Hot Topics in police and fire finance 2025

Event

Event summary

This webinar provides an update on the latest hot topics in finance and accounting for police forces, OPCCs and fire and rescue authorities and services.

Police & Fire, FAN Network and AFEP subscribers can use their prepaid places to attend.

Date

18 November 2025
Starts: 10:00
Ends: 15:30

Location

online

Standard price

£375.00 excl VAT

Network Member Price

£315.00 excl VAT

Book now

About this event

The workshop includes an environmental update on finance and policy issues as well as the latest commentary on financial management and reporting hot topics impacting the sector. The hot topics event will also cover details of any technical accounting matters including the latest changes to the Accounting Code and FAQs received by FAN, as well as updates on governance and audit developments, including the latest position on local audits in England.

Who should attend?

Chief Financial Officers, Heads of Finance and accountants from police forces, OPCCs and fire and rescue authorities/services. The session may also be of benefit to other members of police and fire staff.

How will you benefit from attending?

By attending the webinar you will:

  • Hear the latest strategic and policy developments facing the police and fire sectors
  • Receive an update on changes to the Code of Practice for Local Authority Accounting in the UK, including the latest consultations and developments
  • Consider the latest hot topics and FAQs that might impact on fire and police bodies and services
  • Find out about the latest audit and governance developments
  • Discuss issues with colleagues from other forces, OPCCs and fire and rescue authorities

CPD hours

This carries 4.5 CPD hours.

Topics

  • Accounting
  • / Capital finance
  • / Financial management
  • / Financial reporting
  • / Governance
  • / Police

Speaker - David Ellis, FAN Advisor, CIPFA

David Ellis

David joined CIPFA in July 2012 as a FAN advisor, after a 30 year career in local government. He spent several years as chief accountant with key responsibilities for the statement of accounts.

David has an extensive technical knowledge and practical understanding of local authority financial statements and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)-based Code of Practice, and uses that wealth of knowledge and experience to provide support and guidance to practitioners across local government in his established role as FAN advisor. David qualified with CIPFA back in 1989 and uses his passion for understanding the evolving technical aspects of local authority accounting to provide support to finance staff at a practical level. As the pressures on local government funding and services continue to bite, CIPFA's FAN support is becoming an ever-important lifeline for busy practitioners in helping them prepare for and manage the changes in financial reporting and accounting required to comply with the code of practice.

Email: david.ellis@cipfa.org
Tel: 07879 665950

Speaker - Alison Dewhirst, Police & Fire Associate Advisor

Photo of Alison Dewhirst

Alison has worked in and for policing for over 30 years since her first days as a researcher for City of London Police. Alison is passionate about the practical aspects of policy implementation, analysing how initiatives fit together in the bigger picture of policing as a whole.

During her 21 years working as the Police Advisor for CIPFA, she endeavoured to examine these issues and to share good practice being developed by forces and consider their application to other areas, through the CIPFA Police and Fire Network. More recently, she was also involved in the establishment and running of the Achieving Financial Excellence in Policing (AFEP) programme.

Alison was involved in the financial and governance aspects of police reform, including the introduction of police and crime commissioners (PCCs) in 2012 and legislation to allow PCCs to take on the governance of fire and rescue services in 2017. Alison has worked closely with the Home Office, HMICFRS, National Audit Office and Audit Wales over many years. Since leaving CIPFA in December 2021, Alison undertakes consultancy projects in policing and is a police and fire associate advisor for CIPFA.

Alison has an Honours degree in Economics from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and a Master’s degree in Politics (public policy) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.