MPA Resourcing

Report: 7b
Date: 22 November 2007
By: the Chief Executive and Treasurer

Summary

This report seeks in principle approval for an increase to the MPA’s budget to reinforce capacity to support members in achieving the aims of the Corporate Strategy. These proposals were considered at the joint meeting of the Finance/Planning, Performance and Review Committee held on 19 November 2007. Members did not approve the recommendations but it was agreed to refer the proposals to this meeting to be considered under the item on the 2008-11 draft budget submission (Corporate Business Plan). In doing so, members asked for further information to be provided, particularly regarding staffing costs and office accommodation costs.

A. Recommendations

Members are invited to:

Approve, subject to detailed proposals on job descriptions, an increase to the MPA’s budget of £388,800 in the full year (£219,400 as part year costs in 2008/09) to finance four extra posts and consultancy capacity and £300,000 to cover the necessary consequential accommodation refurbishment (£29,000 in future years).

B. Supporting information

The 2008-11 Budget Submission does not include any provision for growth in the MPA’s own internal provision. The Chair has asked officers to reconsider the Authority’s needs in respect of its statutory duties to scrutinise and audit the MPS. Over the last twelve months or so, as part of the MPA’s improvement programme, the resources necessary to support members in their borough link here have been significantly increased. Members recognised that this was essential given the changing central government agenda on local engagement and the dividends in terms of community confidence of an increased responsiveness to local needs.

2. This increase in resources has not, however, been matched by a strengthening of the Authority’s capacity to meet three of its corporate priorities

• to hold the Commissioner rigorously to account for improving the operational performance of the MPS
• to work with the MPS to achieve cultural change throughout the service so that everyone in London can gain and retain confidence in policing
• to drive the MPS to make the most effective, efficient and cost conscious use of all of its resources

3. Recent events have demonstrated that the Authority must continue to improve its own performance on scrutiny and audit. As part of the budget and equality process, the Mayor’s office have made it clear that it regards the Authority as under-resourced in its important task of ensuring that the MPS maintains momentum on the mainstreaming of diversity across the business groups. The effectiveness of the Authority’s scrutiny programme is without question yet members have noted that officer resources are stretched beyond their limit in providing support to the individual scrutinies. And the need for increased analytical support to Internal Audit, to join up the scrutiny and audit processes, has been recognised for some time.

4. Because of the overall constraints on the budget the MPA senior management team has been reticent and self denying over proposing an increase in the top slice to fund the Authority’s own activities. With the encouragement of the Chair and other members, however, proposals are now set out below to reinforce the service officers are able to give members and thereby render more robust the scrutiny process and the performance of the Authority’s statutory responsibilities.

5. In terms of the MPA’s office accommodation, there is virtually no spare capacity at the offices in Dean Farrar Street. The location of some Internal Audit staff at Empress State Building has placed demands and costs on the MPA’s administrative and ISIT support services that were not originally envisaged. Improvements to the MPA’s office infrastructure have also been minimised in past years to stay within a historically small budget. It would be opportune therefore to make provision so that the MPA can make the most efficient use of its premises over the next five years or so.

6. Outline proposals were considered at the Joint Finance and Planning, Performance and Review Committee meeting on 19 November. Members did not agree the recommendations and referred the report to the full Authority for consideration, to enable further information on the proposals to be provided. If members are minded to approve them they will be included in the Budget Submission.

7. The proposals are as follows:

Staffing proposals

• one policy development officer for the Equalities and Diversity team to reinforce scrutiny of and advice to the MPS Diversity Directorate. The current team comprises four officers (including the Head of the unit) on internal and external diversity and equality policy, plus two officers supporting the Race Hate Crime Forum.
  
  Full year costs:
  Salary £44,400
  Oncosts £13,900
  Overheads £6,000
  Total £64,300
  
  Assumed 2008-09 cost of £32,150
  
  NB Oncosts include employer’s NI and pension contributions. Overheads include training, IT equipment, office expenses and travel
• one policy development officer for the Corporate Development and Strategic Oversight Unit to focus on operational policy issues, including public order, road safety, TSG, tasers etc. The current capacity to provide briefings and research for members on a whole range of policing issues that regularly come before the full Authority and its committees has been consistently identified by members as inadequate.
  
  Full year costs:
  Salary £44,400
  Oncosts £13,900
  Overheads £6,000
  Total £64,300
  
  Assumed 2008-09 cost of £32,150
• one scrutiny officer to prepare, research and draft scrutinies
  
  Full year costs:
  Salary £37,400
  Oncosts £11,700
  Overheads £6,000
  Total £55,100
  
  Assumed 2008-09 cost of £27,550
• one analyst based in Internal Audit but working closely with the Planning & Performance unit. Since 2000 the MPS has grown by 25% while capacity in Internal Audit has shrunk. The MPA Internal Audit spends the least per £100m of spend of any of the GLA family bodies.
  
  Full year costs:
  Salary £37,400
  Oncosts £11,700
  Overheads £6,000
  Total £55,100
  
  Assumed 2008-09 cost of £27,550.
• contingency funding for short term specialist support on estates, procurement and IS/IT
  
  c. £150,000 in the full year. Assumed 2008-09 cost of £100,000.

Office Accommodation

Table 1 - Proposed future expenditure on office accommodation

The MPA accommodation is at capacity and no new posts can be accommodated without some of the above costs being incurred to make more efficient use of accommodation and to extend the IT capacity.

C. Race and equality impact

Increasing the Authority’s capacity to hold the MPS to account on delivering its Diversity Strategy will improve the service it gives to the public and internally to officers and staff across the whole range of minority needs. Increased professionalism in the production of scrutiny reports will ensure that the explicit objective that every scrutiny must address diversity and equality aspects of the topic under review will more easily be achieved.

D. Financial implications

The additional costs from the proposals are estimated to be £388,800 for staffing and consultancy costs in a full year (£219,400 in 2008/09) and £300,000 for accommodation refurbishment in 2008/09 (£29,000 in future years). It is proposed that the additional costs in 2008/09 be financed by transfer of £519,400 from general reserves, and that the full year costs of £417,800 in future years be added to the budget submission.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors: Catherine Crawford and Ken Hunt

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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