Tamsin Wallbank
Shwmae*, I’m Tamsin Wallbank, long-time ARC member and conference-goer but newish Committee member.
The last time I wrote an article for arcnews was in 2014. It was about equal marriage: the Same-Sex Marriage Act, had yet to become law and now we have equal marriage throughout the UK so it is time I write another article… this time more about me.
In the five years in between articles, I’ve got married to the wonderful Holly and now help care for two awesome children. Stepping further back in time to around the turn of the millennium I spent several years trying to find what I wanted to do after university. After a conversation with my mother where I made the prescient statement that I wanted an interesting and challenging job, she suggested I follow her into the Inland Revenue, so I joined in 2002.
My first role in the Revenue was an AA on the now defunct Movements team in Birmingham. My abiding memories of my first few days are of admiration for colleagues providing an exemplary service despite dated IT, decrepit buildings & labyrinthine guidance… as well as going home with ink spots over my face after spending the days filing inky P45s & fiddling with my glasses!
Outside work I’m the treasurer of Fair Trade Wales, (did you know Wales is the world’s first Fair Trade country?), I sit on the board of trustees for Brynawel House Rehab, and I’m a passionate allotmenteer and rugby fan.I wanted more of a challenge, so, having moved to a band O job, I applied for what was then ITS1 in 2003 and was rejected with the interesting feedback that I should think about applying for the G7 course. I did and was successful in the 2004 Inspector Development Programme trawl, moved from Birmingham to Cardiff and was promoted to G7 in 2008.
Since 2008 I’ve worked as an Aspect Caseworker in SME, Customer Relationship Manager in the HNWU, a Tax Professional Tutor, and currently I’m a Case Lead on a cross tax team in MSB in Cardiff. Outside work I’m the treasurer of Fair Trade Wales, (did you know Wales is the world’s first Fair Trade country?), I sit on the board of trustees for Brynawel House Rehab, and I’m a passionate allotmenteer and rugby fan.
My motivation for joining Committee was twofold: firstly I want to give back, in 2014 I felt a great deal of support from ARC and FDA colleagues and friends around equal marriage; and secondly around diversity and inclusion and being a critical friend to the department. The organisation I joined and HMRC now are vastly different and in areas improved, yet in a lot of ways little has changed. The Respect at Work Review sheds more light on these issues than the Nita Clarke review did in 2012 and we, I, must do something to change things for the better.
* A Welsh informal greeting, along the lines of a cheery “Hi”