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So, how will our public services weather the current economic storm in the next 12 months? Will the credit crunch gloom overshadow the modernisation agenda, or will the public sector fortuitously avoid the worst of the fallout from a financial slump? Of course, you do not really need to be an economist to see the cause and effect of an economic downturn on frontline services. Less tax revenue from individuals and businesses will obviously mean, somewhere down the line, less money for local government, health, education and transport. Add to that the already-difficult fiscal position the Government finds itself in, and the future looks far from sunny. Following in the wake of ‘boom ‘n bust' is something the public sector has had to get used to over the years. Looking back over the last decade, however, perhaps we should have been a tad more sceptical when Gordon Brown told us he had reinvented the economic cycle, and under his stewardship, ‘busts' were a thing of the past. Surely, we cannot be that surprised that we are – once again – staring into a future of public spending cuts after several bountiful years of central government largess. Public sector organisations are required to pull off an impressive balancing act... deliver successful – and ever-improving – services against a backdrop of spending cuts. Needless to say, this is where finance professionals really start to earn their money. The decisions made today by finance managers will impact directly on the services the public experience tomorrow. Informing those decisions is where we at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy come in. Providing our members with information on the latest policy developments, ideas on best practice, and advice on regulations and obligations help them make those decisions easier. Whether it is the potential of shared services, lean systems thinking or emergency planning, we can offer choices based on up-to-the-minute knowledge. This year's CIPFA annual conference in Brighton will, therefore, be a key event in the public sector calendar in 2008. We bring together politicians, academics and practitioners from all branches of the public sector to share ideas and discuss opportunities. It is a unique mixing of public, private and third sector professionals which pretty much guarantees everyone leaves better informed than when they arrived. The 700 or so delegates expected, many from town halls throughout the country will, no doubt, be very interested to hear local government minister, John Healey, and chief secretary to the Treasury, Yvette Cooper, address their concerns. Edward Leigh, chairman of the public accounts committee, will be briefing on the challenges facing Whitehall departments, while general survival tips will be provided by two real political heavyweights – John Prescott and Ken Livingston. Newly-appointed London mayoral adviser, Sir Simon Milton, and Lucy de Groot, of the IDeA, will be offering their advice on how councils can do more with less. A session on dealing with disaster should be very instructive, with Peter Antill, director of resources at Tewksbury BC, telling delegates how he and his colleagues coped with last year's devastating floods. Officials from the World Bank and the Department for International Development will be holding a major seminar on the role public finance professionals can play overseas. And finally, Lord Coe will be assessing the long-term legacy of the London Olympics on the public sector. A major survey on the role of the finance director in public services will also be published during the conference. The research, carried out by YouGov, will explore the changing nature of the role, as finance directors continually take on leadership challenges, and what ultimately this means for the next generation of finance professionals. So, whatever happens over the next year or so, public sector accountants should at least be sufficiently briefed to face whatever challenges emerge. In fact, if the scouts had not already got there first, the motto, ‘Be prepared', would probably suit them quite well. CIPFA's annual conference takes place form Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 June, at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton. Sheila Fenton is assistant director of corporate communications at CIPFA

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WHITEHALL

Scouting around for cash

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