Username:
Email:
USER ID: 0
Our Advisory Team and Associates
Lee Geraghty
Managing Director
Lee is a CIPFA qualified accountant, with 20 years of local government finance experience.
A national expert on local government funding and the business rates retention system, he leads LG Futures’ funding team, supporting our clients through the ever-changing funding landscape.
A key aspect of his role over the past 10 years has involved working with authorities to optimise their outcomes from the business rates retention system.
His work has included support to over 20 local authority areas, covering 150+ local authorities, increasing local resources by more than £150m.
Lee is also responsible for LG Futures’ Medium-Term Revenue Resource model, which provides continuously updated five-year forecasts to over 130 individual authorities on business rates retention modelling and its integration within local government funding.
Lee has led work for the DLUHC Select Committee on Reforming Local Authority Needs Assessment, focusing on the potential implications of business rates retention and the reset, and was also a member of DLUHC’s working group on the development of the potential ‘alternative business rates model’.
He is currently assisting interest groups and individual local authorities in identifying funding concerns and supporting lobbying cases to government.
Lee was previously lead consultant for CIPFA’s Financial Management Consultancy in England, having also worked for Birmingham and Leicester City Councils.
Outside of work, you’re likely to find Lee either swimming, poolside coaching or watching his beloved Manchester United.
Chris Chaplin-Roberts
Assistant Director
Chris is a CIPFA prize-winner and a financial analysis and modelling expert. He leads on LG Futures’ support to local authorities and pools on risks regarding business rates retention and the associated implications for medium-term financial planning.
He continues to support the London Pilot, the UK’s largest business rates pool, liaising with all 34 London authorities and providing advice and training to finance officers across London.
Further specialist areas that Chris advises on include, revenue and capital accounting; income generation reviews; local government reorganisation; and Freeport and Development Corporation areas.
He has served as scheme member representative on the Local Pension Board for Hertfordshire’s Local Government Pension Scheme, as well as being a member of CIPFA Council, CIPFA’s Sustainability Forum and CIPFA’s Examination Panel.
Chris has worked for County, District, and London Borough councils, including, most recently at the City of London Corporation.
In his free time, Chris is a keen musician and chorister, and volunteers as an Independent Examiner for the Berkeley Ensemble music charity.
Caroline Newman
Lead Advisor
Caroline is a CIPFA qualified accountant and a CIPFA Fellowship Member, nationally renowned for her technical accounting expertise, specialising in improving Collection Fund accounting processes, as well as more wide-ranging closedown support and review of accounts.
For the last 10 years, Caroline has been central to the development of the business rates retention system, working closely with DLUHC since the inception of the scheme. This has included developing accounting requirements and delivering training courses to upskill hundreds of practitioners.
She currently leads LG Futures’ advice and training to local authorities on our Collection Fund Suite, a comprehensive set of three inter-related modules, dedicated to improving Collection Fund Accounting, Monitoring and Budgeting.
Most recently, Caroline was a Finance Advisor for CIPFA’s Finance Advisory Network, providing support and technical advice to more than 200 local authorities across the country.
When not working, Caroline runs with her dog, sings with a choir and is heavily involved in her local amateur dramatics society; performing, writing and choreographing, in addition to volunteering as their treasurer.
Jude Ranasinghe
Founder Director
Jude qualified with CIPFA in 1999 and leads LG Futures’ work with central government; in particular, assessing the financial impact of government policies and developing new funding formulae.
This has involved high-profile projects commissioned by the DLUHC; DHSC; DfE; DEFRA; and DWP, working closely with local authorities and schools, including giving evidence to the DLUHC Select Committee.
Recent work has involved the review and development of new adult and children’s social care funding formulae, as part of the Fair Funding Review.
Jude has extensive experience reviewing and identifying best practice financial management arrangements at major central government departments, numerous local authorities and other public sector organisations.
He also supports local authorities by undertaking a strategic assessment of the scope for savings, in the context of the current financial climate, including comprehensive income generation reviews.
Prior to founding LG Futures, Jude led CIPFA’s Financial Management Consultancy. He also worked at Birmingham CC as Chief Accountant, with responsibility for revenue/capital budget planning, and at Leicester CC.
When not working, Jude is a devoted fitness fanatic; in particular, CrossFit and weightlifting, and an avid fine wine collector.
Rupert Dewhirst
Associate Consultant
Rupert is a CIPFA qualified accountant, with a track record of advising on financial strategy and medium-term financial planning across local government.
Rupert programmes and delivers LG Futures’ regular series of regional webinars and locally delivered events, with a particular focus upon financial planning and funding issues.
He also develops content for, and provides advice to clients subscribed to, our Resource Planning Hub, which supports the robustness of local authorities’ future planning.
Rupert is highly aware of the day-to-day challenges in financial planning; in particular, through working for nearly 10 years supporting Cumbria CC in the delivery of its medium-term financial plans, administering the local business rates pool, and, most recently, through the development of financial plans for the new unitary councils being set up in Cumbria from April 2023.
Rupert was previously Head of Networks at CIPFA, leading a team of more than 40 professionals to deliver a wide range of specialist resource management advice to local government clients. He also previously worked at Bradford MDC, in a variety of senior finance roles.
Rupert is likely to be spending his leisure time gardening; walking (recently completing the Dalesway); playing tennis; and watching Liverpool FC with his son. He’s also delighted that the rest of the world has caught up with his youthful passion for all things Marvel!
Aivaras Statkevičius
Associate Consultant
Aivaras is a CIPFA member, with 12 years of experience in local government finance; primarily, in an advocacy role at the Local Government Association, where he most recently held the role of Principal Local Government Finance Policy Adviser.
In his LGA roles, he was responsible for producing new policy and building an evidence-based case for appropriate funding of local government services and fiscal devolution to the local level. This involved engaging with government departments and politicians, and supporting wider campaigns, public relations and Parliamentary affairs.
He has presented to large sector audiences, such as the LGA’s annual finance conference and IRRV annual conference.
His specialisms include policy making, supported by robust analysis, on meeting councils’ medium-term financial challenges; Spending Reviews; Budgets; and other government financial set pieces. This has included driving the LGA’s work on funding distribution reforms; supporting the LGA’s work on adult social care finance and reform; and leading on analysis in support of work on the local government finance settlement.
Specific projects completed by Aivaras include, modelling of future cost pressures facing local government; modelling the impact of the proposed new adult social care relative needs formulae; and analysis of local authority data to estimate the impact of COVID-19.
Previously, Aivaras worked at London Councils in a similar capacity, and at LB Ealing prior to this.
In addition to his work with LG Futures, he advises the Lithuanian government on local government reform.
Outside of the office, he enjoys spending time with family, cycling, playing video games and is never too far away from a puzzle magazine and a notepad for poems.
Caroline Baker
Associate Consultant
Caroline is a CIPFA qualified accountant with over 20 years of local government finance experience.
Her work focuses on data collection and quality assurance of LG Futures’ suite of financial and social care benchmarking reports, in addition to working on income generation reviews for local authorities.
Caroline was previously Finance Manager at Birmingham City Council, where her roles included budget preparation and corporate revenue monitoring, together with the completion of key central government financial returns.
Outside of work, Caroline is a keen runner and also volunteers at her local food bank.
