Insights archive
Happy new year to you all, and I hope 2026 is a fantastic and exciting year. Ah yes, LGR, local elections, and a fresh dose of Donald Trump inspired international chaos. Come back 2025,…
Read articleSeason’s greetings from everyone at Visionary Network and the Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group. As we wrap up for Christmas, we wanted to share a quick look back at the themes we have covered…
Read articleThe latest Independent R&B Monday Discussion Group opened with Malcolm Gardner welcoming regulars and new faces and acknowledging that, while few people were genuinely excited by the Budget, it was bound to dominate the…
Read articleSummary of participant views – 24 November 2025 This week’s Monday Discussion Group opened with a sense of déjà vu. With the Budget only days away, Malcolm Gardner remarked that most of its contents…
Read articleThis week’s Independent R&B Monday Discussion Group gathered to explore the newly released English Indices of Deprivation, with a lively and often sobering conversation ranging from coastal poverty to housing costs, data-sharing barriers and…
Read articleIndependent Revenues & Benefits Monday Discussion Group10 November 2025 The latest Monday Discussion Group, chaired by Malcolm Gardner, explored pension credit take-up, changes to notional pension income rules, and the real impact of the…
Read articleIndependent R&B Monday Discussion Group – 20 October 2025 The latest Independent R&B discussion opened with Malcolm Gardner wryly noting that the week’s agenda looked like “a bit of a hodgepodge”—ranging from procurement headaches…
Read articleThe Independent Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group met on 6 October 2025, where we covered everything from conferences and the new Trafford case to the joys of AI fraud investigators. Sadly, due to technical…
Read articleThe Independent Revenues and Benefits Discussion Group on 22 September 2025 centred on the High Court’s decision to quash Trafford Council’s council tax reduction (CTR) scheme. While members acknowledged the unlawful process and flawed…
Read articleThe Appointment and Departmental Restructure Keir Starmer’s September 2025 reshuffle, following Angela Rayner’s resignation, created one of the most significant departmental shifts of his premiership. Pat McFadden MP (Wolverhampton South East) has been appointed…
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