Day 1: Tuesday 27 June

Day 1

Day 2 Day 1 - Students

Please note that the programme timings and speakers are subject to change

President's welcome and Chair’s opening remarks

09:05 - 09:20

Speakers and more info

President's welcome and Chair’s opening remarks

09:05 - 09:20

Chairs:

Lewis Goodall

Journalist and author

Speakers:

Caroline Rassell

Incoming CIPFA President

International keynote address: Whither the World

09:20 - 10:05

We live in a rapidly changing world, where effective leadership demands measured and effective decisions. From tackling global conflicts, health emergencies, climate change and energy security, governments around the world need to manage immediate and future challenges. Despite geopolitical turbulence, the world is making dynamic advances in science and technology. Artificial Intelligence, genomics and robotics are just some of the technologies which we will need to grasp as the world, humans and societies evolve.

Speakers and more info

International keynote address: Whither the World

09:20 - 10:05

Chairs:

Lewis Goodall

Journalist and author

Speakers:

Caroline Atkinson

Former Head, Global Policy, Google; former Deputy National Security Adviser, International Economics, Obama Administration

Education for the nation: driving growth, developing leaders

10:05 - 10:45

Our schools, colleges and universities provide vital services educating children and young people. With the skills and knowledge they impart, education institutions lay the foundations for the professionals and leaders of the future. They also have an important economic role, supporting growth and developing skills. How can education institutions work with the public, private and third sectors to support sustainable economies, cohesive communities while nurturing a truly inclusive and representative leadership class?

Speakers and more info

Education for the nation: driving growth, developing leaders

10:05 - 10:45

Chairs:

Lewis Goodall

Journalist and author

Speakers:

Sonita Alleyne OBE

Master of Jesus College, Cambridge and former journalist and broadcaster

Break

10:45 - 11:20

Refreshments and networking in the exhibition hall

Panel discussion: Rising to the cost-of-living challenge: how can government, business and charities play their part?

11:20 - 12:20

Soaring inflation and rising interest rates have put enormous pressure on household budgets, while the Energy Price Guarantee has seen the government take unprecedented action to mitigate the worst impacts of rising energy costs on consumers. Our panel will consider the impact the rising cost of mortgages, food and fuel are having on ordinary families, the wider strains on public services and how all sectors of the economy can best respond.

Speakers and more info

Panel discussion: Rising to the cost-of-living challenge: how can government, business and charities play their part?

11:20 - 12:20

Chairs:

Lewis Goodall

Journalist and author

Speakers:

Mary-Ann Stephenson

UK Women’s Budget Group

Greg Thwaites

Resolution Foundation

Matthew Upton

Citizens Advice

Lunch Break

12:20 - 13:20

Lunch and networking in the exhibition hall

Diversity and inclusion: exploring and exploding barriers to career progression

13:20 - 14:20

The public finance profession needs to be diverse, inclusive and truly representative of the communities it serves. This session will explore what the data tells us about EDI characteristics in our profession, hear some personal stories and consider ways to build on progress to date to ensure all are reaching their potential.

Leadership and Skills

Speakers and more info

Tackling the status quo to improve insight, accountability and budgetary decision making

13:20 - 14:20

The workshop will help finance managers understand how modernisation and new approaches to budgeting can support local authorities to meet future challenges.

Governance and Trust

Speakers and more info

Effectively delivering public procurement

13:20 - 14:20

Are you on the journey or thinking about how you can work differently with your supply chain to tackle these issues? Do you work with Social Enterprises and what to hear more about the successes but also the challenges?

Hear about what Zurich are doing around sustainable sourcing and how they consider environmental, social and ethical factors throughout the sourcing lifecycle, driving positive impact on our world.

Financial Resilience

Speakers and more info

From reaction to prevention – investing for a healthy future

13:20 - 14:20

Few will argue against prevention but in the climate of scarce resources and rising demand, it can often be seen as a hard sell and an easy tap to turn off. How do we change the mindset and better make the case for a twin track approach to ensure that we meet immediate demand but also enable long-term investment in preventative action?

Protecting Place and Planet

Speakers and more info

Diversity and inclusion: exploring and exploding barriers to career progression

13:20 - 14:20

Chairs:

Alston Owens

Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust

Speakers:

Tackling the status quo to improve insight, accountability and budgetary decision making

13:20 - 14:20

Inflationary pressures and increasing demands on services will cost some Councils twice as much as previously projected. With the ongoing economic crisis, short-term Government funding, the rising threat of S114 notices and the drive towards self-sufficiency, the role of local government is more challenging and filled with risk than ever. The workshop will help finance managers understand how modernisation and new approaches to budgeting can support local authorities to meet future challenges.

Chairs:

Ian Owen

TechnologyOne

Speakers:

Ian Knowles

West Lindsey District Council

Effectively delivering public procurement

13:20 - 14:20

Procurement is often perceived as getting the best quality for the cheapest price and whilst there is nothing wrong this, what if we could do more? What if our procurement spend could change the world? Are you on the journey or thinking about how you can work differently with your supply chain to tackle these issues? Do you work with Social Enterprises and what to hear more about the successes but also the challenges? Hear about what Zurich are doing around sustainable sourcing and how they consider environmental, social and ethical factors throughout the sourcing lifecycle, driving positive impact on our world.

Chairs:

Speakers:

Durham County Council

From reaction to prevention – investing for a healthy future

13:20 - 14:20

It may be a cliché, but prevention is better than cure. A focus on preventing future need instead of reacting to acute, and more costly, demand would go a long way to making our public services more resilient and sustainable. Nowhere is this truer than in the quest to improve population health and reduce inequalities. Few will argue against prevention but in the climate of scarce resources and rising demand, it can often be seen as a hard sell and an easy tap to turn off. How do we change the mindset and better make the case for a twin track approach to ensure that we meet immediate demand but also enable long-term investment in preventative action?

Chairs:

Andrew Burns

CIPFA

Speakers:

Jo Bibby

the Health Foundation.

Vic Rayner OBE

National Care Forum

Professor Jim McManus

President of the Association of Directors of Public Health and Executive Director of Public Health for Hertfordshire

Hello, this is customer services, how may I help you?

14:30 - 15:30

How can you use your Customer Service Centre front door to drive value by managing demand to help residents and businesses to thrive?

A case study of Buckinghamshire Council’s unitary journey from a customer perspective. Addressing the challenges of the pandemic by using insightful tools, including Artificial Intelligence, to bring innovation to the sector and better understand demand trends. Applying behavioural science to trail interventions to manage customer demand and reduce service failure.

Leadership and Skills

Speakers and more info

Creating a vision for local audit

14:30 - 15:30

Local audit in England is in a state of crisis. With the Financial Reporting Council taking on the new role of systems leader it’s time to have an honest conversation about the purpose of local audit and how it meets the needs of citizens and stakeholders. This session will bring together voices from across the system to explore their visions for a renewed local audit system that is fit for the future.

Governance and Trust

Speakers and more info

Facing the financial challenges in an uncertain world

14:30 - 15:30

Local government faces a period of uncertainty, with new legislation affecting procurement and waste services. At the same time the sector will have to meet significant financial challenges. Councils will have to look at alternative ways of delivering essential services. Traditional outsourcing no longer provides the cost savings required, and does not offer the flexibility to meet increasing uncertainty; it is becoming harder to manage services in-house and achieve the necessary efficiencies.

Financial Resilience

Speakers and more info

Responding to the net zero challenge – our practical experience

14:30 - 15:30

The climate emergency is potentially the biggest mid-term challenge for public services. It is multi-dimensional and cross cutting and CIPFA is increasingly involved in work to develop solutions.

In this session you will hear a range of perspectives and practical experience from a range of professionals engaged in this agenda. Senior financial professionals will share how they drove the development and implementation of a net zero strategy, including how with “carbon as a new currency” finance have a key role. Others will share insights on how to progress practical retrofit, micro generation measures and how to make the net zero business case.

Protecting Place and Planet

Speakers and more info

Hello, this is customer services, how may I help you?

14:30 - 15:30

How can you use your Customer Service Centre front door to drive value by managing demand to help residents and businesses to thrive? A case study of Buckinghamshire Council’s unitary journey from a customer perspective. Addressing the challenges of the pandemic by using insightful tools, including Artificial Intelligence, to bring innovation to the sector and better understand demand trends. Applying behavioural science to trail interventions to manage customer demand and reduce service failure.

Chairs:

Speakers:

Sarah Murphy-Brookman

Buckinghamshire Council

Lloyd Jeffries

Buckinghamshire Council

Creating a vision for local audit

14:30 - 15:30

Chairs:

Speakers:

Financial Reporting Council

Paul Grady

Azets

Tony Crawley

Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited

Facing the financial challenges in an uncertain world

14:30 - 15:30

Now an increasing number of councils are embracing the Joint Venture Partnership model. This model, pioneered by Norse 20 years ago, is based on a combination of commercial knowhow and public service values – ethical commercialism.

Chairs:

Aileen Murphie

Specialist Advisor to the LUHC Select Committee

Speakers:

Responding to the net zero challenge – our practical experience

14:30 - 15:30

The climate emergency is potentially the biggest mid-term challenge for public services. It is multi-dimensional and cross cutting and CIPFA is increasingly involved in work to develop solutions. In this session you will hear a range of perspectives and practical experience from a range of professionals engaged in this agenda. Senior financial professionals will share how they drove the development and implementation of a net zero strategy, including how with “carbon as a new currency” finance have a key role. Others will share insights on how to progress practical retrofit, micro generation measures and how to make the net zero business case.

Chairs:

Vanessa Howlison

National Highways

Speakers:

Joseph Holmes

West Berkshire Council

Break

15:30 - 16:00

Refreshments and networking in the exhibition hall

Perception vs Reality of Implementing Finance Automation Tech

16:00 - 17:00

Kefron has compiled a panel of expert panellists, including finance transformation leaders from UK Councils to share their experience of implementing Accounts Payable Automation technology. This discussion will provide an insight into the reality of a finance transformation project. The panel will discuss:

Building a case for investment
How to plan for successful delivery
Getting stakeholders on board
The results of their programmes

Leadership and Skills

Speakers and more info

Unifying Your Business with Integrated Line of Business Systems: A Hands-On Workshop

16:00 - 17:00

As a result, many councils continue to rely on outdated systems that don’t interact well with each other, increasing the risk of inefficient and costly processes and lack of visibility within the organisation.

In this workshop, Peter Morley joined by Paul Sutton and Graham Oliver, will be providing practical advice on how to unify your organisation with integrated line of business systems, to achieve better reporting, increased efficiencies and better collaboration within your finance team.

Governance and Trust

Speakers and more info

Property asset management – a whirlwind tour

16:00 - 17:00

The effective use and management of property assets is a key factor in providing financial resilience within the public sector.

In this session, our experts will put forward the questions you should ask, the answers to expect, and the various issues to be addressed, covering current ‘hot topics’ including property optimisation after COVID, ‘sweating’ the existing assets and IFRS16 leases. We will also hear about recent examples where CIPFA’s property consultancy team have delivered real results for our clients.

Financial Resilience

Speakers and more info

Everything you wanted to know about sustainability reporting but were afraid to ask

16:00 - 17:00

But where do public sector organisations best focus their efforts? This is an agenda item so large that it is not easy to comprehend all the different components at play and how they come together. Sustainability reporting is your answer. The role of continuous reporting is crucial in establishing a baseline and allowing an organisation the space to benchmark against best-in-class organisations to achieve a positive impact.

Protecting Place and Planet

Speakers and more info

Perception vs Reality of Implementing Finance Automation Tech

16:00 - 17:00

Building a case for investment
How to plan for successful delivery
Getting stakeholders on board
The results of their programmes

Chairs:

Judith Savage

Newcastle City Council

Speakers:

Jason Martin

Lambeth Council

Gary Olliffe

East Midlands Shared Services

Elaine Simpson

East Midlands Shared Services

Unifying Your Business with Integrated Line of Business Systems: A Hands-On Workshop

16:00 - 17:00

From reduction to government funding to rising costs and an increasing demand to generate revenue, local authorities are currently facing a number of financial constraints that make it harder to serve the community effectively. As a result, many councils continue to rely on outdated systems that don’t interact well with each other, increasing the risk of inefficient and costly processes and lack of visibility within the organisation. In this workshop, Peter Morley joined by Paul Sutton and Graham Oliver, will be providing practical advice on how to unify your organisation with integrated line of business systems, to achieve better reporting, increased efficiencies and better collaboration within your finance team.

Chairs:

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Property asset management – a whirlwind tour

16:00 - 17:00

The effective use and management of property assets is a key factor in providing financial resilience within the public sector. In this session, our experts will put forward the questions you should ask, the answers to expect, and the various issues to be addressed, covering current ‘hot topics’ including property optimisation after COVID, ‘sweating’ the existing assets and IFRS16 leases. We will also hear about recent examples where CIPFA’s property consultancy team have delivered real results for our clients.

Chairs:

Speakers:

Everything you wanted to know about sustainability reporting but were afraid to ask

16:00 - 17:00

The climate crisis sits at the top of global political and economic agendas and the public sector needs to play a key role in meeting climate obligations and making a real difference. We need valid information and data if we are to lead from the front. But where do public sector organisations best focus their efforts? This is an agenda item so large that it is not easy to comprehend all the different components at play and how they come together. Sustainability reporting is your answer. The role of continuous reporting is crucial in establishing a baseline and allowing an organisation the space to benchmark against best-in-class organisations to achieve a positive impact.

Chairs:

Iain Murray

CIPFA

Speakers:

Carol Culley

Manchester City Council

Carol Adams

Durham University Business School

Rebecca Sheeran

UK National Audit Office

Closing Keynote panel discussion: Polling, promises and priorities: a look ahead to General Election 2024 and Chair’s closing remarks

17:10 - 18:00

With a general election due next year, current polling is pointing to a change in government. This expert panel discussion will consider how likely that is, the impact over-stretched public services and cost-of-living pressures could have on voter behaviour, along with the effect of rows on migration and other culturally contentious issues. Our panellists will attempt to measure the current national mood and ask how politicians can best make their pitch to an electorate battered by economic turmoil and weary of poor behaviour in public life.