West Midlands

Tamworth Borough Council

Having worked for the DWP in Lichfield for 6 years and taking a break to have a family I joined Lichfield District Council in January 1990 as a Benefit Assessment Officer. I became Area Manager of Burntwood Local Office in 1998 before leaving to join South Staffordshire Council as Benefits Supervisor in February 2000.

Anne Bradbury IRRV

Awards Manager

Solihull MBC

Tel no. 0121 704 6270

Email: abradbury@solihull.gov.uk

Cathy started her career in Local Government in 1976 as a finance clerk in the Rates Section at Breckland District Council. She became Snr Rating Officer in 1987 and worked on the implementation of Community Charge before leaving to take up the post of Community Charge Manager with Forest Heath District Council in 1990.

She qualified  as a Corporate Member of the IRRV in 1997 and shortly afterwards took on the role of Revenues and Benefits Contract Manager. In 1998 she became Head of Revenues and Benefit Services at South Norfolk Council and worked at the authority for 4 years before moving to the East Midlands to become Head of Income and Debt Management at Kettering Borough Council. In 2002 she moved to Coventry City Council as Head of Revenues and Benefits.

Cathy now works as a Consultant for Broadlands Consulting in Lichfield. 

Contact Details:

mailto:cathyhipkin@broadlandsconsulting.com

Mobile: 07942 817053

Sue started work with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) in 1991 as a Community Charge Assistant. During her employment with HBBC she took on a variety of roles including NNDR billing, Direct Debit and System Administration. She took on the role of Revenues & Enforcement Team Leader in 2003 and in July 2005 became Deputy Revenues Manager. In September 2007, Sue left HBBC and is now Head of Revenues & Benefits at North West Leicestershire District Council.

Sue became a fully qualified member of the IRRV in 2002 and joined the West Midlands Executive Committee shortly afterwards as Information Officer. She was a member of the IRRV Performance Award Inspection Team during 2003 and took on the role of Vice President of the West Midlands Association in 2005. Sue became West Midlands President at the AGM held on 21st March 2007. In March 2009 she stepped down as President and is now the Assistant Secretary and West Midlands Association web administrator.

Sue is a keen member of the New Theatre Players at the Concordia Theatre in Hinckley and can regularly be seen on stage in a variety of roles. Over the last few years she has appeared in 'Brassed Off', 'Great Expectations', 'Allo Allo' , JB Priestley's 'Time and The Conways', 'A Streetcar Named Desire, 'Laying the Ghost', 'Move Over Mrs Markham' and her biggest role to date in the two hander 'Mr and Mrs Nobody' in December 2009. She, along with IRRV Treasurer and fellow West Midlands Committee Member, Allan Traynor, is very partial to singing and loves Karaoke!

Tel: 01530 454733 (W) 07841 450881 (M)

Work Email: sue.williams-lee@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

Home Email: swl001@msn.com

Amrik Boghan
IRRV
Customer Focus Team Manager
Coventry City Council

Work:   amrik.boghan@coventry.gov.uk

Home:  meradost@hotmail.co.uk

Work:   024 7683 1141

Mob:    07891 205781

Amrik began her local government career in 1986 at Birmingham City Council. During her time there she worked in general rates, community charge and council tax, in billing, customer service and recovery roles. Her final job there was Revenues Officer on the Court Enforcement and Insolvency Team.

In September 2009, she moved to Herefordshire Council as Senior Recovery/Court Officer. She was responsible for the day-to-day running of a team dealing with all aspects of council tax and non-domestic rate recovery. She attended liability order and committal courts, liaised with bailiffs and was responsible for considering all options for debt enforcement, including bankruptcy and charging orders.

In June 2010 she was appointed Council Tax Team Manager at Coventry City Council, managing the team who deal with all billing matters.

Since January 2013 she has been Customer Focus Team Manager at Coventry.

A member of the IRRV West Midlands Association Executive Committee since 2009, Amrik was President in 2013/14 and has previously served as Education Liaison Officer and Assistant Secretary. She is also current President of the IRRV Association Representatives group and a member of the Revenues faculty board.

Ian Buckingham
IRRV

Revenues Supervisor
North Warwickshire Borough Council 

Work:   ianbuckingham@northwarks.gov.uk

Work:   01827 719418

Ian started his career in local government with Birmingham City Council in 1982 as a clerical assistant, eventually becoming a rating assistant (property inspector) immediately before leaving to join Sandwell MBC in 1989.

Whilst at Sandwell, Ian was a team leader responsible for the collection of poll tax and council tax, primarily cutting his teeth in the magistrates’ courts in liability order and committal proceedings and representing the council at Valuation Tribunal hearings.

He left Sandwell in 2003, joining North Warwickshire BC initially as Senior Recovery Officer, now as Revenues Supervisor with day-to-day responsibility across all council tax and non-domestic rate functions.

Margaret Elcocks MBA, IRRV  

Margaret has worked for Birmingham City Council for over 30 years in various positions since starting as a cashiers junior.  Her current position is Account Receivable Manager within the Shared Service Centre responsible for the invoicing and collection of sundry debts and Housing Benefit overpayments together with providing the central cashiers service.

She joined the WM Executive Committee just over 3 years ago but regularly attended Institute meetings since studying for the Institutes qualification many years ago.  In 1998 she returned to studying and gained a Masters Degree in Business Administration at Aston University.

Contact details:

Marg-elcocks@tiscali.co.uk

Jan Evans started work in 1974 as a benefit assessor at Dudley MBC, she moved on to General Rates and in 1988 joined Sandwell MBC as a District Rating Officer. In 2000 she moved back to Dudley as Community Charge Recovery and Court Manager (where for her sins I was the Court Officer dealing with liability order and committal cases). In 1997 Jan became Business Rate and Court Manager at Dudley.

In 2003 Jan joined Birmingham CC as Head of Council Tax and has recently taken up a new challenge by moving to Coventry City Council as their Head of Council Tax.

Jan was on the Exec from 1988 to 1997 during which time she was the ELO. She rejoined again in 2004. Jan has been a lecturer since 1989 and has lectured at revision courses in the past. And, just so John knows, She is proud to be a Baggies supporter!

Birmingham City Council

Kelly Nash
IRRV (Hons)

Rating Compliance & Audit Manager
Accurates

Email:   kelly.nash@colliers.com

Home:  kellyweaver1982@yahoo.co.uk

Tel.:      0121 265 7577

Mob:    07920 203901

Kelly joined the rating team at Colliers International as a Rating Compliance and Audit Manager in August 2009. She is a Diploma member of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and is currently working towards completion of the IRRV honours qualification. She previously worked for Wolverhampton City Council, during which time she accumulated approximately 7 years’ local government experience of the administration and collection of local taxes.

Staffordshire and Shropshire Valuation Tribunal

Tel: 01926 421875

John started his working life in the Valuation Office before moving to the Local Valuation Panel in 1987 (predecessor of VTS) and he has been there ever since. Based at Stafford, he is the Clerk to the Derbyshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands (West) Tribunals which are part of the VTS Central Region. John has been a member of the West Midlands Executive Committee since the early 1990s and held various posts. He is author of IRRV distance learning material in 2 specialist VT subjects and tutors on Caerleon / Keele / Dudley revision courses. He has been a speaker at various meetings and seminars including National Conference. John is proud to be a claret (Burnley FC supporter).

Tel 01785 242719

FAX 01785 257166

Barry started a Local Government career in Birmingham City Council’s Rates Office in 1960 as a junior rate clerk. He worked through all sections of the rates office until he became Principal Rating Officer in 1986. In 1990 he became Assistant Treasurer and was later redesignated Assistant Director of Finance. In 2001 Barry became Acting Deputy Director of Finance until retiring in November 2002 after 42 years with the same Council.

He is now working part time as an Associate Director for Equita and occasionally undertaking consultancy work for other organisations.

Dudley College also employ him as a visiting lecturer.

Barry has written articles for trade magazines and spoken both nationally and locally for both IRRV and CIPFA. Other organisations connected with the Revenues profession have also employed him to speak at seminars.

His hobbies are Golf, reading and motor sport.

Mobile: 07899 021 672

Nicki Begley IRRV Tech

Recovery Manager

Lichfield District Council

After working successfully in the hotel and catering industry for 11 years I joined North Warwickshire B.C. as a Recovery Assistant in 1999. I studied for my Technician exams and was a proud double prize winner. My success lead me to a new role at Lichfield D.C. as a Senior Billing Officer in 2002. Shortly afterwards I moved to the post of Recovery Manager - a role I have been in for 5 1/2 years.

Outside of work I enjoy lots of cooking and eating, doing anything crafty and keeping fit (due to the cooking and eating!!). When the sun shines I will be out and about on my motorbike.

:

Dee Bough IRRV

Email: dabough1@aol.com

Bob has worked at North Warwickshire for a number of years and has responsibility for a range of functions including Revenues, Benefits and the Council's Customer Contact Strategy. He has also worked at a Coventry City Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth BC and Rugby as well as doing two years in the private sector.

Assistant Director Revenues & Benefits

North Warwickshire Borough Council

Tel 01827 719378

FAX 01827 719412

Peter started working life with the VO in his home town of Grimsby in 1973, moving to Sandwell VO in 1983, then to Dudley and Kidderminster. He left the VO in 1990 to go into private practise as a Rating surveyor with Sellers. In1995 he started working for himself as an independent Rating surveyor before moving into Local Government, initially with Tamworth BC before taking up his current position with East Staffordshire BC, where he is Principle Estate Manager. He has been a member of the West Midlands Exec since 1990 and was West Midlands Branch President in 1996/97.

East Staffordshire Borough Council

Tel: 01283 508284

FAX: 01283 508456

John Hewitson
BA (Hons) IRRV (Hons)

Clerk to the Derbyshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands (West) Tribunals

Work:   john.hewitson@vto.gsx.gov.uk

Home:  westonclaret@live.com

Work:   01785 242719

Fax:     01785 257166

John started his working life in the Valuation Office before moving to the Local Valuation Panel in 1987 (predecessor of VTS) and he has been there ever since. Based at Stafford, he is the Clerk to the Derbyshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands (West) Tribunals which are part of the VTS Central Region. John has been a member of the West Midlands Executive Committee since the early 1990s and held various posts. He is author of IRRV distance learning material in 2 specialist VT subjects and tutors on Caerleon / Keele / Dudley revision courses. He has been a speaker at various meetings and seminars including National Conference.

Jeff was employed in the Valuation Office for over

40 years, mainly in the West Midlands, although

some 5 years (1990-1995) were spent in London,

primarily dealing with and lecturing on NDR

procedural legislation. He retired last year as

Manager of the Central Specialist Rating Unit based

in Birmingham. Jeff has been a corporate member

of the IRRV since 1972, on the Association

Executive from 1980 to date (but for his 5 years in

London) and was Branch President in 1983/84. He

has lectured on behalf of the Association at various

meetings and training courses both nationally and

regionally. Jeff has been a member of the IRRV

Examinations and Assessment Board since January 2001. Since his retirement Jeff fills in his time as a member of two

Local Valuation Tribunals between messing about in

his garden and workshop/sheds.

Meritec Ltd

Tel 0121 550 3679

FAX 0121 602 1597

Tel 01889 584362