Grant Aiding and sponsorship of projects and events

Report: 14
Date: 16 July 2009
By: Director of Human Resources / Director of Resources on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report was requested by the Community Equalities and People Committee to enable Members to gain an understanding of how the MPS funds projects, sponsorship of initiatives and one-off events after requests from the voluntary sector and community groups. This paper also provides an update on the development of MPS work on partnership working.

There are many benefits available to the MPS and the diverse communities of London by supporting these organisations and initiatives. Youth Engagement and Communities Together have been priority areas. Some examples of beneficiaries are the Borough Volunteer Cadet Units, and The Federation of London Youth Clubs. A complete list of 2008/09 activity is at Appendix 1.

Total expenditure in the 2008/9 financial year was £839,491.

An MPS policy has been in place since 2005, and is currently going through its first major review, following consultation with all the Business Groups across the MPS relevant changes have now been made. This is currently with the relevant Officers in the MPA to review the policy and SOP.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to note this report.

B. Supporting information

Details of Activities and Funding

1. The funding provided by the MPA/MPS during the financial year 2008/09 was £839,491. £757,391 from the base budget allocations and £82,100 from other partnership grant funding. A breakdown of this expenditure by business group follows:

(Appendix 1 of this report gives details of the activities)

Policy and decision making process

2. The current Sponsorship Expenditure Policy was produced in 2005 and is currently undergoing its three year review process. The decision on whether to grant fund or sponsor or a third party organisation is made locally. The policy requires that a business case approach is used. This policy is supported by the Standard Operating Procedure and decision making framework, which provides managers across the MPS the following:

• A process for dealing with approaches to provide grant aid/sponsorship in a consistent manner;
• An audit trail of decisions made;
• The ability to call upon advice and assistance from the EIDU on previous precedents;
• The ability to seek advice from the DPA regarding the publicity benefit of a particular activity; and
• Access to a database of requests held within Finance Services that helps identify bids to avoid duplication of requests.

3. Consultation during the review of the policy has suggested that the decision making process is developed further, and aligns with the existing procurement process. This will help in ensuring that expenditure is managed in an efficient, effective and lawful manner that is beneficial to the activities of the MPS.

4. Managers are provided with clear guidance as to when it would be appropriate to agree to fund an activity or event.

5. Decision makers receiving requests for financial support must decide whether an activity:

• fits their objectives and is “business as usual” for their Command Unit,
• is part of a partnership

Checks should also be made with Procurement Services to determine whether the respective expenditure falls within existing procurement policy and/or legislation and whether financially supporting an activity is lawful in respect of state aid regulations.

6. Although the responsibility for the decision will continue to be at local level, the requirement that requests for grant aid/sponsorship are recorded centrally provides the opportunity to audit requests and expenditure.

7. Whilst the decision to fund any requests is at a local level, there is a requirement to seek the advice of the EIDU, DPA and Procurement Services to obtain an independent view of any requests that might arouse particular public interest or attention.

8. Checks are also made on the applicant to ensure that members of the MPA/MPS do not have a business interest in the third party organisation. Funding will not be given to organisations that use the MPA/MPS money to pay for, or support, a member of the MPA/MPS carrying out a business interest or voluntary role.

9. The local decision makers are also obliged to examine the request and ensure that any other support that the MPA/MPS may be making is captured in the decision making process. For example, where a community activity is receiving public order policing at below cost or free, then it should be ascertained whether that activity is the sole support that the MPA/MPS should provide.

Application process for community organisations

10. The current policy does not include a standard application method.

11. During the current policy review consultation, Procurement Services suggested a standard application form should be created and sent out when formal requests for support are made.

Monitoring and Evaluation Process

12. The operating procedure makes it very clear to local command units that any funding should be monitored during the life of the activity and should be evaluated afterwards. The operating procedures guide advises users of the generic monitoring and evaluation tools available on the MPS intranet.

13. Procurement Services are developing various toolkits as part of the Developing Resource Management (DRM) programme. One of these toolkits is suitable for decision makers and evaluators to use, as the funding of any activity is similar to the purchasing of a service. These tools will be made available during the summer of 2009.

Development of partnership guidelines

14. As stated earlier, it may be that community activities are being supported by the MPA/MPS through existing partnerships. The MPS Partnership Strategy and Implementation Plan have been delivered since June 2008 by the Partnership Work-stream of the DRM Programme. This work-stream has developed a corporate approach to MPS partnerships. It has mapped partnership activity, management and finances across the MPS, developed a Partnership Toolkit to provide guidance to partnerships and developed governance arrangements. Partnership guidelines are provided as follows:

i) Partnership Toolkit

The toolkit has been developed, published and launched; this provides a framework for delivering partnership work across the MPS. The control mechanisms will be rolled across the relevant parts of the MPS over the next twelve months. Work will be undertaken with all business groups strategically and operationally to deliver the necessary business change.

The Toolkit provides guidance and templates to enable consistent partnership delivery based on good practice. The toolkit comprises:

• The Guide to Partnership Working for all partnership work.
• EU Funding Guidance for the preparation of all bids for European Funds.
• Processes and Guidance for the Financial Management of Partnerships.
• The Service Approach to Local Area Agreements for TP boroughs.

The toolkit will be improved by regular updating and responding to feedback received from users. The Guide to Partnership Working has a focus on governance, strategic planning and budgeting and reporting, risk management and performance improvement.

ii) Partnership Central Co-ordination and Support

At present support for Command Units is provided by the Partnership Project, linking with all business groups through a strategic central co-coordinating group, which also has operational links, currently effectively managing risks to partnership projects across MPS. As the project moves to business as usual, this group will become the Partnership Central Steering Group (PCSG), and the support provided will be delivered from within the Strategy and Improvement Department, working in particular with Finance Services and Territorial Policing.

To share best practice and learning across the MPS in a systematic way, the Partnership Best Practice Network has been developed. This network’s hub, the Partnership Central Steering Group (PCSG), will meet quarterly and act as gatekeeper for the rest of the network, which will initially operate virtually, via email and the intranet. The Network’s membership comprises key stakeholders, both individuals and groups, from across the MPS.

iii) Financial, Risk and Performance Management

Financial performance is regularly reviewed and corrective action taken where necessary.

The financial and operational performance of partnerships is reviewed monthly as part of the Business Group regular review process. Any operational and financial issues are taken forward with the OCU concerned and the partnership.

A year-end review takes place locally to assess any financial carry-forward.

The Partnership Central Database has now been consolidated, thus providing a snapshot at a point in time. The database will be updated regularly as required and will link with the Medium Term Financial Strategy, the Deployment Plan and the monthly revenue forecast on Actual vs. Budget.

The database will be improved as it will gradually collect more relevant data and risk and performance analysis will be conducted.

Additional information

15. An MPS policy has been in place since 2005, and is currently going through its first major review, following consultation with all the Business Groups across the MPS, relevant changes have now been made. This is currently with the relevant Officers in the MPA to review the policy and SOP.

16. All the policies, operating procedures, guidance and toolkits mentioned throughout this report are available to members of the MPS via the AWARE intranet.

17. Activities are continuously undertaken to raise the awareness of the toolkits etc through workshops such as the Financial Awareness Training, one to one meetings between the accountants and Command Unit commanders and heads, and, meetings between members of the EIDU and finance and partnership leads across the MPS.

C. Race and equality impact

The funding has been used to support a broad range of activities. There are no indications that the use of these funds has had any adverse impact on any single section of the community.

D. Financial implications

Total expenditure in the 2008/9 financial year was £839,491. The financial implications from this report are set out in Appendix 1.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Anna Gardiner, Head of the Events & Income Development Unit, MPS

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Central Operations

Mounted Branch made a one-off payment of £200 to the Devon Horse and Pony Sanctuary. This is one-off annual payment made to the association which cares for retired Police horses during the year. This was agreed by CO Senior Management Team.

Directorate of Resources

Following a decision by MPA (HR Committee) annual contributions are applied for on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Civil Staff Welfare Fund (£19,301 was contributed this financial year). Historically, Finance Services have made the payment based on a per-head count of police staff.

Payments were made to each of the MPS Borough Volunteer Police Cadet Units, this amounted to £750 each (totalling £24,000); this is usually an annual payment to support the work done by the units.

Following a MPS Management Board decision, Finance Services made a donation of £3,000 to The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to support a charity event that was held in the trust’s name.

These made up the total sponsorship-related expenditure for the Directorate of Resources to £46,301.

Specialist Crime Directorate

SCD made a payment of £500,000 to the charitable trust; Safer London Foundation. This meets with the MPS objective of supporting the MPS Youth Strategy 2008-10 Engagement with Young People. This was paid following MPS Investment Board approval.

The Serious and Organised Crime Unit paid £30,000 to Victim Support, for work specifically linked to the ‘help for those that need it’ strand of Pathways. The Project itself was publicity and support to promote free text alert service and help line-providing information for young people and parents being rolled out across five Boroughs.

The sponsorship-related expenditure for the Specialist Crime Directorate totalled £530,000.

Specialist Operations

The Communities Together Strategic Engagement Team made payments to Active Change Foundation amounting to £15,000, in two transactions of £6,000 and £9,000 respectively.

There was also a contribution to The Federation of London Youth Clubs of £18,000.

All payments above relate to sponsoring initiatives/activities relating to counter terrorism.

This represents the entire Specialist Operations sponsorship-related expenditure, amounting to £33,000.

Territorial Policing – from base budget allocation

Within all Borough Operational Command Units’ (BOCU) base budgets, the MPA include an allocation of £50,000 per unit in support of local partnership activities. Several BOCUs, as indicated in the following paragraphs, have utilised this budget to provide sponsorship or grant funding to voluntary or community groups.

• Barnet BOCU made a total of twelve payments that can be categorised as sponsorship or grant funding. The £600 to Victim Support was the only transaction that was not made from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget. Spends against this budget amounted to £18,654, details of which are as follows:
  • Barnet Multicultural Community received £1,800;
  • The Princes Trust received £15,108;
  • East Barnet Baptist Church was given £330;
  • The Mayor of Barnet Charity Appeal 2008 was awarded £75;
  • Edgware Parish received £300;
  • Child Victims of Crime was given £260;
  • Barnet Muslim Forum received £500, and;
  • Kick it Out received £281.
  • The total BOCU spend was therefore £19,254.
• Bexley BOCU provided financial support to two projects, as follows:
  • Victim Support Bexley received two payments, one of £5,00 and one of £15,000 for a combined contribution of £20,000,
  • Whilst Erith Deanery Youth Trust received £5,000.
  • The overall total for Bexley BOCU was £25,000, all of which was met from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Camden BOCU paid:
  • £1,000 in support of the Camden Pan-London Youth Conference,
  • £2,503 to Castlehaven Community Association, and;
  • £4,000 for the Camden Bangladesh Mela.
  • The total amount spent by the unit was £7,503. This expenditure was all met from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Hackney BOCU supported:
  • Faithful Ministries with £3,000,
  • The Shout Trust with a £5,000 payment, and;
  • The Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme with £800.
  • The total spend for Hackney BOCU was £8,800. Only the latter two payments (amounting to £5,800) were met from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Haringey BOCU:
  • Made a £10,000 payment to Haringey Police & Community ABC;
  • The payment was made from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Havering BOCU paid:
  • £25,000 to the West Ham United FC Football in the Community programme,
  • £750 to the Hindu Welfare Association of Essex, and;
  • £1,000 to Age Concern Havering
  • The total BOCU expenditure of £26,750 was all met from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Lambeth BOCU:
  • Made a payment of £632 to Lonsdale Boxing;
  • This payment was made from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Southwark BOCU:
  • Provided funds of £500 to Community Action Southwark;
  • This payment was made from the BOCU MPA Partnership Budget.
• Waltham Forest BOCU:
  • Supported the Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme with an £800 payment
  • In addition, the BOCU made a payment of £500 to Active Change Foundation.
  • The total BOCU spend against this budget totalled £1,300.

Within Territorial Policing Headquarters units, the following additional sponsorship or grant funds were released:

• TP Pan-London provided the following financial support:
  • £1,776 to Urban Synergy;
  • £2,000 to the Damilola Taylor Foundation, and;
  • £18,375 to the Youth Music Theatre.

The total expenditure from TP Pan-London was £22,151.

• The TP Diversity OCU management similarly provided financial support to a number of projects, as follows:
  • The Leftfooters Football Club were awarded £10,000 for the International Gay Lesbian Football Association World Club Championship 2008;
  • Islam Expo – Association of Muslim Police received £4,000;
  • the Capital Age Festival received £1,000;
  • Outburst UK – the Black Pride Festival was given £500;
  • UK Black pride also received £500;
  • the C-A-N-I Academy was awarded £1,000, and;
  • MAMAA UK received £9,000.

The total amount paid was therefore £26,000.

The total sponsorship-related expenditure for Territorial Policing from base budget allocations was therefore £147,890.

Territorial Policing – from externally funded partnership budgets

Basic Command Unit Fund (BCUF) expenditure plans are agreed in advance of activities taking place. The agreements are made between BOCU partnership lead police officers, Borough Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and the relevant Government Office for London Crime Advisors.

• Havering BCUF supported Havering Young Citizen of the Year with a payment of £3,000.00.
• Lewisham BCUF paid £1,600 to the Emmanuel Odunewu Foundation Trust.
• Barnet BCUF gave £30,000 to the Crime Concern Trust (two separate payments).
• The Territorial Policing Safer Neighbourhoods Unit supported the Safer London Foundation with a payment of £34,000.
• Hounslow BCUF made payments to Brentford FC Community Sports Trust of £2,000 and £10,000, for a total contribution of £12,000.
• Kingston BCUF supported Kingston Little League Football with a payment of £1,500.

The total sponsorship-related expenditure for Territorial Policing from externally funded budget budgets was therefore £82,100.

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