East Anglia

I am very pleased to be able to notify you of another ‘free seminar’, which will be held on Friday 11^th May 2007.

Our speaker is Chris Read, from Kirklees Metropolitan Council, The winning team in the IRRV performance awards ‘Excellence in Customer Care’ category.  No doubt with this award under their belt Chris can give us details of what his team have achieved and undertaken to bring their customer service up to such a commendable level. 

Kirklees are also leading the way in offering a pension reduction scheme for council tax payers and Chris will give us an update on how this project is working and the pros and cons of offering and administering such a scheme. 

This is an opportunity to hear from someone who has dealt with customer care in a winning way and also is heading a team willing to be trail blazers within the provision of the council tax service. Chris will share his experiences with us and give us tips on how we can all improve our customers’ experience when they contact us.  It is also a chance to understand some of the pointers that we need to consider if we are intending to offer different schemes for pensioners.  By its very nature, the customer services aspect of this presentation will also be relevant and inclusive of services other than Revenues and Benefits.

The venue is the Council Chamber at South Norfolk District Council based in Long Stratton and the seminar will start at 9.30am.

We will also be providing a free breakfast in the canteen at South Norfolk Council and this will be available from 8.30am. I would be grateful if you could let Tanya Tilford know if you are planning to attend and whether or not you require a breakfast voucher. Tanya can be contacted on the link below.

A location map is accesible through the link below. I look forward to seeing you there on the 11^th May 2007.

Best Regards

Neil Chivers IRRV

The IRRV East Anglian Association are running a Behaviour Change seminar on 13 September 2016 at 10:30am at Breckland District Council's offices in Thetford.

Our guest speaker is Andrew Stevens.  Andrew is Assistant Director at EK Services – a local government shared service in East Kent.  He is responsible for Benefits, Council Tax, Business Rates, Customer Services, Corporate Debt collection and digital transformation.  He has also worked in a number of other local councils (including King’s Lynn) as well as a period in the private sector for a large ICT company.

Andrew has been using Behavioural Insight techniques to transform his services since 2013 and is well known as an expert in this area.  EK Services are working with DWP to reduce fraud and error in the benefits system and are also pioneering the use of “Eye Tracking” technology in local government.  

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to find out more about this fascinating topic which has many practical uses back in the office.  The meeting is expected to last about an hour and a half and open to members and non-members at no cost.   If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well.

More details are available here.

Please click here to email if you will be attending so we have an idea of numbers.  

The Association is delighted to welcome Duncan Baxter from Destin Solutions who will discuss utlising data to increase performance and maximise income.  Peter Haywood from Bristow and Sutor will then look at revaluation and other issues in business rates

The meeting is open to members and non-members at no cost.   If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well

Places are limited so if you will be attending please could you email our Association Secretary with your name and the number of places needed.

The meeting will start at 10:00am with coffee from 9:50am.  It will conclude no later than 11:30am.  You can also join via MS Teams and a link will be sent when you book.

There are a number of free car parks adjacent to the Council offices, or if these are full follow the road around to the right where further car parking can be found on the left in front of Poundstretcher & Wilkinsons.

The venue is: Breckland District Council Offices, Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford IP24 1BT

The next IRRV East Anglian Association seminar will be held on Friday 14 December 2018 at Breckland District Council’s offices in Thetford.

The seminar will be delivered by Neil Oxbury, Compliance Manager at the Anglia Revenues Partnership. Neil will discuss how to maintain and grow your taxbase whilst avoiding losses from incorrectly claimed council tax discounts and reductions.

The meeting is open to members and non-members at no cost. If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well. 

Places are limited so if you will be attending please could you email email Jo Stanton, Association Secretary with your name and the number of places needed.

The meeting will start at 10:45am with coffee from 10:30am and will conclude no later than 12:15pm. There are a number of free car parks adjacent to the Council offices, or if these are full follow the road around to the right where further car parking can be found on the left in front of Poundstretcher & Wilkinsons.

Full details are also available here.

The IRRV East Anglian Association will hold its AGM on 4 July 2024.

The venue is Great Yarmouth Racecourse where we will enjoy private hospitality with views over the racecourse, and a buffet lunch.

The AGM will start at 11.00am and guests are welcome to stay on for an afternoon of racing.

Cost - IRRV Members and non-Members - Free but places are limited so please book early. 

The booking form is available here - bookings close on 21 June 2024.

Full details are available here.

Gary Watson is the Deputy Chief Executive of the IRRV and will be known to many of you.  Gary will be speaking on 'the Discretionary Powers a Billing Authority has to Award Relief'

Cain Ormondroyd has advised many local authority clients on rating matters and has spoken at the IRRV conference. Cain’s CV is available here.  Cain will be speaking on 'Business Rates Avoidance'.

Cain accepts instructions in all areas of Chambers' expertise (and more broadly in public law). He is listed by Planning Magazine as a ‘top rated' barrister under the age of 35. He is a member of the Attorney General's Panel of Counsel, and often appears in the High Court on behalf of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for the Home Department. He is frequently instructed by HMRC. He has a record of successfully appearing against much more senior and experienced opponents. He works with Friends of the Earth, the Environmental Law Foundation and other public interest groups and is prepared to consider acting on a reduced fee or pro bono basis in appropriate cases.

Recent Highlights

Representing the Valuation Office Agency in a series of hearings relating to the valuation for the purpose of non-domestic rating of complex and unusual properties (a cross country pipeline, a telecommunications network, an oil refinery) against leading QCs; Resisting a development of 150 houses on the outskirts of Stow on the Wold for Cotswold District Council, against Anthony Crean QC; Successfully resisting a challenge to a Secretary of State’s decision letter brought by Saira Sheikh QC (Westminster v SSCLG [2014] EWHC 1248  (Admin)).

This is a free event but please email Rachel Holman to let us know if you will be attending

The IRRV East Anglian Association is pleased to announce its September seminar, which will be held on 19 September 2024 at Norwich City Council.

Our speakers are:

Dan Pearce, TelSolutions

Dan will be looking at new research into Customer Behaviour Science in relation to the recovery of debts

Chris Nichols, Enforcement Conduct Board

Chris will give an update on the work of the ECB to date, including details of their recent consultation exercise.

The seminar is free for both members and non-members, but spaces are limited so please email our Secretary to book your place. 

Venue:

Westwick Room

Norwich City Council

St Peter's Street

Norfolk

NR2 1NH

‘Systems thinking’, as promoted by John Seddon of Vanguard is a fundamentally different method of organising work. As we are all struggling to deliver better services with diminishing resources a new way of thinking is essential. This is about seeing the ‘system’ through the eyes of a customer, learning what adds value and how to eliminate waste.

Find out more about the theory and its practical application – can you afford not to?

Presentation by Robert Read and Jane Ratcliffe from Great Yarmouth Borough Council

If you are planning to attend then please can you contact Ria Day on 01493 846368 or via the link below, or Tanya Tilford 01508 533887 or via the link below so we have an idea of numbers.

The East Anglian Association has updated its FREE meeting on 25 May 2010 at South Norfolk Council

There are now two sessions:

Corporate and Personal Insolvency presented by Matt Howard, Partner at PKF

Systems Thinking (LEAN) presented by Robert Read, Head of Policy and Performance at Great Yarmouth BC.  Robert will talk about his experiences working on the LEAN project in Benefits with the DWP

Please put the date in your diary and invite your colleagues.  More details will follow shortly

The East Anglian Association AGM is being held at Great Yarmouth Racecourse on Thursday 1 July 2010.

The seminar will cover these key areas:

Localised support for council tax – where are we now?

Local Retention of Business rates – an IRRV perspective

The Government's proposals on the technical reforms of council tax – a view from the institute

The presentations will be delivered by David Magor OBE IRRV, Chief Executive of the IRRV and Gary Watson IRRV Deputy Chief Executive. They are uniquely placed to give one of the most thorough and up to date views on these key areas which will be of great interest to Revenues and Benefits managers and staff alike.

There is no need to book a place please just come along to the event with your colleagues. The venue is the Council Chamber at South Norfolk District Council Offices in Long Stratton and will commence at 10.30am.

If you need any further information please contact Simon Quilter via the link below.

The AGM will be held on 20.7.09 at Great Yarmouth Racecourse

The City of Lincoln’s Revenues Team has made tremendous improvements over the past few years both in terms of better collection performance and in providing a quality customer service. Other notable achievements are the development of a fair collection and debt recovery policy and successful arrangements to collect one of the first Business Improvement District (BID) levies in the country.

James will give us details of what his team have achieved and undertaken to bring their service up to such a commendable level. This is an opportunity to hear from those who have been awarded for their excellent achievements. James will share his experiences with us and give us tips on how we can all improve.

The venue is the Council Chamber at South Norfolk District Council based in Long Stratton and the seminar will start at 2pm. Please would you email Sharon Jones using the link below to confirm your attendance.

A location map is attached below. I look forward to seeing you there on the 1^st February 2008. Please feel free to bring along guests.

Jonathan Bottomer from the DWP and a speaker from the Department of Communities and Local Government will bring you up to date with these fast developing areas of Revenues and Benefits.

The seminar will begin at 10.30am and finish around midday. The venue is South Norfolk Council's offices and a map is available via the link below.

There is no need to pre-register for this seminar – you can just turn up on the day.

If you have any questions please contact Simon Quilter using the link below

You are invited to a FREE seminar which the IRRV East Anglian Association is hosting on 20 September 2012 at 1.30pm at South Norfolk District Council’s Offices in Long Stratton, Norfolk. In this year of outstanding British winners at the Olympics the Association is celebrating Local Government success and excellence by hosting an event with two of last years IRRV performance awards winners.

The two authorities presenting are:

Milton Keynes Council who achieved ‘Most Improved Team of the Year’ and

Shepway District Council, winners of the ‘Revenues Team of the Year’ award.

Please try and attend the event as it should be a very interesting and informative afternoon and will be a good chance to hear how two top performing authorities achieved such success. There is no need to book a place, please just attend and bring along a colleague if you wish.

Our guest speaker will be Jonathon Bottomer from the DWP.  Jonathon will be a familiar speaker to many and will provide us with the latest information on what is happening at the DWP and the latest updates on Universal Credit.  For those who haven’t met Jonathon before he is known for giving us his honest opinion and has championed Local Authorities and their involvement in Universal Credit.

As the start of Universal Credit is fast approaching this should be an interesting and informative update.  The meeting is open to members and non-members at no cost and may be of particular interest to any IRRV students, especially in regard to the new study topics.  If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well.

The meeting will start at 10.30am with tea and coffee available beforehand.

Please could you email Simon Quilter via the link if you will be attending so we have some idea of numbers.

***PLEASE NOTE THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE ADVERSE WEATHER***

Please see attached agenda

The session will take place at 2.30pm at South Norfolk District Council

Full details will follow

The AGM of the IRRV East Anglian Association will be held on 30 June 2011 at 11am at Great Yarmouth Racecourse, followed by a buffet lunch and an afternoon of racing.

The costs of the day is just £10 for Members and £25 for non Members.  All are welcome but tickets are limited so will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

More information is available via the link below.

IRRV East Anglian Association Seminar: Current Trends in Insolvency

Paul Bowden from Wilkin Chapman will be the guest speaker at the next seminar.

Paul will be talking about enforcement and in particular Insolvency and the changes coming into effect on 1 October 2015.  Paul will cover the latest stats, what’s happening across the country as far as insolvency goes and also the more significant “changed, changing and to be changed” in insolvency rules.

This is a no cost seminar however if you are attending please let our Secretary, Rachel Holman, know by email Email Rachel Holman

There are a number of free car parks adjacent to the building, or if these are full follow the road around to the right where further car parking can be found on the left in front of Poundstretcher & Wilkinsons.

A Whiz of a Quiz will be held on Friday 20 October 2023 at 7pm at The Hotel Nelson, Prince of Wales Road, Norwich NR1 1DX

For more information and how to book please click here

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The next IRRV East Anglian Association meeting and Executive will be held on Thursday 3 March 2016 at Breckland District Council – Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1BT.  More details will follow.

The next meeting of the IRRV East Anglian Association Executive will be held on Thursday 10 October 2013 at 9.30am at Breckland District Council's offices in Thetford

****PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE TO BROADLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL******

The East Anglian Association of the IRRV is pleased to annouce its next Seminar on 14 June 2011 at 10am at Broadland District Council.

Andrew Hobley, a Senior Investigator for the Local Government Ombudsman will be speaking on the Ombudsman's view on Local Taxation complaints.  Andrew will also cover some benefits issues and there will be time for questions.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear the Ombudsman's view on the issues we are all facing administering local taxation, particularly in the challenging economic climate, and to pose your questions

Please could you make every effort to attend the next Exec meeting on 5 March at 9.30 at Thetford.

Please also have a think about whether you are willing and able to take on one of the roles on the Exec which are coming up - we will need a Treasurer as Sue Watts is standing down.

We will also need a Chairman and Vice Chair from the next AGM.

Many thanks and I very much hope to see you on 5 March.

Simon 

The IRRV East Anglian Association would like to invite you to the next meeting on Wednesday 5^th March at 10.45 for 11.00 am to be held at Breckland District Council – Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1BT.

Our guest speaker will be Dave Chapman  who will give a presentation on the latest updates and changes.

The meeting is open to members and non-members at no cost and may be of particular interest to any IRRV students.   If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well.

The meeting will start at 11.00am with tea and coffee available beforehand.

Please could you email Laura Leicester using the link below if you will be attending so we have some idea of numbers.

The next meeting of the Executive will be held at South Norfolk Council at 12.30pm on 20 September 2012

Booking details to follow

Please let Rachel Holman know if you have any agenda items

The next meeting of the IRRV East Anglian Association Executive will  be held on 10 December 2015 at 9.15am

The venue is Breckland District Council's offices, Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1BT

The next IRRV East Anglian Association meeting will be held on Thursday 10^th October at 10.45am for 11.00 am at Breckland District Council – Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1BT.

Our guest speakers will be Paul McDermott  who will give a presentation on a rates retention and forecasting product ‘Analyse Local’ which has been launched by the IRRV and Inform CPI Ltd. This product is designed to assist local authorities in calculation and forecasting the rates retention scheme as well as maximising potential value by identifying missing rating assessments and undervalue.

Paul will be joined by the infamous Gary Watson to give a NNDR upate.

The meeting is open to members and non-members at no cost and may be of particular interest to any IRRV students.   If you have any colleagues who may be interested please bring them along as well.

The meeting will start at 11.00am with tea and coffee available beforehand.

Please could you let Simon Quilter know if you will be attending using the link below so we have some idea of numbers.

Seeking clues beyond the mask – improving communication through face reading with Glenna Trout from Picasso HR Consultants

6th July 2010 from 9.30am – 1.00pm

Breakfast from 8.30am

South Norfolk Council, Long Stratton

Improve your understanding of the people you meet and work with. This workshop gives you the opportunity to see beyond the masks that people put on when they come to work or in any given situation.

If you are planning to attend then please can you contact Ria Day using the link below or  on 01493 846368 so we have an idea of numbers

The IRRV East Anglian Association is pleased to announce that it will hold its Annual General Meeting on 21 July 2023.  The venue is Lotus Cars at Hethel, near Norwich.  Please click on these links for the Agenda, Minutes of the last AGM and copies of the Accounts.

All the places for the factory tours are now full but you are still welcome to  attend the AGM.  

If you would like to attend please email the secretary to book your place.  

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

The agreed minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 24 June 2022 are now available here