IRRV Annual Conference and Exhibition 2009
An insight into this year’s event by Phil Pettit - ICT Programme Manager Colchester Borough Council
With over 500 registered delegates, a packed exhibition hall and a busy conference schedule, this year’s IRRV proved yet another invaluable opportunity to glean further insights into the local authority landscape in which we operate.
The recession has seen benefits boom, but benefit admin grants shrink, council tax collection fall, non domestic revaluation continue and market rents drop. So as we face these tough challenges, the 2009 conference programme focused heavily on encouraging delegates to consider, discuss and find solutions to tackle issues including: the reform of council tax, the revaluation and enforcement reform, and the wide debate on administration of revenues and benefits.
In addition, the all important exhibition and performance village opened many eyes to a wider selection of supplier solutions that can support and facilitate our operations across the board.
But as always, the real benefit of IRRV is the capacity to talk to your peers, discuss your issues and learn from others about what has and hasn’t worked in overcoming the difficulties we face and what is becoming known as ‘best practice’ in the world of revenues and benefits.
One of my highlights of IRRV 2009 was being asked by Bacs, the not for profit organisation behind Direct Debit and Bacs Direct Credit, to support their event activity.
This year Bacs used IRRV to launch a set of unique integrated marketing materials, aimed to better equip local authorities to deliver targeted communications to enhance Direct Debit council tax take up. And there was certainly appetite for the marketing tools, as delegates begin to appreciate the benefits and potential opportunities that tailored and finely targeted marketing campaigns can achieve.
I was also delighted to have been asked to take part in an extremely well attended interactive discussion session. Joined by representatives from a number of local authorities across the UK and fellow panellists Andrew Burton, Head of Revenues and Customer Services at Bassetlaw District Council and Howard Middlemiss, Revenues Manager from Sunderland City Council, we actively debated best practice in driving council tax Direct Debit collections in a recession.
As one would expect, 2009 has seen many of us unable to commit vast amount of resource to this area, with little scope to make concerted efforts to roll out targeted marketing campaigns - myself included, despite knowing first hand the results they can yield.
For any council, even those lucky enough to have hit above the average penetration rate, one thing came to light - there is still scope to increase Direct Debit take up, retain those customers you already have, and prevent Direct Debit ‘churn’ that may result from the recession.
Together the panellists and delegates discussed our own council tax collection experiences, and heard compelling insights from Michael Chambers, managing director at Bacs, and Mike Hutchinson, head of marketing at Bacs, on the capacity to deliver appealing campaigns that will ensure Direct Debit works harder for local authorities.
Interesting feedback was given on a range of issues including: how to overcome the inability to offer incentives for council tax Direct Debit and the role prize draws can play - which have proved lucrative for Sunderland City Council, where the prize of winning tickets to the Stadium of Light was highly successful, as well the value of Direct Debit collection against alternative payment methods such as paypoints and the now decreasing, cash offices options.
But despite debate and discussion the end message was clear – there is no better time to think about adapting existing, or adopting new strategies to reinvigorate your council tax collection.
As IRRV 2009 drew to a close once again I was reminded of what a fruitful and worthwhile experience the events are for myself and my peers. My congratulations go to all those who were named winners at the Performance Awards and I look forward to IRRV 2010 in Harrogate.
For more information on Bacs at IRRV or the new marketing materials contact Dawneth Perry, Event and Communications Manager on 07980 797 356 or via e-mail: d.perry@bacsservices.co.uk or visit the Bacs web site at www.bacs.co.uk/irrv .