Advertising halt 'risks causing dramatic damage to Scottish population'

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) said public service campaigns play a vital role in detecting cancer early, encouraging flu vaccine uptake and boosting nursing and teacher recruitment, among other areas.

It comes after SNP finance secretary Shona Robison introduced “emergency spending controls” in the wake of public sector pay deals and uncertainty over this year’s budget.

She said “exceptional measures” have to be put place and confirmed a freeze in public sector recruitment in all but “essential frontline” posts.

“To be clear, we are going to have to take some very difficult decisions about what we can afford and what we can’t afford going forward,” she added.

The IPA said the Scottish Government had decided to halt any further public service advertising for the rest of this financial year, with the exception of campaigns deemed ‘essential’.

It said it was informed of the impending cuts earlier this week, with further details of “essential” campaigns expected to follow.

Paul Bainsfair, director general of the IPA, said: “From detecting cancer early, to mental health support, to road safety, to flu vaccinations, to nursing and teacher recruitment and organ donation - to name but a few, public service campaigns play a vital role in changing behaviours to improve the health of the nation and the economy, and in doing so reduce public costs over the long term.

“While we appreciate the challenging financial position of the current Scottish economy, we very much believe that halting spend to public service advertising is a short-term decision that could cause dramatic long and indeed short-term damage for the population at large, as well as to the economy.

“Furthermore, regarding the impact of this decision on the Scottish ad industry, given that the Scottish Government represents the single biggest advertiser in Scotland, any stops to public service advertising could result in a loss of jobs in the sector.”

Tory MSP Sandesh Gulhane, who is also a GP, said such advertising plays “a vital role in informing the public and changing behaviours”, adding: “Cutting back on them is the ultimate false economy because it’s likely to increase the demands on our NHS, which is already in a state of permanent crisis.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government freeze on public sector marketing expenditure for the remainder of the year is a necessary decision to ensure we have a balanced budget. As both the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance have made clear, tough decisions are having to be made across Government and the wider public sector to ensure that stretched resources are used economically, efficiently and effectively.”

Ministers are struggling to fund pay demands from across the public sector, with Ms Robison previously criticising the UK Government for failing to ensure rises for those such as NHS workers and council staff are fully funded.

The finance secretary said the Scottish Government is now having to take “exceptional measures in order to constrain spend and create the headroom to manage”.

First Minister John Swinney said Scotland faces “the most challenging financial circumstances in the devolution era”.