Click here to skip to content

Best in Show

17 June 2005 :: Posted by Lawrence Christensen

British Library wins 2005 CIPFA/PwC Public Reporting and Accountability Awards

The British Library has been named overall winner in the 2005 CIPFA/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Reporting and Accountability Awards. The awards seek to recognise best practice in public reporting in the public services and are Sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The British Library made a clean sweep, winning the category for national organisations with an annual turnover of £50m or more as well as the overall award. Its public reporting and accountability practices were judged to be the most impressive when measured against five criteria: appropriateness for particular audiences; clarity; timeliness; innovation; and success in achieving response from the public and other stakeholders.

Jonathan Purday, Head of Corporate Communications, stated: "It's rewarding to have such positive feedback at the highest professional level for the style with which we engage our stakeholders. The Library has a dynamic and wide ranging remit, and our audiences are very diverse, so I'm gratified to know that our innovative design and the clarity of our language are setting national standards."

The British Library beat an impressive list of finalists to become the overall winner. There was tough competition in the individual category from HM Land Registry and the Driving Standards Agency.

CIPFA's Chief Executive Steve Freer said: "I would like to congratulate British Library on this outstanding achievement. Standards are improving year on year and the competition is becoming increasingly tough. More and more organisations are realising the fundamental importance of good reporting to engage the public's interest. We hope that many of the finalists' good practices will be emulated by others to ensure clear, informative and timely reporting which helps to deliver vibrant accountability throughout the public services."

Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive at the British Library said: "We are honoured to accept these awards which are a testament to the work we have done, and are doing, to redefine what it means to be a great national library in the 21st Century. We pride ourselves on creating public, economic, and cultural value, underpinning research and helping people advance knowledge to enrich lives and these awards reflect this achievement."

Dr Caroline Pung, Head of Strategy & Planning observed: "Moving beyond measuring what we do to what difference we make is challenging but essential for all public bodies. Our innovative study to measure the impact of the British Library on the UK economy was a key step forward in this field, and the results of this study were a vital component of our submission to the awards."

Notes for editors

Image of 03/04 Annual report (PDF format) 321 KB

1. The judges for this year's CIPFA/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Reporting and Accountability Awards were:

  • John Speed, Director of Human Resources, Informatics and Telecommunications, European Court of Auditors
  • Dr Jane Martin, Executive Director of the Centre for Public Scrutiny;
  • Professor Alan Alexander, Chair, Scottish Water
  • Alison Hopkins, Head of the Connections Team, National Consumer Council
  • Clive Caseley, Executive Director of External Relations, Arts Council England
  • David Walker, Journalist, The Guardian
  • Rodger Hughes, Managing Partner - Clients & Markets, PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Sally Bigwood, Consultant, Plain Figures

2. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk.

3. PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com/uk) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. More than 120,000 people in 139 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders.

Unless otherwise indicated, PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a limited liability partnership incorporated in the United Kingdom. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited.

4. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is one of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK and the only one which specialises in the public services. It is responsible for the education and training of professional accountants and for their regulation through the setting and monitoring of professional standards. Uniquely among the professional accountancy bodies in the UK , CIPFA has responsibility for setting accounting standards for a significant part of the economy, namely local government. CIPFA's members work (often at the most senior level) in the public service bodies, in the national audit agencies and major accountancy firms. They are respected throughout for their high technical and ethical standards and professional integrity. CIPFA also provides a range of high quality advisory, information and training and consultancy services to public service organisations. As such, CIPFA is the leading independent commentator on managing and accounting for public money.