Introduction

This 2010 conference has now taken place.  Further details of the 2011 conference will be announced on this site shortly.

This year marks a turning point for the public services.

The coalition Government has announced the first £6.2 billion of spending cuts and a wave of public sector reforms. Together, they form a picture of unprecedented change for the public services which will create new challenges and new risks for people managing public money and public services.

The coming years will require effective planning, difficult decisions, and confident leadership as the way public money is managed and spent comes under the spotlight as never before.

This year’s CIPFA annual conference aims to provide delegates with the strategic insight and skills they need to succeed in the challenges ahead.

The programme

Ahead of the first formal day of conference, all delegates are invited to an international seminar and a guest lecture, this year featuring former Lib Dem leader, the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP.

Day one of conference will open with Göran Persson, the former Prime Minister of Sweden.

In the early 1990s, with public debt doubling and the budget deficit increasing tenfold, Sweden faced similar challenges to those facing the UK in 2010. In an exclusive UK appearance, Göran will set out how he tackled the deficit and drove through reforms that are cited by many as models for the future of the UK public services.

 
On the second day of conference Sir Nicholas Montegu, who led the Inland Revenue through the greatest changes in its history, will present a masterclass on persuasive leadership and driving change forward.

Other plenary sessions will feature some of the best-known faces in the public services and politics in a blend of speeches and panel debates.