The moment Halloween was over, Mariah Carey was singing from our kitchen speakers about what she does and doesn't want for Christmas. I blame the US side of our family for bringing the big Halloween energy into our household, but it certainly wasn't to stay. As I told my Spotify-wielding kids, I can't even think about Christmas until we've had our annual celebrations at the Bookkeepers Summit and LUCA Awards, now less than two weeks away!
It’s also the busiest ICB November I can remember.
We’ve had the huge news that the FCA will be AML-regulating bookkeepers at some point in the future. What a major development for the profession. I believe all change brings opportunity, and this is no different. The FCA is an independent public body with a track record of raising standards and trying to encourage innovation. Being under its umbrella places bookkeepers firmly within the financial services ecosystem.
If you're in practice, I'm sure you’re wondering about costs and the potential for increased compliance burden. We hear you. ICB will keep representing members’ views to the FCA and pressing for proportionate treatment. We’ll support you with clear guidance (not scaremongering) on any new reporting, systems or supervision models as they appear.
On our own tech front: progress is happening, just not as fast as we planned. We kicked off the website/CRM project two years ago and then hit delays and quality issues in testing. As a result, the snazzy new website I promised you isn't ready yet and we've had to reset the plan. We're also bringing in new technical help to get things moving again, without compromising security or member data. I’ll share real dates and real progress when I have them. In the meantime, core services continue and you’ll see incremental improvements rather than a big-bang switch.
One such, almost-invisible, improvement is that we’re moving to Microsoft’s newest web servers. That’ll sort the intermittent SSL issue which meant that our website's security certificate became invisible to Google at random. This move will also bring back geo-location on the Events and Practice Directory maps.
Members of the Advisory Council have already seen a working AML Online prototype that we've been working on. After the FCA announcement, nothing changes today so keep using AML Online as usual. As the FCA picture firms up, we may tweak how AML Online looks and what it does so it maps cleanly to any new supervisory requirements, but always with practicality for bookkeepers front and centre.
Now, let's talk about
Summit! We start in-person on Monday 17 November at the QEII Centre, London. Think lovely hugs, lots of energy and, later that night, the LUCA Awards. Then we switch to two virtual days on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 November, so you can keep working and still load up on CPD.
Why carve out time for the Virtual days?
Because this year’s online line-up is designed for action:
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Practical money & tax for real life with Rachel Harris - clear, usable steps for clients and your own business.
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AML essentials from ICB’s Professional Standards Team - short, sharp, and confidence-building.
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Your app stack, de-fluffed - how to choose tools that actually fit a bookkeeping practice (Natasha Everard & Lara Manton C.MICB).
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Tax headlines explained with Paul Aplin OBE - what matters and why.
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MTD for IT, minus the panic - stress-saving client comms and process tips (hosted with FreeAgent).
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How not to get hacked (Trevor Bradfield), social that brings enquiries (Bev Flanagan), and staying sane as a solo bookkeeper (Clare Kendall C.FICB & Laura Murphy C.MICB PM.Dip).
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Purpose with proof - how to report carbon impact (Penelope Allard FICB PM.Dip& Kathryn Frimmond) and the win-win-win of skills-based volunteering (Alex Marsh)
If you only do one thing this November: come to the
Bookkeepers Summit - in-person on Monday to reconnect IRL, then block your diary for the virtual days to upgrade your processes from home. Full dates again: 17 Nov (in person), 19–20 Nov (online).
I know you're busy, but I also know you won't regret carving out the time to focus on yourself and your career. In a way, it's more pampering than a spa day. I say this because I wouldn't dream of booking a spa day at this time of year, what with everything going on in the industry right now. Also, on the home front, I’m attempting the world’s smallest house move - 0.02 miles down the road to secure a better school place for my firstborn who somehow just turned 11. Apparently, the local academy favours isolation rooms and detentions for corridor chat, which doesn’t pass my “kids should love learning” test. Wish me luck with filling in the forms and squeezing into the right catchment area.
See you at QEII in two weeks' time, and then back online in slippers with a fresh notebook. Let’s close the year on a high: clearer on regulation, closer as a community and, above all, recognising that every day's a school day and loving it!
Best wishes,
Ami
