A final update from Richard

Richard with new IRRV President for 2014/15, Kevin Stewart

The end of the Conference is the end of the Presidential Year. It seems to have gone very quickly indeed. I only hope members of the Institute feel they have had value for money.

The year takes quite a lot of hard work by all sorts of people. I have had tremendous support from the Chief Executive and from all the Institute staff.

The brunt of the difficulties are dealt with by David and Gary but I have had great help from other members of the staff such as Daniel and Rachel.   Once outside the boundaries of England you realise what a huge asset Fraser is in dealing with all matters in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I am very grateful to the Associations for inviting me to their events. I think it is a great shame that there are not dynamic Associations country wide but they do take a lot of hard work to sustain. 

I have also enjoyed my invitations to the kindred societies and I hope they enjoyed our lunch for them which was a most enjoyable occasion for me. The Past Presidents and Honorary Members lunch is another excellent occasion when we renew our acquaintance’s with our former Presidents, many of whom retired sometime ago.

The Conference provides a fitting crescendo. This years seemed very lively, the papers given were excellent, the exhibition was good and well patronised and all in all it had a good feel to it.

The AGM was as poorly attended as ever but not without controversy. The Awards evening seemed a little quieter than recent years but there was a definite air of excitement.

These days the new President’s year starts with the Association Representatives meeting on the Friday after Conference and as I left Telford life was continuing under new leadership.

I hope that Kevin has as good a year as I have

Richard Harbord

The President speaks at IRRV Northern Ireland Conference

Richard spoke at the 2014 IRRV Northern Ireland Conference on 11th September at Belfast City Hall, giving a well-received address on an overview of the financial issues facing the new Northern Ireland local authorities.

Here's a couple of photos from the event :

Richard addresses Northern Ireland Conference

Ministerial Address :  Simon Hamilton MLA addresses conference

Richard at IRRV Scottish Conference

Richard gave the official welcome to the 2014 IRRV Scottish Conference at Crieff Hydro Hotel, which took place on 3rd and 4th September.   

Very well-attended with over 300 attendees, the feedback to speakers and topics was excellent.

See some photographs below :

Scottish Conference main hall

Richard with Scottish Association President Les Robertson

Scottish Performance Awards Village

IRRV Council meeting

Last week I chaired my last Council meeting as President.

I have enjoyed chairing Council a great deal and feel it has been a successful year.    

At the last meeting we said our farewells to three very long standing Council members, Tom Dixon, Carol Cutler and Richard Guy. The three of them have done a huge amount for IRRV over the years and we should be very grateful. 

Council wished them well and thanked them. 

Richard Guy has been “father” of Council - that is to say the longest standing member. That dubious honour will fall to me after Conference. 

South Eastern Association Annual Dinner

Last Friday was the annual dinner of the South Eastern Association. This was a well attended event held in a wonderful location right next to the sea at Birchington in Kent.

The Restaurant was actually about as close to the sea as you could get and although it was a cloudy evening we were treated to grey seas and a “red sky at night”.    The food was excellent and a good time was had by all. 

The event was supported by Chris Rundle as a sole generous sponsor. The evening concluded with a raffle and I won my first prize of my Presidential year.

Richard's July update!

Richard at the Past Presidents' Lunch

It has been another very busy time.    Last Friday was the lunch for Past Presidents and Honorary members and there was a very good turn out.    We went to a small restaurant near HQ and had a very enjoyable time.    This is one of the nicest events of the Presidential year.   Many of those who came are of advancing years but there pleasure in meeting up again is evident.   5 could not make the journey because of not being very well and I have written to each of them and sent a card.

Then on Saturday was the annual dinner dance of the Yorkshire Association .   This was held in a hotel very near Emmerdale - whatever that is.     I was very pleased to award a Certificate of Service to John Clark to recognise all the time he has put in over the years for the Institute.    He somewhat took me by surprise by pointing out that he worked for me for 5 years when I was Director of Finance at Richmond.    He was obviously very good because I don’t remember him at all. 

On Tuesday evening this week was the CIPFA Dinner which I went to for the Institute as well as a CIPFA Council member.    It was held at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham.    42 acres of carefully manicured lawns, lawn tennis courts, croquet lawns etc. all completely surrounded by the houses and flats of Fulham.    On their website they encourage applications for membership but point out there is a 25 year waiting list – so I don’t think I will bother. The event was an excellent one with magnificent food and one relatively short speech. 

Sadly, the year has only another 3 months to go.

Richard's latest Presidential Update ...

April and May is the busiest time in the Presidential Year.   There is an interesting mix of annual dinners, Annual General Meetings and a number of Presidential receptions of kindred bodies.

One of the high points of being President is to visit the various Associations and getting a very genuine welcome.   It is very difficult to think of high points because every event is very different and there are always interesting and new things happening.

The receptions of kindred bodies are very different in their content.   The Institute of Taxation includes an annual lecture, the Taxation Technicians was a very lively evening with a live performer and songs from the shows, The VAT practitioners' reception was held in a beautiful part of Lincolns Inn.

My own presidential Lunch was held at the Goring Hotel, a privately owned and truly magnificent hotel in Victoria which has for me great memories of happy events in the past. It was a great occasion and seems to have been enjoyed by the guests.

The Association Annual Dinners are most enjoyable occasions and a chance to meet old friends.  Even though largely formal they all have a different character. There was also a splendid formal lunch given by AAT which was in the magnificent surroundings of a City Livery Hall. 

I also managed to visit the General Assembly of Tegova in Oslo.  This was very enjoyable and I saw how highly respected Roger Messenger is amongst his European Counterparts and how well he has done for the Institute with European Valuers. Oslo was possibly the most expensive city I have visited ever but it was a very enjoyable trip notwithstanding. 

I have also spoken in Glasgow for the Scottish Association and at one or two National Events which have been very well attended.

My year is now three quarters over but there are still a number of events to come and I look forward to seeing more of you in the near future.

Richard is keynote speaker at Scottish Revenues Symposium

Richard was key note speaker earlier today at a highly successful Scottish Revenues Symposium in Glasgow :

You can download Richard's slides and those of other speakers here.

April update from the President

Richard's latest updates :

28 March 2014 -

I travelled to Wigan and then a short taxi ride to the Haydock Thistle for the Lancashire and Cheshire Association Dinner Dance. The last time I was in Haydock was to be in the winner’s enclosure with my horse at Haydock Park Racecourse. 

We had a very enjoyable evening and I was well looked after by my hosts. The event was very well supported. 

I left before breakfast Sunday to get home before lunch.   It is a pity the clocks went forward and an hour was lost!

2 April 2014 -

Tonight was the Dinner of the Thames Valley and Wessex Associations.   It was a full house of 80 for an informal dinner in the magnificent surroundings of Wokefield Park in Berkshire.    A very impressive place, the main mansion is a truly magnificent old building.    Although evening dress it was an event without formality.    I left at the end of dinner and once I had discovered that our table had lost the quiz and I hadn’t won the 6 foot high teddy bear in the raffle.  The remaining participants settled down to a concert by an Elvis tribute.

3 April 2014 -

I managed to get to two receptions this evening.

The first was the VAT Practitioners Group. They held their annual President’s reception in the magnificent setting of the Old Hall in Lincolns Inn.    This is the oldest part of Lincolns Inn and is panelled with stained glass windows and magnificent portraits of judges.   It figured in the opening of Dickens' Bleak House as it was where the case of Jarndyce v Jarndyce was heard.    The Hall was built in 1485. I arrived early and was made very welcome.    As soon as the President’s speech was over I made my apologies and scuttled over Waterloo Bridge to the British Film Institute and the President's Reception of the Association of Taxation Technicians.   I arrived there just in time for the President’s speech and then stayed to hear the entertainment which was Joe Stilgoe playing the piano and singing music from the films.    A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

4 April 2014 -

This was the occasion of my President’s Lunch for kindred institutes and associations.   21 of us met at the Goring Hotel for an excellent meal and very good company.    Guests came from the Upper Tribunal, CIPFA, various Treasurers Associations, RICS, RSA, Institutes of Taxation, Internal Auditors and IT, IPTI and others.    A very good mix and the opportunity to return hospitality shown by other bodies during the year.  The setting was very good but it was a shame the weather was not good enough to allow extensive use of the garden.   The President of the Institute of Clerk of Works was very excited to find that we and his Institute were formed in March 1882 and was wanting to know which day so we could establish the senior Institute!

Richard's March Update ...

Two more Presidential events after a quiet few weeks.    One of the nicest lunches is the lunch given by the Association of Accounting Technicians.  This was held in the Clothworkers Hall.  Another of the City Livery Companies their history goes back almost 500 years and the livery hall is a really magnificent place.

I am on the AAT Council as a representative of CIPFA which is a sponsoring body, so I was present at the Council Meeting before lunch.  Every year they invite the President and Chief Executive. 

It is a very informal gathering with a few welcoming remarks but no real speeches.

This week I was a guest at the dinner of the Society of Municipal Treasurers.  This Society has in membership the Treasurers of the Metropolitan Authorities and the London Boroughs.  I am also a Past President of this Society and was President in 1986.  At the time the youngest President they had had.

It is always encouraging to note that there are still 2 past Presidents who were Presidents before me alive and one of them at the dinner. 

We normally go to the home authority of the President which has made for some interesting journeys in past years.  This year’s President is from Peterborough but the dinner was in the Peers Dining Room at the House of Lords. A truly fantastic setting.  Lord Redesdale who greeted us said it was the best staff canteen there was.  The food and wines were really magnificent and a good time was had by all.

Next week it is the Lancashire and Cheshire Branch Dinner to look forward to.

The Annual Dinner of the London and Home Counties

This weekend was the Annual Dinner of the London and Home Counties Association.    This is held at one of the City Livery Halls, The Innholders’ Hall which is tucked away behind Cannon Street Station. 

The Hall is a wonderful setting for a formal dinner.    The Grand Dining Room is oak panelled and once lit with candles and candelabra it really does look beautiful.  There were, I think over 70 people and the meal was excellent.  The Innholders have a Michelin starred chef.  

The Guild dates back to the 1300s and moved to a Hall on the current site in 1521.  It was rebuilt in 1670 following the Great Fire and the Dining Room has been little altered since.