Members’ Information Pack for borough Activities

Report: 6
Date: 22 February 2010
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This paper outlines proposals for the development of a link member information pack to support the delivery of members' borough level responsibilities.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members agree the outline proposals and identify any additional information needs
2. A further report be brought back to this sub-committee in April 2010

B. Supporting information

1. As part of their role all members are responsible for the delivery of a range of borough level duties and these are met through a range of activities:

1. attending the borough’s executive level Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP)
2. acting as the nominated police MPA signatory to CDRP plans and submissions
3. considering CDRP strategic assessments, partnership plans and Local Area Agreements (see below) to ensure a close and appropriate fit between the MPA Policing Plan priorities and CDRP priorities
4. acting as the police authority’s ‘expert adviser’ to borough CDRP scrutiny bodies
5. meeting with the Borough Commander at reasonable intervals
6. referring actions, key matters arising and MPA commitments made at CDRP meetings to MPA officers to follow up as appropriate
7. promoting MPA policy and strategies in their work with CDRPs
8. fulfilling the MPA’s duty to promote equality and good relations through its role as a statutory CDRP partner
9. promoting key objectives with regards to CDRP issues as agreed by the Authority from time to time
10. feeding into the MPA’s strategic planning processes experience gained at the local level
11. ensuring a two-way flow of information from the borough to the MPA and from the MPA to the borough.

2. Members are directly supported in this role by the engagement and partnerships team, but all sections of the Authority are part of this process and provide members with specific additional support on an ongoing basis. This information pack is being developed to ensure all members are appropriately and consistently informed and enabled to deliver their borough responsibilities effectively. The information pack is not intended to represent the totality of the support members can expect to receive and does not preclude the provision of other information, but it will provide a standardised approach.

3. The basic principle is that the information pack will identify the key information products members will receive and the frequency with which they will be produced (see appendix 1). The information and data has been categorised as follows:

1. contextual borough-wide information and data including broader borough issues beyond community safety
2. borough crime data
3. outputs and updates from MPA committees, boards and forums
4. monitoring reports on MPA funded and/or managed activities, such as community and police engagement group and partnership fund service level agreements.

4. There is a wealth of other information which could be provided to members - press and communications data could, for example, be included, but there needs to be a balance to ensure members are not overloaded. However, members may wish to highlight further areas and information sources for inclusion in the pack. On the basis of these discussions officers will then further develop the information pack and consult the wider membership to ensure all needs are considered.

C. Race and equality impact

1. . An equality impact assessment (EIA) has yet to be conducted, but one of the key issues is likely to be how the Authority actively promotes equality and good relations through its work with CDRPs and community police engagement groups (CPEGs).

2. These issues have been addressed in the Authority’s generic equality scheme action plan and in relation to CDRPs, an action has been added which relates to the development of a process to identify and disseminate information to partners on the key areas in which the Authority’s would wish to specify equality impact assessments are conducted.

3. With regard to CPEGs the action relates to conducting an audit of CPEG membership against borough demographic data and working with those groups to engage with under-represented groups.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising from this report, which relates to a change in working practices, which will be managed within existing resources.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Natasha Plummer, MPA

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Link member information pack

Send an e-mail linking to this page

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