Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal June 2005 Volume 3 (3)

CILIPS Conference

Financing frontline services

"...make a case which highlights your contribution to the Executive's wider social and economic strategy."

Professor Arthur Midwinter, Budget Adviser to the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee, and government expert, set out to explain why "public libraries face the prospect of spending cuts in a time of plenty". He offered predictions about financial implications facing frontline library services and finally some valuable advice.

Scottish local government funding continues a post-devolution trend of falling as a proportion of the Scottish Budget – and public libraries are a low priority in the local government settlement.

Efficiency savings are also in place, exacerbated for public libraries by the fact that pay provision for education, police and fire is exempt from efficiency gains, concentrating the budget savings on other services.

Therefore despite the Executive's commitment to promote "excellent public services" in the Spending Review 2004, and to release resources to frontline services, in practice the financial context will be more constrained.

"My expectation is that local authorities will tackle the grant reductions through a combination of savings, council tax increases and creative accounting." he said. Any budget savings which do not cut services are acceptable to the Executive.

Growth monies are targeted on education, police, fire and social work, with small funding packages for initiatives in environmental improvement and transport.

He went on to state why Councils are limited in their freedom to exercise choice: core funding for the public library service is provided through a block allocation, the Revenue Support Grant. It is built up on adding funding for specific new developments to the baseline. "In practice, budgets are dominated by inherited commitments."

The Executive has shifted the emphasis of spending control away from totals to programmes.

Finally he offered some advice: "I would therefore advise you – as a professional association – to highlight the impact of such developments on your services in a rigorous and objective way to Parliament, press and public. In particular, there is a need for robust analysis of:

• Efficiency Savings, which tend to over-promise and under-deliver;
• The contribution your service can make to economic efficiency and social inclusion;
• Your services spending needs for Spending Review 2006.

It is no longer sufficient to make a professional case for resources for your services, but to make a case which highlights your contribution to the Executive's wider social and economic strategy."

Arthur Midwinter is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Public Sector Accounting Research at The University of Edinburgh.

Information Scotland Vol. 3 (3) Volume 2005

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