Evaluation of police and fire reform year 4: summary of evidence

Reform Aim 1: To protect and improve local services despite financial cuts, by stopping duplication of support services eight times over and not cutting front line services.

Police Scotland

• Aim 1 is referred to in evidence produced by the SPA as part of the 'Scottish Police Authority: Three Year Financial Plan 2018/19 to 2020/21'. In the financial plan it sets out how the SPA and Police Scotland can deliver a balanced budget by the beginning of 2020/21 and support the delivery of the Policing 2026 Three Year Implementation Plan. This plan outlines the investment in ICT, transformation and despite the need to make savings that key investments planned over the next three years will lead to the enhancement of operational effectiveness.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

• The publicly available evidence from 2018 relating to aim 1 for SFRS comes from Audit Scotland.
• The Audit Scotland 'Scottish Fire and Rescue Service: An update' reports that SFRS continue to deliver emergency and prevention services whilst progressing a complex and ambitious programme of reform. The report also notes that SFRS has strong financial management and has developed a good approach to long-term financial planning and is now in a position to progress with transformation.
• Challenges identified early in the reform journey include the financial resources needed to maintain and invest in its property, vehicles and equipment. This challenge is described as 'insurmountable' without transforming its current model for delivering services and additional investment. However, SFRS' current revenue outlook is identified as more positive than in 2015. It is deemed to be imperative that SFRS uses transformation to review and develop options for how it can reshape its property, vehicles and equipment to meet the needs of a modern service while also being financially sustainable.
• The SFRS Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2018, acknowledges the financial challenges faced by the service particularly due to austerity facing the public sector but states that a Long Term Financial Strategy 2017-2027 has been prepared which explores opportunities for more collaborative working.

Key Point

• The evidence published in 2018 suggests that both Police Scotland and SFRS are developing long-term financial planning to progress with transformation in response to continuing budgetary pressures.