Use of the MPA partnership fund 2008/09

Report: 5
Date: 29 October 2009
By: on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an overview of the distribution of the MPA Partnership Fund for the 2008/09 financial year. The breakdown of allocations contained within this report is in accordance with the commissioning brief. It therefore provides an account of the use of this Fund in the areas most of interest to members.

A. Recommendations

That the Authority notes the content of this report as to the distribution of the MPA Partnership Fund across the 32 London boroughs.

B. Supporting information

1. The MPA Partnership Fund continues to be allocated according to the guidelines approved by the Authority. The guidelines for the 08/09 Fund reflect the ongoing desire to maintain flexibility and minimise bureaucracy allowing Borough Commanders to support local, partnership initiatives with small, one-off allocations of funding. As with previous years, there have been many local projects that have benefited from the support of this fund. A total of 305 allocations were made during the relevant period.

2. In accordance with the commissioning brief, this report summarises the allocation of the £1.6 million fund according to the MPA approved categories. However, it must be stressed that these are not discrete categories and many of the initiatives supported by the fund could sit in more than one of the categories. The figures presented reflect a single allocation of all funds.

3. Fund totals for the Year 08/09

• Annual Allocation 08/09 £1,600,000
• Underspend from 07/08 £ 251,820
• Total Available £1,851,820
• Actual Spend 08/09 £1,696,299
• Carry Fwd to 09/10 £ 155,521

4. Breakdown according to the categories of activity:

1. Anti-social behaviour £21,309
2. Burglary £27,106
3. Confidence target/fear of crime £120,213
4. Crime reduction contingency fund £133,651
5. General consultation/communication £193,966
6. Hate crime & Domestic violence £103,864
7. Safer Neighbourhoods related £195,775
8. Staffing/overtime £112,227
9. Under-represented groups/new communities £58,990
10. Victim & witness support £47,346
11. young people - crime prevention/diversion £681,852

5. Initial responsibility for monitoring this fund lies with each borough. A spend plan is prepared by each borough and is submitted to the Territorial Policing section of Finance Services. This Unit is responsible for the financial management of the fund through dedicated cost centres. The spend plans contain the title for the project or initiative being supported together with a short description of it (see Appendix). There has been a long-established principle supported by past members of the Authority, that multiple small allocations should be encouraged, the Fund having been designed to enable the Authority - through borough commanders - to support small local initiatives. The reporting and evaluation requirements placed on borough are necessarily minimal and consist of completion of a quarterly spreadsheet return.

6. The majority of allocations made from this fund will not amount to the full financial requirement of each supported project. However, no formal record is made of the overall project cost such as would indicate the percentage made up by this fund. By the same token, while some of the projects supported are evaluated in other contexts, there has been no requirement for boroughs specifically to evaluate initiatives supported by the fund.

C. Race and equality impact

The fund has been used to support a broad range of activities. There are no indications that the use of the fund has had an adverse impact on any single section of the community though clearly a positive impact has been made where funds have been allocated with a significant proportion of the funds being targeted at young people.

D. Financial implications

1. A total of £155,521 has been carried forward to the 2009/10 financial year. This represents a significant reduction on the previous carry forward of £251,820. The actual spend for 2008/2009 accounted for all of the annual allocation and the trend suggests that the MPS is likely to see no funds carried forward in the very near future.

2. The ongoing light touch in terms of spend criteria and monitoring minimises the financial implications of managing the fund. It may be that significant changes to these requirements would have a disproportionate impact on the (real terms) value of this fund to each borough.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan, MPS

For information contact:

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

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