MPA lead member roles

Report: 9
Date: 28 October 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

This report asks the Authority to appoint lead members for particular issues or areas of its work, taking into account the views expressed by committees.

A. Recommendation

That the Authority

1. Considers lead member appointments for those corporate areas shown in Appendix 1; and
2. Approves or amends lead member appointments proposed by committees.

B. Supporting information

1. In September 2002, the Co-ordination and Policing Committee agreed a statement of the lead member role and responsibilities and invited other MPA committees to consider which lead member roles they required to address particular areas of the committee’s work. Committees have done this annually for the past two years.

2. Appendix 1 details the formally approved lead member roles for last year and the statement of what that role should involve.

3. At the members’ away day on 20 July it was agreed that the number of lead members, the role and the areas covered should be reviewed. There was a perception that the number of positions has developed in a fairly ad hoc manner that has not always reflected the priority that the MPA gives to a work area or issue. As a result it was felt that there are probably too many such positions and not enough focus on the key areas. It was also a general view that there should be more rigour in expecting lead members to report back to the relevant committee on their activities, in the way envisaged in the statement of the role (Appendix 1).

4. All MPA committees have been asked to review the lead member appointments for their areas of responsibility (in the September/October cycle), for report to this Authority meeting. Their recommendations are also shown in Appendix 1, arrived at in some cases at informal member-level meetings. The Authority is asked to take an overview of lead member appointments, to confirm (or not) committee decisions and to identify any gaps.

5. In particular, the Authority needs to decide on lead member responsibilities in relation to its own functions (see Appendix 1 for the appointments made in 2003/04). In doing so it may wish to consider whether a lead member should be appointed to take forward the issues from the Morris Inquiry report (when this is published). The Authority may also wish to consider whether there are non-borough operational command units (OCUs) that would benefit from having an identified lead/link member. However, it is proposed that members are consulted on this outside of the meeting and a further report put to the Authority in due course.

6. To avoid more of a hiatus than necessary, it was proposed to committees that lead member appointments should be effective from the date of the committee’s decision, but with the proviso that these appointments might be changed by the full Authority.

C. Race and equality impact

The appointment of lead members is the opportunity to address equalities and diversity implications, including the specific and general duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, to ensure that key areas of responsibility are properly covered. Under their terms of reference, all committees must have due regard to equal opportunities generally, the general duty of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the requirements of any other equalities legislation – this requirement also applies to lead members in carrying out a role given to them by the committee.

D. Financial implications

None – lead member appointments do not attract a Special Responsibility Allowance.

E. Background papers

• Report 5 to Co-ordination & Policing Committee, 24 January 2003

F. Contact details

Report author: Simon Vile

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1: Lead member roles

Full Authority/Co-ordination & Policing Committee

2003/04

• National and international functions: Sir John Quinton
• Forensic services: Sir John Quinton & Reshard Auladin
• Public order policing: Nicholas Long
• Policing of football matches and other sporting events: Richard Sumray
• Health & Safety: Jennette Arnold (now a responsibility of the Corporate Governance Committee)
• Road safety: Jenny Jones
• Trafficking in women: Jenny Jones
• Domestic violence: Jennette Arnold
• Drugs: Richard Sumray
• Transport Operations Command Unit: Diana Johnson

2004/05

• National & International functions: Toby Harris, with support from Reshard Auladin in relation to Muslim community issues and anti-terrorism work in particular
• Forensic services: Reshard Auladin
• Business consultation: Reshard Auladin
• Police reform: Reshard Auladin (with Len Duvall and Toby Harris as appropriate)
• Public order policing: Cindy Butts
• Policing of sporting events, including football: Richard Sumray

Community Engagement Committee (formerly Consultation Committee)

2003/04

• Independent Custody Visiting: Abdal Ullah
• Community Police Consultative Groups: Richard Barnes
• Appropriate Adults: Nicholas Long

2004/05 (at an inquorate meeting)

• Independent Custody Visiting: Aneeta Prem
• Community Police Consultative Groups: that the panel of members addressing funding issues should act as leads when required (Abdal Ullah, Aneeta Prem and John Roberts)

Corporate Governance Committee

2004/05

No lead members appointed – all areas will be covered as part of the committee’s work programme

Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board

2003/04

• Mental health issues: Rachel Whittaker
• Faith groups: R. David Muir
• Hate crimes against vulnerable people; Kirsten Hearn
• Stop and search; Cecile Wright
• Youth issues: Abdal Ullah

2004/05 (as discussed in an informal member meeting)

• Faith groups: Cindy Butts, with support from Aneeta Prem, Reshard Auladin and Abdal Ullah in relation to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Muslim communities
• Youth issues: Abdal Ullah
• Women’s issues: Cindy Butts
• Sexual orientation: Kirsten Hearn
• Domestic violence: Aneeta Prem or Jennette Arnold
• Stop and search: Lynne Featherstone
• Recommendation 61: John Roberts
• Equalities Standard: Kirsten Hearn if no other volunteer
• Hate Crimes: Peter Herbert, subject to his agreement
• Children’s issues: lead member to be identified

Finance Committee

2003/04

• IS/IT: Reshard Auladin
• Estates issues: Nicholas Long

2004/05

• IS/IT: Reshard Auladin
• Estates issues: Murad Qureshi

Human Resources Committee

2003/04

• A representative workforce: Kirsten Hearn

2004/05

No lead members appointed – all areas will be covered as part of the committee’s work programme

Planning, Performance and Review Committee

2003/04

• Criminal Justice: Richard Sumray & Reshard Auladin
• Response times: Lynne Featherstone
• Best Value: Reshard Auladin
• Child Protection: Richard Sumray

2004/05

• Criminal Justice System: Richard Sumray & Reshard Auladin
• Quality of response: Lynne Featherstone
• Child Protection: Richard Sumray

Professional Standards and Complaints Committee

2003/04

No lead members appointed

2004/05

No lead members appointed – all areas will be covered as part of the committee’s work programme

The Lead Member role

• To act as champion for that particular subject area, recognising that on occasions the lead member should have the freedom to act in a scrutiny or questioning capacity.
• To be the initial point of contact for the MPS or others wishing to discuss issues informally with an MPA member or to sound out views.
• Under some circumstances, and particularly in the event of non-availability of the Chair, to act as a spokesperson.
• To contribute to policy development locally and nationally as appropriate, by representing the MPA on other bodies etc.
• Committee Chairs are by definition the lead member for those areas in their committee’s terms of reference, unless another member has been allocated a specific responsibility – in such cases it is preferable for that member to be drawn from the committee’s membership.
• Lead members do not have the authority to commit the MPA to a course of action or to make decisions on its behalf.
• In carrying out their role or speaking publicly, the lead member must promote and represent views or policies agreed by the MPA or its committees even if these are not their own views.
• Lead members have a responsibility to keep the relevant committee informed of their work by way of regular written updates, and to keep themselves informed of the key developments and issues in their lead area.
• A lead member can request briefings/information on their subject area from MPA and MPS officers (within reason in terms of the time it might take to produce a briefing).
• The lead member role does not attract a special responsibility allowance unless specifically agreed by the MPA and the general assumption is that SRAs will not apply, given that basic allowances were set at a comparatively high level to recognise such demands on MPA members.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback