Richard Tettenborn, president of CIPFA in 1994/95, died on February 10, aged 70.
Richard had the most successful and distinguished of careers in local government, commencing as a graduate trainee accountant in 1963 at Derbyshire County Council. Richard qualified with an Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants Gold Medal in 1967, although characteristically he gave credit for his success to the excellent training facilities in place for Derbyshire trainees.
Richard quickly moved on to Sutton Council, Surrey, where he enjoyed working under the inspirational Terry Cheetham. By 1970 he was back on the shire county circuit, first as an assistant county treasurer at West Sussex, his native county, and then in Wales as deputy county treasurer at Mid-Glamorgan and in 1980 as county treasurer at South Glamorgan. By 1992, despite loving life in Cardiff, Richard felt the need to move on, and when the county treasurer position became vacant at Staffordshire he seized the opportunity and spent the rest of his highly successful career there.
In 1993, Richard was awarded the OBE in recognition of what he regarded as one of his major achievements – the shaping of the Welsh Rate Support Grant system – and in 1994 he was elected CIPFA’s president. A senior colleague was full of praise for Richard’s ‘tireless working and commitment to integrity and technical rigour’ on behalf of the institute.
It was Richard’s tremendous energy that enabled him to do so much. His work for CIPFA went well beyond his presidential year, as did his activities on behalf of the Society of County Treasurers where he was honorary co-secretary for five years, honorary treasurer for nine years and president in 1992/93. Richard was also for many years a commissioner of the Public Works Loans Board, and after retiring from Staffordshire was president of the Police Authority Treasurers’ Society.
Many will also recall Richard’s interest and involvement in sport, particularly cricket and rugby, about which he could be passionate. They would also recall his devotion to his wife, Sue, and their son, Mark. He will be missed by them and all his friends. The institute has lost, in the words of one former colleague, ‘the model CIPFA volunteer’.
