith  

We are delighted to announce that Layla Stephen, Client Development Manager, Adrian Lardner, Head of Sales & Marketing and Jonathan Branchett, Enforcement Agent Manager, Bristow & Sutor will be our guest speakers at this seminar. 

Layla is very well known in the industry and had over 17 years’ experience working in Revenues and Benefits, at senior management level, for both Local Government and the private sector, before joining the Enforcement industry in 2010. She is a fully qualified Project Manager and Fellow Member of the IRRV. Furthermore she is an NVQ Assessor for the Revenues and Benefits qualification and a former President of the IRRV Wessex Association, of which she is currently an executive member. Layla is a regular contributor to industry journals and speaker at conferences and forums. Layla was awarded the IRRV Certificate of Service in recognition of the outstanding service over many years to the institute and the professions it represents. Jonathan joined Bristow & Sutor in 2003 as an enforcement agent and brought with him considerable expertise in training including his D32 Assessor Qualification. Jonathan’s straightforward approach and training skills quickly established him as one of the companies leading trainers. He was promoted to Assistant Bailiff Manager and the position of Enforcement Agent Manager in September 2013 where is responsible for the day-today training and management of the Enforcement Agents. Adrian leads the Sales & Marketing team, developing new business and ensuring performance levels are met for existing clients. 

Adrian has over 25 year’s local government managerial experience including 3 years as a Corporate Debt Recovery Manager, and has expertise in leading teams through change management, project implementation and performance management. He has worked in the Enforcement Industry since leaving the public sector in 2009. Adrian’s qualifications include ILM Level 5 in Management and Prince II project management. 

Jonathan joined Bristow & Sutor in 2003 as an enforcement agent and brought with him considerable expertise in training including his D32 Assessor Qualification. Jonathan’s straightforward approach and training skills quickly established him as one of the companies leading trainers. He was promoted to Assistant Bailiff Manager and the position of Enforcement Agent Manager in September 2013 where is responsible for the day-to-day training and management of the Enforcement Agents. 

Adrian and Jonathan are well respected in their field and we are pleased that they are able to provide us with an update on the enforcement industry some two years after the biggest changes seen for many years. Bristow & Sutor are at the forefront of collection activity and take a very proactive approach when looking for improvements which Adrian and Jonathan will explore in more detail. This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce current thinking, explore recovery through the use of enforcement agents and to network generally. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon. 

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being sponsored by Bristow & Sutor.

Agenda 

1:00 pm Refreshments 

1:30 pm Introduction 

1:35 pm Layla Stephen, Adrian Lardner and Jonathan Branchett, Bristow & Sutor 

3:00 pm Q&A

3:30 pm Refreshments and Close 

There is parking on site and the venue is a short taxi ride from the nearest train station, Bristol Parkway. 

Spaces are strictly limited so to confirm your attendance and reserve a place please contact Trish Speirs, Assistant Secretary, via email at patricia.speirs@bristol.gov.uk.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Severnside & South West Association is to be held on Friday 20th July 2018 at 4:00 pm at the offices of Bristol City Council, 100 Temple Street, Bristol, BS1 6AG.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies

2. Minutes and matters arising from previous AGM

3. Association Rules (new proposed rules available here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1u3oqRBa1PtKEO7y0bW5gRakngMQG3_UW

4. Secretary’s report & forthcoming programme

5. Treasurer’s report

6. Education Update

7. Annual Conference

8. Election of Officers

9 AOB

Any nominations for officers should be with the Secretary no later than Friday 6th July 2018.

Those members attending the AGM should report to reception upon arrival at the rear entrance to 100 Temple Street which is located on Canynge Street.

Kevin Smith

Honorary Secretary

Any enquiries to Kevin Smith  

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We are delighted to announce that Alan Sullivan, Managing Consultant, Department for Work and Pensions and Jude Bevan, Revenues & Benefit Service Manager, South Gloucestershire Council, will be our guest speakers at this event.

Alan is a wellrespected speaker in his field and has presented progress on Welfare Reform to the Association on previous occasions. The main areas to be covered by Alan include the following: 

• Universal Credit update
• Benefit Cap update
• FERIS
• New Fraud and Error indicator
• HBR work (Performance Measurement Team work)
• SFIS  Future challenges for La's

Jude is Revenues and Benefits Manager at South Gloucestershire Council and a full corporate member of the IRRV. Jude has vast experience and will give an overview of South Gloucestershire Council’s CTR scheme operates and how this differs from the majority of schemes around the country.

Jude will also look to the future and how future welfare reform will affect future schemes.

This is an excellent and timely opportunity for us all to be updated on key issues that will be highlighted by our speakers.

This event will prove particularly useful for colleagues actively involved in preparations for the introduction of Universal Credit and potential changes to Council Tax Reduction schemes. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon. This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend.

The agenda for this meeting is below:

1:00 pm Refreshments

1:30 pm Introduction

1:35 pm Jude Bevan, Revenues & Benefit Service Manager, South Gloucestershire Council

2:05 pm Q&A

2:20 pm Alan Sullivan, Managing Consultant, DWP

3:00 pm Q&A

3:30 pm Refreshments and close

There is ample parking on site and the venue is a short taxi ride from the nearest train station, Bristol Parkway.                                   

We very much look forward to seeing you on the 20th October but as spaces are limited please contact Trish Speirs at patrica.speirs@bristol.gov.uk by return to reserve your place

Severnside are pleased to announce 

Dealing with Vulnerability & Insolvency  on 13th November 

Select the link for more details 

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a number of speakers to present a very varied and informative day of discussion and training on all things enforcement for our upcoming ‘Enforcement Forum’. Rob Foster, Enforcement Area Manager at Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office (also TV celebrity who stars in the TV series ‘The Sheriffs Are Coming’!) will talk about ‘a day in the life of an enforcement agent’. Russell Corre, Key Account Manager at The Sheriffs Office will then deliver a presentation on the use of High Court enforcement as an effective way of collecting unpaid sundry debt.

Daniel Pearce, Sales & Marketing Director at Telsolutions, will give a presentation on how to deal with historic low value debt.

Finally, we are fortunate to have David Grimes, Head of Training & Development at Excel Civil Enforcement, deliver an accredited session on why vulnerability and mental health awareness is vital when undertaking debt recovery.  This will be an interactive workshop and all participants will receive a certificate from the awarding body, Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

Rob brings over 10 years of Civil and High Court Enforcement experience, 5 years of which have been spent as an area manager. Rob has worked for both Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office and continues to manage enforcement teams in each company. He is responsible for training, mentoring and guiding enforcement agents all over the UK, ensuring all enforcement agents act in accordance with the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014. Before joining the enforcement Industry, Rob spent seven years in the army and was stationed in Northern Ireland during Holy Cross school riots and subsequent Orange Day parades.

Russell has over 8 years’ experience, working within the High Court Enforcement Industry as a Key Account Manager. Working on a national scale, Russell manages High Court Enforcement Contracts for several Local Authorities, ranging from small district/ borough councils to large metropolitan councils and London Borough Councils. In addition to his Taking Control of Goods Level 2 qualification, Russell has a degree level ‘Certificate of Banking’ which he gained during his 21 years working in the Banking Industry.

Daniel has 25 years’ experience in delivering customer communications that simplify and automate business process. With a background in innovative communications strategy and techniques to analyse and introduce services that reduce costs and improve productivity. Telsolutions provides advanced services reducing the cost of customer contact; they also help customers self-serve in turn freeing up staff to engage in more productive tasks.

David was winner of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) Learning & Development Award 2018.  He has over 25 Years of certificated Enforcement Agent experience, having shown a natural ability to lead and develop high performing teams, David was asked to take on his current role prior to the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014 coming into force. Not only does David deliver an exceptional range of regulated enforcement related qualifications and quality marked workshops, which count towards Continuous Performance Development hours (CPD hours), he is also the course designer and author of all learning material. In addition, David is a qualified City & Guilds Trainer and Qualified Teacher (Further and Adult Education).

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce current thinking, explore recovery through the use of enforcement agents and to network generally. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the day, at lunch or after the forum.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend.

Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office have kindly sponsored the event, including lunch for all attendees, which will be served in the conference dining café, as well as networking drinks in the hotel bar after the forum closes.

For travel and parking details please follow this link: www.aztechotelbristol.co.uk/ 

Agenda

9:45am - Arrival and coffee 

10:15am - IRRV Severnside & South West Association President - Welcome and Introductions - Martin Smith

10:30am - Sponsors Introduction - ‘Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office’ - Laura-Anne Smith 10:45am - The Sheriffs Office - ‘A Day in the Life of an Enforcement Agent’ - Rob Foster

11:30am - Refreshment Break 

11:45am - The Sheriffs Office - ‘The use of High Court enforcement within Local Authorities’ -Russell Corre

12:30pm - Lunch – both, hot and cold buffet options available - Sponsored by Excel Civil Enforcement & The Sheriffs Office

1:30pm - Telsolutions - ‘Proven low cost solutions for small historic debts’ - Daniel Pearce

2:15pm - Refreshment Break 

2:30pm - Excel Civil Enforcement - ‘Vulnerability   Mental Health & Awareness Quality Marked Workshop’ - David Grimes

4:30pm - Forum close & networking drinks in hotel bar

Click here to attend the event 

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a number of speakers to present a very varied and informative day of discussion and training on all things enforcement for our upcoming ‘Enforcement Forum’.

Rob Foster, Enforcement Area Manager at Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office (also TV celebrity who stars in the TV series ‘The Sheriffs Are Coming’!) will talk about ‘a day in the life of an enforcement agent’.

Russell Corre, Key Account Manager at The Sheriffs Office will then deliver a presentation on the use of High Court enforcement as an effective way of collecting unpaid sundry debt.

Daniel Pearce, Sales & Marketing Director at Telsolutions, will give a presentation on how to deal with historic low value debt.

Finally, we are fortunate to have David Grimes, Head of Training & Development at Excel Civil Enforcement, deliver an accredited session on why vulnerability and mental health awareness is vital when undertaking debt recovery.  This will be an interactive workshop and all participants will receive a certificate from the awarding body, Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

Rob brings over 10 years of Civil and High Court Enforcement experience, 5 years of which have been spent as an area manager. Rob has worked for both Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office and continues to manage enforcement teams in each company. He is responsible for training, mentoring and guiding enforcement agents all over the UK, ensuring all enforcement agents act in accordance with the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014. Before joining the enforcement Industry, Rob spent seven years in the army and was stationed in Northern Ireland during Holy Cross school riots and subsequent Orange Day parades.

Russell has over 8 years’ experience, working within the High Court Enforcement Industry as a Key Account Manager. Working on a national scale, Russell manages High Court Enforcement Contracts for several Local Authorities, ranging from small district/ borough councils to large metropolitan councils and London Borough Councils. In addition to his Taking Control of Goods Level 2 qualification, Russell has a degree level ‘Certificate of Banking’ which he gained during his 21 years working in the Banking Industry.

Daniel has 25 years’ experience in delivering customer communications that simplify and automate business process. With a background in innovative communications strategy and techniques to analyse and introduce services that reduce costs and improve productivity. Telsolutions provides advanced services reducing the cost of customer contact; they also help customers self-serve in turn freeing up staff to engage in more productive tasks.

David was winner of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM) Learning & Development Award 2018. He has over 25 Years of certificated Enforcement Agent experience, having shown a natural ability to lead and develop high performing teams, David was asked to take on his current role prior to the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014 coming into force. Not only does David deliver an exceptional range of regulated enforcement related qualifications and quality marked workshops, which count towards Continuous Performance Development hours (CPD hours), he is also the course designer and author of all learning material. In addition, David is a qualified City & Guilds Trainer and Qualified Teacher (Further and Adult Education).

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce current thinking, explore recovery through the use of enforcement agents and to network generally. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the day, at lunch or after the forum.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend.

Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office have kindly sponsored the event, including lunch for all attendees, which will be served in the conference dining café, as well as networking drinks in the hotel bar after the forum closes.

For travel and parking details please follow this link: https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6624-mercure-exeter-southgate-hotel/index.shtml 

Agenda 

9:45am - Arrival and coffee 

10:15am - IRRV Severnside & South West Association President - Welcome and Introductions - Martin Smith

10:30am - Sponsors Introduction - ‘Excel Civil Enforcement and The Sheriffs Office’ - Laura-Anne Smith

10:45am - The Sheriffs Office - ‘A Day in the Life of an Enforcement Agent’ - Rob Foster

11:30am - Refreshment Break 

11:45am - The Sheriffs Office - ‘The use of High Court enforcement within Local Authorities’ -Russell Corre

12:30pm - Lunch – both, hot and cold buffet options available - Sponsored by Excel Civil Enforcement & The Sheriffs Office  

1:30pm - Telsolutions - ‘Proven low cost solutions for small historic debts’ - Daniel Pearce  

2:15pm - Refreshment Break  

2:30pm - Excel Civil Enforcement - ‘Vulnerability Mental Health & Awareness Quality Marked Workshop’ - David Grimes  

4:30pm - Forum close & networking drinks in hotel bar

Click here to register your attendance at the event 

We are delighted to announce that Ian Savigar, Divisional Director Customer Services, Bath & North East Somerset Council and Alan Sullivan, Managing Consultant, Housing Delivery and Operations, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will be our guest speakers at this event.

Ian is heavily involved with Welfare Reforms at both local and National level. Having hosted many visits to our new and innovative One Stop Shop from high ranking Civil Servants and MP's Ian was successful in securing LA lead Pilot Status for Universal Credit (UC) and then a Pathfinder Site from February 2014. We are delighted that Ian is able to share with us his experiences of implementing UC and the role that his authority played in pilot stages. Our other speaker is Alan Sullivan, a well-respected speaker in his field, who has provided progress updates on UC and wider Welfare Reforms to the Association on previous occasions.

The main areas to be covered by Alan include the following:

• Universal Credit update

• Benefit Cap update

• FERIS

• New Fraud and Error indicator

• HBR work (Performance Measurement Team work)

• SFIS

• Future challenges for LA’s

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to gain awareness into these topical subjects and to network generally.

There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being sponsored by Ross and Roberts Ltd.

Agenda

1:00 pm Refreshments

1:30 pm Introduction

1:35 pm Ian Savigar, Divisional Director Customer Services, Bath & North East Somerset Council

2:15 pm Q&A

2:30 pm Refreshments

2:45 pm Alan Sullivan, Managing Consultant, Housing Delivery and Operations, Department for Work and Pensions

3:30 pm Q&A

3:45 pm Refreshments and Close

There is limited parking on site but the venue is immediately opposite Exeter Central Railway Station. Spaces are strictly limited so to confirm your attendance and reserve a place please contact Trish Speirs, Assistant Secretary, via email at patricia.speirs@bristol.gov.uk.

The IRRV Severnside & South West Association are delighted to announce a number of speakers presenting an informative day of discussion and training on various Insolvency and Recovery topics for our upcoming maximising income.

Tim Ball (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Corporate Insolvency Specialist of Mazars will discuss Corporate Insolvency and utilising Insolvency Industry expertise to engage with and pursue delinquent directors and NDR defaulters.    

Matthew Carter (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Personal Insolvency Specialist of Mazars will talk about the work of a Bankruptcy Trustee and how to get the most from your Insolvency Practitioner relationship.

Jason Norwood (Mazars) - Local Authority Client Service Manager at Mazars will talk about personal insolvency and the involvement of Local Authorities

Steven Petrie (Ward Hadaway) - Partner at Local Authority Specialist Law Firm Ward Hadaway will highlight the potential for increased recoveries using legal processes and provide and insolvency proceedings and present a case law and legal update.

Jason Norwood has worked in Insolvency for 14 years and has been working specifically with Local Authority clients for a large proportion of that time. In his time as a bankruptcy case administrator, Jason handled hundreds of bankruptcies, recovering substantial sums for the creditors involved. Jason currently supports Mazars numerous Local Authority clients providing many free services, including training and due diligence reporting ahead of recovery proceedings.  

Matthew Carter is a Licenced Insolvency Practitioner (Qualified 2013) and Certified Chartered Accountant (Qualified 2010). Matthew is a Director and appointment taker within Mazars National Bankruptcy Centre and is presently appointed on a portfolio of over 200 bankruptcy cases.

Steven Petrie is Corporate Recovery and Insolvency Partner at Local Authority Specialist Law Firm Ward Hadaway. He has over 23 years of legal experience and has extensive expertise in both contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters, with a particular focus on contentious matters. Steven regularly advises Ward Hadaway’s many Local Authority clients in respect of tackling arrears and maximising revenue.

Tim Ball is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. He has been involved in turnaround and insolvency work for nearly 33 years and is presently the Partner responsible for leading the Mazars’ Restructuring Services group in the South West and South Wales, heading up the teams in Bristol, Cardiff, and Poole offices.

This presentation and training day is a great opportunity to explore and increase understanding of how Insolvency professionals can assist in increasing Local Authority revenues. The sessions will be informal and questions and interaction will be readily invited to ensure you benefit fully from the industry expertise available.

You are also invited to join the presenters and local authority colleagues for drinks on site after the event.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend.

Mazars Insolvency Practitioners and Ward Hadaway Law Firm have kindly sponsored the event, including lunch for all attendees, which will be served in the hotel, as well as networking drinks in the hotel bar after the forum closes.

For travel and parking details please follow this link: www.aztechotelbristol.co.uk/

If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive notifications of future meetings or events please complete the form here: https://tinyurl.com/y7txcba6

Agenda
 

9:45am - Arrival and coffee

10:15am - IRRV Severnside & South West Association President - Welcome and Introductions - Martin Smith

10:30am - Sponsors Introduction - ‘Mazars Insolvency Practitioners and Ward Hadaway Law Firm’ – Jason Norwood and Steven Petrie

10:45am - Personal Insolvency - ‘Personal Insolvency and Local Authority Involvement’ – Jason Norwood

11:30am - Refreshment Break

11:45am – Personal Insolvency - ‘Bankruptcy Trustees – what they do and how to get the best from them’ – Matthew Carter

12:45am - Lunch Break - both, hot and cold buffet options available - Sponsored by Mazars and Ward Hadaway  

1:45pm – Ward Hadaway - ‘Legal updates and how to increase revenues through the use of insolvency proceedings’ – Steven Petrie

2.45pm - Refreshment Break

3.00pm – Corporate Insolvency - ‘Corporate Insolvency and strategies for engaging with delinquent directors and NDR defaulters’ – Tim Ball  

4:00pm – Corporate Insolvency -  ‘Identifying distressed companies and protecting your revenue base’ – Jason Norwood   

4:30pm - Forum close & networking drinks in hotel bar

The IRRV Severnside & South West Association are delighted to announce a number of speakers presenting an informative day of discussion and training on various Insolvency and Recovery topics for our upcoming maximising income.

Tim Ball (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Corporate Insolvency Specialist of Mazars will discuss Corporate Insolvency and utilising Insolvency Industry expertise to engage with and pursue delinquent directors and NDR defaulters.    

Matthew Carter (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Personal Insolvency Specialist of Mazars will talk about the work of a Bankruptcy Trustee and how to get the most from your Insolvency Practitioner relationship.

Jason Norwood (Mazars) - Local Authority Client Service Manager at Mazars will talk about personal insolvency and the involvement of Local Authorities

Steven Petrie (Ward Hadaway) - Partner at Local Authority Specialist Law Firm Ward Hadaway will highlight the potential for increased recoveries using legal processes and provide and insolvency proceedings and present a case law and legal update.

Jason Norwood has worked in Insolvency for 14 years and has been working specifically with Local Authority clients for a large proportion of that time. In his time as a bankruptcy case administrator, Jason handled hundreds of bankruptcies, recovering substantial sums for the creditors involved. Jason currently supports Mazars numerous Local Authority clients providing many free services, including training and due diligence reporting ahead of recovery proceedings.  

Matthew Carter is a Licenced Insolvency Practitioner (Qualified 2013) and Certified Chartered Accountant (Qualified 2010). Matthew is a Director and appointment taker within Mazars National Bankruptcy Centre and is presently appointed on a portfolio of over 200 bankruptcy cases.

Steven Petrie is Corporate Recovery and Insolvency Partner at Local Authority Specialist Law Firm Ward Hadaway. He has over 23 years of legal experience and has extensive expertise in both contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters, with a particular focus on contentious matters. Steven regularly advises Ward Hadaway’s many Local Authority clients in respect of tackling arrears and maximising revenue.

Tim Ball is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. He has been involved in turnaround and insolvency work for nearly 33 years and is presently the Partner responsible for leading the Mazars’ Restructuring Services group in the South West and South Wales, heading up the teams in Bristol, Cardiff, and Poole offices.

This presentation and training day is a great opportunity to explore and increase understanding of how Insolvency professionals can assist in increasing Local Authority revenues. The sessions will be informal and questions and interaction will be readily invited to ensure you benefit fully from the industry expertise available.

You are also invited to join the presenters and local authority colleagues for drinks on site after the event.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend.

Mazars Insolvency Practitioners and Ward Hadaway Law Firm have kindly sponsored the event, including lunch for all attendees, which will be served in the hotel, as well as networking drinks in the hotel bar after the forum closes.

For travel and parking details please follow this link: www.aztechotelbristol.co.uk/

If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive notifications of future meetings or events please complete the form here: https://tinyurl.com/y7txcba6

Agenda
 

9:45am - Arrival and coffee

10:15am - IRRV Severnside & South West Association President - Welcome and Introductions - Martin Smith

10:30am - Sponsors Introduction - ‘Mazars Insolvency Practitioners and Ward Hadaway Law Firm’ – Jason Norwood and Steven Petrie

10:45am - Personal Insolvency - ‘Personal Insolvency and Local Authority Involvement’ – Jason Norwood

11:30am - Refreshment Break

11:45am – Personal Insolvency - ‘Bankruptcy Trustees – what they do and how to get the best from them’ – Matthew Carter

12:45am - Lunch Break - both, hot and cold buffet options available - Sponsored by Mazars and Ward Hadaway  

1:45pm – Ward Hadaway - ‘Legal updates and how to increase revenues through the use of insolvency proceedings’ – Steven Petrie

2.45pm - Refreshment Break

3.00pm – Corporate Insolvency - ‘Corporate Insolvency and strategies for engaging with delinquent directors and NDR defaulters’ – Tim Ball  

4:00pm – Corporate Insolvency -  ‘Identifying distressed companies and protecting your revenue base’ – Jason Norwood   

4:30pm - Forum close & networking drinks in hotel bar

We are pleased to announce that the IRRV Severnside Association will be hosting a "Night at the Races" at Chepstow Racecourse on Friday 15th June 2012. The event is a "Pimms & Jazz" evening and is being kindly sponsored by Rundles debt recovery and bailiff services.

Further details are available on the flyer in the link below. The event will be a good opportunity for you to mix with colleagues from other Authorities and the private sector as well as enjoying the opportunity to beat the Tote! Please note that this event is open to members (and guests) only. Spaces are very limited so if you would like to attend please contact one of the secretaries, whose contact details are below . Numbers need to be confirmed as soon as possible so please respond by Friday 18th May

Chairman:
Martin Smith Tech IRRV Email: martin.smith@bristol.gov.uk Telephone: 0117 97 55744

Secretaries:
Kevin Smith Tech IRRV Email: kevin.smith@bristol.gov.uk Telephone: 0117 35 25876
Sian Peters MA IRRV (Hons) Email: focusideals@virgin.net Telephone: 0797 367 2678

The IRRV Severnside & South West Association are pleased to be able to provide the slides presentations from the Maximising Income – An Insolvency Perspective Day​ held on the 28th February 

Click on the details below to see the slides 

Tim Ball (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Corporate Insolvency Specialist of Mazars discussed Corporate Insolvency and utilising Insolvency Industry expertise to engage with and pursue delinquent directors and NDR defaulters. 

Matthew Carter (Mazars) - Licenced Insolvency Practitioner and Personal Insolvency Specialist of Mazars talked about the work of a Bankruptcy Trustee and how to get the most from your Insolvency Practitioner relationship.

Jason Norwood (Mazars) - Local Authority Client Service Manager at Mazars talked about personal insolvency and the involvement of Local Authorities

Steven Petrie (Ward Hadaway) - Partner at Local Authority Specialist Law Firm Ward Hadaway highlighed the potential for increased recoveries using legal processes and provide and insolvency proceedings and present a case law and legal update.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Severnside & South Western Association is to be held on Monday 17th July 2017 at 4:00 pm at the offices of Bristol City Council, 100 Temple Street, Bristol, BS1 6AG.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies
2. Minutes and matters arising from previous AGM
3. Secretary’s report & forthcoming programme
4. Treasurer’s report
5. Election of Officers
6. AOB

Attendees should report to main reception upon arrival at 100 Temple Street.

Please register your attendance here 

Any enquiries to kevin.smith@bristol.gov.uk

We are delighted to announce that Amanda Reynolds, Business Development Manager, Ross & Roberts and Diane Milne, Collection Services Manager, Stour Valley & Poole Partnership (SVPP) have kindly agreed to present to the membership on the subject of In House Enforcement.

The presentation covering topics including supporting Local Authorities with in-house operations, the changing landscape and how to build a compelling business case.

Amanda joined Ross & Roberts in 2014 bringing with her over 15 years’ experience in Business Development and Project Management. Having worked with both public and private sector organisations she understands the challenges local authorities face and how to overcome them. Her focus is on helping Ross & Roberts with its ambitious plans for growth. Ross & Roberts are based in the South West and work with Local Authorities throughout the UK – many of whom have an in-house function.

Diane has over 20 years’ experience in the Revenues and Benefits environment, including Benefit Services Manager for a Unitary Authority in addition to involvement in partnership creation, alignment and development whilst Performance & Training Manager prior to her current role. Diane is now Service Manager for the collections area, including social services financial assessment, income / debtors, recovery and internal enforcement teams, across the four Authorities that form the Partnership. Diane has been working closely with Ross & Roberts as external enforcement partners over the last year, since becoming responsible for SVPP’s internal enforcement team.

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to explore the potential of both in house enforcement and partnership working from the efficiency, benefits and income generation viewpoints. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon as well as opportunities to network generally. This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being sponsored by Ross and Roberts.

The agenda is

1:00 pm Refreshments 1:30 pm Introduction

 1:35 pm Amanda Reynolds, Ross & Roberts

2:30 pm Diane Milne, Stour Valley & Poole Partnership

3:00 pm Q&A and close

There is parking available on site and the venue is a short taxi journey from the nearest railway station, Bristol Parkway.

Spaces are strictly limited so to confirm your attendance and reserve a place please contact Trish Speirs via email at patricia.speirs@bristol.gov.uk.

It is with much regret that we have to notify that our meeting on Council Tax Reduction due to be hosted at South Gloucestershire Council offices on 1^st December has had to be postponed due to the unavailability of our speaker Jude Bevan.  Jude has promised to host the meeting early in the new year we will notify you with further details when available.

The association audited accounts as at  31st December can be found here 

*** PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FROM USUAL VENUE ***

Venue : Almondsbury Interchange Hotel, Gloucester Road, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4AA

Date : Friday 30 January 2015

Time : 1:30 pm for 2:00 pm

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Severnside & South West Association is to be held on Friday 20th July 2018 at 4:00 pm at the offices of Bristol City Council, 100 Temple Street, Bristol, BS1 6AG.

The agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies

2. Minutes and matters arising from previous AGM

3. Association Rules (new proposed rules available here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1u3oqRBa1PtKEO7y0bW5gRakngMQG3_UW

4. Secretary’s report & forthcoming programme

5. Treasurer’s report

6. Education Update

7. Annual Conference

8. Election of Officers

9 AOB

Any nominations for officers should be with the Secretary no later than Friday 6th July 2018.

Those members attending the AGM should report to reception upon arrival at the rear entrance to 100 Temple Street which is located on Canynge Street.

Kevin Smith

Honorary Secretary

Any enquiries to Kevin Smith  

View Map

The AGM was held at Parkview Office Campus, Whitchurch Lane, Bristol, BS14 0TJ. The meeting elected officers and set the programme for the following year

For further information please contact Kevin Smith the Association's Secretary

Please find Minutes from the AGM held on 20th July 2018

Also please find our association handbook and rules 

In preparation for the Spring Conference the IRRV need to prepare a programme and identify speakers that represent the profession. Feedback from events is sometimes that there are “the same old faces” but inevitably the IRRV are not inundated with requests to speak.

In these circumstances,would you like to be considered to speak or do you have any ideas for topics if so please email secretary.sswassociations@irrv.org.uk

Slides from Welfare Reform Presentation by Alistair Townsend from the MKSP on Bailiff Reform & Non-Domestic Rate Avoidance

We are delighted to announce that David Perry, Deputy Chief Executive South Gloucestershire Council and Peter O’Connell, Policy Advisor Federation of Small Businesses, will be our guest speakers at this seminar.

David is currently Director of Corporate Resources and Deputy Chief Executive at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC). He sits at Board Level within the Council leading its financial management and strategy, and is s151 Officer. He has responsibility for all council support and professional services, customer services, and commercial activities, including trading with schools. SGC is one of four Unitary Councils that make up the West of England (WoE). David led negotiations on a growth incentive proposal with central government on behalf of the WoE which led to the signing of a city deal in 2012 enabling the sub-region to retain 100% of business rates growth across five enterprise areas for 25 years. This income combined with that of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone is now pooled across the WoE to support economic growth and develop a £500m Economic Development Fund to invest in infrastructure improvements. David currently Chairs the WoE business rate pooling Board, and is working with the four councils analysing the opportunities and risks associated with the move to 100% retention of business rates across the sector by the end of this parliament. More recently he has been involved in the development of the financial and governance aspects of the WoE Devolution Deal which was announced by the Chancellor as part of his spring statement in March 2016.

Peter O’Connell has a degree in politics from the University of Leicester, and work experience including ministerial private office roles for John Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister, and Lord Goldsmith as Attorney General. He subsequently worked for the Federation of Master Builders as Policy and Public Affairs Manager before joining the FSB in December 2012. In his current role he is the Policy Advisor with responsibility for Local Government Issues, and leads on business rates reform, devolution in England, regional economic development, procurement, housing, and planning.

This is a great opportunity to hear from two leading professionals on the issues surrounding non-domestic rate devolution, the work of local enterprise partnerships and the impact of devolution on small and medium sized enterprises. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon. This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being kindly hosted by South Gloucestershire Council.

The agenda is as follows:

1:00 pm Refreshments

1:30 pm Introduction

1:35 pm David Perry, Deputy Chief Executive South Gloucestershire Council (inc Q&A)

2:30 pm Peter O’Connell, Policy Advisor, Federation of Small Businesses (inc Q&A and group discussion)

3:30 pm Refreshments and Close

There is very limited parking on site, although parking is available in the surrounding area. The venue is a short walk from the nearest train station, Yate. Spaces are strictly limited so to confirm your attendance and reserve a place please contact Trish Speirs, Assistant Secretary, via email at patricia.speirs@bristol.gov.uk

Please find  Dave Perry's slides  from our May meeting on City Deal, Devolution and 100% retention of Business Rate, how it works in South Gloucestershire and the West Of England

Minutes for the IRRV Severnside & South West Association AGM 6th July 2016

Slides from presentations by

• Adrian Lardner IRRV Head of Sales and Marketing 
• Layla Stephen FIRRV Client Development Manager 
• Jonathan Branchett Enforcement Agent Manager

Presentation by 

Amanda Reynolds Business Development Manager Ross & Roberts

and

Diane Milne Collection Services Manager Stour Valley & Poole Partnership

Slides are here 

Presentation by 

Amanda Reynolds Business Development Manager Ross & Roberts

and

Diane Milne Collection Services Manager Stour Valley & Poole Partnership

Slides are here 

We are delighted to announce that Paul Stevens, Director of Rating for the West Country at Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) and Mike Buckley, Relationship Manager, Rates Retention Team, Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have agreed to present to the membership on Valuation matters and more specifically the 2017 revaluation and, hopefully, some details on check, challenge and appeal.  Paul and Mike will look to provide an up to date view on these important topics from their different perspectives.

Paul operates out of the LSH offices in Exeter and Bristol, and sits on the LSH National Rating Executive. He has been dealing with non-domestic rating appeals since the start of the 1990 Rating List so has witnessed significant changes to the way in which both the VOA and the non-domestic rating system work; with Check, Challenge Appeal one of the most significant yet.  Paul acts for a wide range of clients including local authorities and utilities providers, large national institutions such as Nationwide Building Society and Zurich Insurance as well as smaller local firms.

Mike is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and has been employed by the VOA for over 30 years. He has substantial experience in rating appeal casework and revaluation as well as in providing internal guidance for valuation on income and expenditure type properties such as public houses and self-catering holiday accommodation.

This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce current thinking, explore recovery through the use of enforcement agents and to network generally.  There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon. 

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being sponsored by Bristow & Sutor.

If you have been forwarded this email and wish to join our circulation list you can do so here.

We are now using Eventbrite to manage events, so to secure your place please click here 

Agenda

1:00 pm                    Refreshments
1:30 pm                    Introduction
1:35 pm                    Mike Buckley, Valuation Office Agency
2:15 pm                    Paul Stevens, Lambert Smith Hampton
3:00 pm                    Q&A
3:30 pm                    Refreshments and Close

There is limited parking on site but the venue is immediately opposite Exeter Central Railway Station.

Flyer for the meeting  can be found here

Focus Ideals focus.ideals@virgin.net  

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We are delighted to announce that Dave Chapman, Managing Director and Group Client Services Director, Local Taxation, Rossendales Ltd and Paul Bowden, Business Development Solicitor – Insolvency, Wilkin Chapman LLP will be our guest speakers at this event. Dave is the Managing Director of Rossendales Limited, and Group Local Taxation, Client Services Director for Marston Holdings.

Dave worked in Local Government for 20 years, and was the Revenues Manager for Bury MBC, before joining Rossendales in 2004, where he has worked his way up to becoming Managing Director earlier this year. He is a Fellow and also a Council member of the IRRV, and was the national president in 2013. Dave is a well-known speaker at Local Government Revenues and Benefits conferences on local taxation and vulnerability topics.

Paul has developed and delivered "Resolution" Wilkin Chapman's unique service offering primarily developed for local authorities. This service provides identification research, enforcement prosecution support and case estate administration to local authorities (and other creditors) engaged in the use of insolvency and charging order as recovery methods.

Both presentations will focus on the topical issue of collection of local taxation from vulnerable customers and both speakers will give a valuable insight into current thinking. This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to gain awareness into this topical subject and to network generally. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and debate during the afternoon.

This meeting is open to both IRRV members and non-members and is free to attend, being part sponsored by Rossendales ltd.

The agenda for this meeting is .

1:00 pm Refreshments

1:30 pm Introduction

1:35 pm Dave Chapman, Managing Director and Group Client Services Director, Local Taxation, Rossendales Ltd

2:15 pm Q&A

2:30 pm Refreshments

2:45 pm Paul Bowden, Business Development Solicitor – Insolvency, Wilkin Chapman LLP

3:30 pm Q&A

3:45 pm Refreshments and Close

There is ample parking on site and the venue is a short taxi ride from the nearest train station, Bristol Parkway. 

We very much look forward to seeing you on the 13 November but as spaces are limited please contact Trish Speirs at patrica.speirs@bristol.gov.uk by return to reserve your place.

Please find  Ian Savigars slides  the 15th January meeting on Universal Credit and Welfare Reform - Current Issues 

If you would like to sign up to receive notifications of our seminars and professional meetings please complete and submit this form

If you would like to sign up to receive notifications of our seminars and professional meetings please complete and submit this form

Please find  Paul Steven's slides from our November meeting on Check, Challenge, Appeal .......

Please find  Paul Steven's slides from our November meeting on Check, Challenge, Appeal .......

PDF copy of Kevin Sutch's presentation on the Comprehensive Area Assessment A new approach to public service improvement and assessment

Presentation slides from the December Meeting of the IRRV Severnside Association

Please find  Alan Sullivan's slides  the 15th January meeting on Universal Credit and Welfare Reform - Current Issues 

Unfortunately we are had to postpone this meeting which was scheduled for Thursday 4th February at the Almondsbury Interchange Hotel.

The meeting will be re-arranged to a later date and we will of course contact you in due course to confirm the date and venue.

We apologise for any inconvenience this postponement caused, and we look forward to seeing you at future meetings.

The Chairman and Executive Committee of the Severnside Association wish to send their congratulations to Phillip Maswera of Bath & North East Somerset Council, in being successful in passing Full Professional Level 1

Trish Speirs

John Warne MRICS IRRV

Bristol City Council

Email: John Warne MRICS IRRV

Bristol City Council

Kevin has not only worked as an inspector at the BFI and is now working at the Audit Commission but he also worked for many years as a benefits practitioner in local government. He is well placed to give an account of what is expected from CAA - he also understands what happens on the ground. This talk will give an invaluable insight into the new CAA regime and what it will mean for local authorities. The meeting will take place in the Lord Mayor’s meeting room at The Council House, College Green, Bristol. Tea and Coffee will be served at 4.30pm with the talk commencing at 5.00pm. We therefore can look forward to an excellent talk on a subject, which is extremely topical and could be very relevant to many practitioners in Severnside now or in the future. Please contact me (Martin Smith) on 0117 9222600 to confirm whether you will be attending alone or with guest(s). A location map of the Council’s offices is available if required.

Paul Hill
Senior Policy Officer
Service Improvement Team
Bristol Benefits Service
Direct Line: 0117 3526547

Bristol City Council

DebbieSmithCVN@aol.com

Please find Dave's slides from the 13th November 2015 meeting on Local Authority Recoveries - Identifying vulnerability and its impact on revenue collections

Please find Paul's slides from the 13th November 2015 meeting on Local Authority Recoveries - Current Issues 

Slides from the Update on local taxation, benefits and welfare reform are now available

David Magor and Gary Watson  and presented to IRRV Severnside on 30th Janaury 2015

David Magor and Gary Watson  presented to IRRV Severnside on 30th Janaury 2015 on Welfare Reform and Latest Developments in CT and NNDR

PRESENTATIONS

• Gary Watson - Latest Developments in CT and NNDR
• David Magor Presentation - Welfare Reform

Please find the presentations from Phil and Paul in the links below. Thank you to those who attended and made the afternoon a great  success.  

The meeting was sponsored by Civica and we thank them for their support