CIPFA South East Regional Spring Conference

Event summary

CIPFA South East Region would like to invite you to the Annual Spring Conference. The theme for the conference is Budget and Beyond.

Date

07 May 2025
Starts: 08:45
Ends: 17:00

Location

Grant Thornton
30 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1AG
[See map]

Standard price

£0.00 excl VAT

Network Member Price

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About this event

Who should attend this event?

All students, graduates and members from the South East Region. All Public Sector professionals from the South East Region.

How will you benefit from attending this event?

Networking Opportunities: The event provides ample opportunities to network with industry peers, experts and professionals.
Access to Expert Knowledge: The conference features several high-level speakers, including Professor Tony Travers from the London School of Economics, Andi Orlowski from NHS England, and other prominent figures. You’ll gain insights into the UK's economic and political landscape, as well as the future of local government, healthcare economics, and public sector resilience.
Thought Leadership & Practical Insight: You’ll get the chance to explore key topics such as:
- The challenges and solutions for local government.
- The role of finance professionals in addressing health inequalities.
- Implications of the 2025 ZM Global Risk Report for public sector resilience.
- Strategies for navigating local government reorganisation and devolution.
Career Development: This event is free to attend for CIPFA members and offers CPD (Continuing Professional Development) credits, which can help in advancing your career and meeting professional development goals.
New Ideas for Transformation: You'll hear about innovative approaches to designing successful transformation strategies and new delivery models from leading organisations like Oracle and Norse Group.

CPD Hours

This event carries 7.5 CPD hours.

Agenda

08:50-09:20: Delegate Registration & Networking refreshments

09:25-09:30: Welcome to delegates and introduction to the Spring Conference by John Barker, CIPFA South East Regional President 2023/25 (Conference Chair) & Guy Clifton, Director at Grant Thornton UK LLP (Conference Venue Host)

09:30-10:15: Professor Tony Travers, London School of Economics and Political Science - scanning the UK's economic and political horizon (our traditional keynote opener!)

10:15-10:45: Jenny McArdle, Director, 31ten Consulting - 'The future for local government' a 31ten Consulting thought leadership publication. Sharing extracts from this Autumn 2024 commentary addressing the ongoing challenges - and offering some solutions - for the changing landscape of public service delivery.

10:45-11:00: Refreshment & networking break

11:00-11:30: Andi Orlowski, Director, Health Economics Unit, NHS England - 'Rebalancing Resources to create a more sustainable NHS' - the critical role of finance professionals when addressing health inequalities.

11:30-12:15: Alix Bedford, Risk Proposition Manager, Zurich Municipal - Key messages from the 2025 ZM Global Risk Report and some focused implications for UK Public Sector resilience forecasts.

12:15-13:00: Panel Session with the morning presenters.

13:00-14:00: Buffet Lunch and networking (Exhibitor Displays)

14:00-14:45: Grant Thornton Host, 'Navigating the future: The dual challenge of local government reorganisation and devolution' - drawing on insights from the March 2025 joint report ' Dual Delivery' by Grant Thornton and the Institute for Government.

14:45-15:15: Andrew Chappell, Senior Quality Manager, Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd - The proposals for a Local Audit Office - the influences, responsibilities and timescales.

(13:15-15:15: Bookable 30 minute breakout sessions for demonstrations of the City of London Corporation's AI Bots for HR, procurement and finance interfaces. - Facilitated by Zakki Ghauri (IT Director) and Jamie Shah (Senior Finance Team Leader - Continuous Improvement) from City of London Corporation.

15:15-15:30: Refreshment & networking break

15:30-16:15: Fiona MacAdoo, Transformation Director, Oracle & A Norse Group Speaker - Designing successful transformation strategies and new delivery models

16:15-16:45: Carol Culley MBE, CIPFA President - CIPFA Presidential Address

16:45-17:00: Nicki Cooper, CIPFA South East Regional President 2025/26 - Conference conclusions and closure for 16:50

AAT Workshop & networking briefing sessions on offer during the day - Hosted by Christina Earls, Past President AAT, Past President CIPFA South West.

Speaker - Guy Clifton, Head of Local Government Advisory, Grant Thornton

Guy is a member of Grant Thornton's public sector assurance practice and is head of Local Government Advisory. He is also a member of Grant Thornton's national Local Government Board. A CIPFA-qualified accountant, Guy joined Grant Thornton in 2007 where he has held a number of senior assurance and advisory roles, including national lead for Grant Thornton's Value for Money work.

Before joining Grant Thornton, he was a managing consultant within RSM Robson Rhodes public sector advisory practice for five years. Prior to this, he spent 12 years in local government holding a number of operational roles, including Head of Finance of a London borough. His focus over the past decade has been local government improvement and he is currently supporting clients in relation to finance, governance, and collaboration solutions. Guy has spoken at many regional and national events and has had numerous articles published.

He is also the author of Grant Thornton's three national reports on the financial health of local government: 'Surviving the Storm' (December 2011), 'Towards a Tipping Point?' (December 2012) and 'Tipping Point 2016? – Challenging the Current' (December 2013).

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Speaker - Prof Tony Travers, Director of LSE London

Tony Travers is Director of LSE London, a research centre at the London School of Economics. He is also a visiting professor in the LSE’s Government Department. His key research interests include local and regional government and public service reform. He is currently an adviser to the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee and the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. He has published a number of books on cities and government, including Failure in British Government, The Politics of the Poll Tax (with David Butler and Andrew Adonis), Paying for Health, Education and Housing: How does the Centre Pull the Purse Strings (with Howard Glennerster and John Hills) and The Politics of London: Governing the Ungovernable City.

Speaker - Carol Culley OBE, Commissioner, Woking Borough Council, CIPFA President

Carol's most recent role was Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer at Manchester City Council. She was the Council’s Section 151 Officer and has responsibility for Finance and Procurement, Commercial Governance, Revenues and Benefits and Customer, Internal Audit, HROD, ICT and Capital Programme Delivery. Carol led Manchester’s transformation programme and the Zero Carbon Action Plan, whilst also serving as the Senior Responsible Officer for Factory International and Our Town Hall projects. 

Her previous roles in Manchester include Assistant Chief Executive for Finance and Performance, and Assistant Director of Finance and Commissioning for Social Services.   Carol has a wealth of experience in financial management, governance and assurance and fulfilling trustee roles.   She is CIPFA qualified, has a diploma in management and is a member of the CIPFA Council. Carol is CIPFA President for the year 2024/2025.