July 2019 – Letter from the President
From Chester-le-Street to Dubrovnik via Leeds! An IRRV President’s life certainly brings variety
Dear reader
April ended with the third round of National Council meetings, at which the outcome of the working parties’ recommendations on the consultation and future strategy for the Institute was the topic which dominated the day. I’d urge all members to attend the AGM in Telford, to vote on the issues which need to be put before that meeting and learn more about the outcome of the consultation process.
The AGM season also continued apace, as I journeyed to the Northern Counties and the picturesque setting of Chester-le-Street and the County Cricket Ground. The event was preceded by a professional meeting on revenues collection, which brought together an audience from both local government and registered social landlords, thanks to the organisational ability of Council member Ian Ferguson. The day was topped off by an evening meal with the speakers and members of the Executive in the haunted Lumley Castle. For those who have not visited, it is certainly somewhere I’d recommend, if only for the history. Dating back to 1389, Lumley Castle holds stories of betrayal, war and was a favourite among visiting monarchs.
It was then my pleasure to attend the Spring Conference in Leeds, which, although I may be slightly biased, I thought was very successful for both delegates and exhibitors alike. It’s always slightly risky asking high profile speakers to address a conference and we did get off to a slightly shaky start as the first speaker on the benefit stream was unfortunately unable to get to us due to travel disruptions. However, Richard Harbord did a sterling job addressing the mixed audience of both revenues and benefits practitioners, on the topic of local government finance. As always, the event was an opportunity to catch up with suppliers and colleagues from other authorities and discuss the issues we’re all facing, albeit perhaps over a beverage or two in the hotel bar.
From Leeds, I had a quick turnaround at home before accompanying the Chief Executive to The European Group of Valuers' Associations (TEGoVA) event in Dubrovnik. TEGoVA represents a group of 71 valuers’ associations from 37 countries and is a truly international event, with representation from across Europe and across “the pond”, with delegates from the USA, Canada and indeed China. Now those of you who know me will realise that not only are my language skills limited (I can’t even speak Welsh!) but I am in no way an expert in valuation matters. Luckily, the Chief Executive had warned me about the language issue and headsets were available to ensure that we understood the presentations, with the help of simultaneous translation.
Following a fairly standard conference format, with presentations on the first day, the second was more of a United Nations style event with each Association sitting at a large table behind the flag of their nation and voting on various proposals, including whether to admit a new Portuguese association. The role of IRRV President is certainly not a dull one but is most certainly one which broadens your horizons. Although I’m still no expert on valuation, I do now know a little more about football, following an interlude at a local hostelry to watch the Watford match with our aforementioned Chief Executive, David Magor. Sadly the result didn’t go his or Watford’s way!
Yours,
Louise
Louise Freeth is President of the Institute
