Cost, cuts and the future of audit along with Government plans for a radical overhaul of public services are all on the programme for the annual Cipfa conference says Dermott Calpin.

'Follow the Money' may be the title of the official history of the Audit Commission but it is an everyday concern for members of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Cipfa has chosen the theme 'The new public services landscape' for its annual conference at The ICC in Birmingham next week July 5-7 and with MPs in the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee poised to give their verdict on the future of district audit, the long slow demise of the commission will be just one of the topics on the minds of delegates.

The institute has been at the forefront of criticism of the way in which the decision to abolish the commission has been handled by the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and of the claims that it will lead to 'really significant savings' of at least £50m by 2015.

Chief executive Steve Freer has warned'there's a risk of fees increasing' with many local authorities – particularly small councils in more inaccessible areas or who suffered from reputation problems facing problems in securing audit services at reasonable costs.

CIPFA's director of policy, Ian Carruthers, has also said that the Government plans leave a number of significant questions unanswered and has warned of the complexity of winding down the Audit Commission:'The timetable is certainly challenging, both for the Audit Commission to manage an outsourcing project of this magnitude and for the market to respond adequately. It is crucial that the new arrangements offer good value for money at a time when public finances are stretched. CIPFA is also concerned that the skills and experience of the current audit staff, many of whom are our members, are not lost.'

The whole issue of costs and the implications of the Government's programme of major cuts in spending combined with a parallel programme for a radical overhaul of public services provides the backbone of Cipfa's programme and will be a recurring theme at conference.

Shared services, the transparency agenda,new audit arrangements, GP commissioning, the Big Society, Local Enterprise Partnerships and localism are among the major topics lined up for debate and discussion.

With some 14,000 members working in local government, the health service public, national government departments and audit agencies as well as in major accountancy firms, and in other bodies where public money is managed, it is not without reason that the Cipfa conference is billed as the 'public finance event of the year' with a line-up of compelling speakers.

Richard Koo, chief economist at the Nomura Research Institute will provide a global overview for conference with a speech on'Lessons from Japan's Great depression'to be followed by an address from Paul Johnson, director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies who promises to take a critical look at the UK’s pubic finances and ask:'How are we doing?'

Mr Johnson has recently warned that the Government may have to rethink its plans on spending cuts, writing in the magazine Prospect he has said:'Cuts on this scale have not been attempted in modern times, let alone delivered. Even the NHS, protected from deep cuts, faces its toughest times in a generation.

'More worrying for the Government would be a return to recession or a really significant downgrade of the Office for Budget Responsibility's estimates of growth.Were that to happen, we might well need a macroeconomic plan B,'he wrote.

Philip Blond, director of ResPublica and author of 'Red Tory' will be joined on stage by the free school advocate and Spectator writer Toby Young for a discussion entitled:'Beyond the rhetoric Can the Big Society Deliver?'

Margaret Hodge MP, chair of the Public Account Committee; Lord Bichard, a senior fellow and first executive director at the Institute for Government; Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Stephanie Neely, treasurer of Chicago will also address conference.

Issue of costs and the implications of the Government's programme of major cuts in spending combined with a parallel programme for a radical overhaul of public services provides the backbone of Cipfa’s programme and will be a recurring theme at conference.

* Chris Bilsland, the Chamberlain of the City of London, will take over as the new president of Cipfa from Jaki Meekings Davis.

Previously a lead financial adviser to the Local Government Association, representing county council interests, Chris is a past President of the Society of County Treasurers and has been an elected member of CIPFA Council for the past 10 years.

Chris was appointed as Chamberlain of the City of London in February 2007. He acts as the corporation's financial adviser, accountant, receiver and paymaster being responsible for the authority's local and private/trust funds.

The Chamberlain's post dates back to 1237 and Chris is the 79th person to hold the office in an unbroken line, with historic, civic and ceremonial responsibilities that include admitting people to the Freedom of the City and being responsible for the liaison, advice and guidance to livery companies on matters of protocol, procedure, ceremony and governance.

Chris began his career in local government in 1972 at Doncaster where he qualified as a Cipfa accountant in 1976. After working at Derby as chief auditor he then joined Deloitte Haskins and Sells in 1982.

Chris re-joined local government in 1987 at Hampshire County Council with a particular brief on business planning before being appointed county treasurer at Somerset in 1991 and held that post until it was abolished in 2004 and he was reappointed as corporate director of resources with responsibilities including finance, human resources, information technology, property, customer services and contract services.

Jaki Meekings Davis, a director of MD Associates, was the president of CIPFA for 2010-11 . She trained and worked in local government and in the water industry for 15 years before joining the NHS in 1990. She is a former chairman of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Between 1999 and 2007 she was director of specialised commissioning for NHS South of England and previously the South West Region.