Appointments

Report: 6b
Date: 6 October 2008
By: the Chief Executive

Summary

This reports informs members of the appointment of Boris Johnson as Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and Kit Malthouse as Vice Chairman of the Authority.

Subject to the approval of the Authority’s new committee structure, members are asked to make appointments to the Authority’s committees including the positions of chairmen and vice chairmen. The report also seeks appointments to outside bodies and borough link member positions.

A. Recommendation

That

1. members note the appointment of Boris Johnson as Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and Kit Malthouse as Vice Chairman of the Authority;

2. appointments be made to the positions of chairmen and vice chairmen of committees;

3. appointments be made to the membership of the committees;

4. vacant borough link member positions be filled with existing appointments reconfirmed; and

5. vacancies on outside bodies be filled, with existing positions reconfirmed; and

6. all appointments be effective until the Authority’s next Annual Meeting in 2009.

B. Supporting information

Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Authority

1. The Metropolitan Police Authority Regulations 2008 provide that ‘if the Mayor is a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority he is to be chairman’. The Mayor became a member of the Authority on 1 October 2008 and therefore has become the Chairman from that date.

2. In addition, the Mayor may appoint one or more vice chairmen from amongst the membership of the Authority. The Mayor has appointed Kit Malthouse as Vice Chairman of the Authority

Appointment of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Committees

3. At the annual meeting of the Authority in May, all appointments were made up to 30 September 2008 in view of the fact that the Mayor and a number of new Independent Members would be joining the Authority on 1 October. A new committee structure is also being recommended to the Authority at this meeting. Members are now asked to make appointments to committees until the annual meeting in June 2009.

4. As part of this process members were asked, prior to this meeting, to express an interest in these positions and these will be tabled at the meeting. This does not preclude members from making nominations at the meeting, but these would need to proposed and seconded. If more than one member has expressed an interest in a position then there would need to be a vote by ballot.

5. Subject to the approval of the committee structure, members are asked to appoint chairmen and vice chairmen to the following committees:

• Strategic and Operational Policing Committee
• Finance and Resources Committee
• Communities, Equalities and People Committee
• Corporate Governance Committee

6. The Standards Committee appoints its own Chairman/Vice-Chairman. The Chairman of the Standards Committee must by law be one of its two external independent members.

Membership of Committees

Members are also asked to appoint the membership of committee. Subject to approval of the committee structure, members are asked to appoint to the following committees

• Strategic and Operational Policing Committee
• Finance and Resources Committee
  No more than one member of the Corporate Governance Committee can sit on this committee and that member cannot be the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee.
• Communities, Equalities and People Committee
• Corporate Governance Committee
  No more than one member of the Finance and Resources Committee can sit on this Committee. Similarly, no more than one member of the Standards Committee can sit on this Committee.
  The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Authority and the Chairman of the Finance and Resources Committee cannot sit on the Corporate Governance Committee
• Standards Committee
  The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Authority cannot be members of the Standards Committee.

8. At this stage it is not proposed to have a fixed membership for Committees. However, it is considered that the first three committees need a minimum membership of seven. Equally there should perhaps be a maximum of ten members per committee or a balancing of the membership of those committees. The Corporate Governance Committee should have at least six members. The Standards Committee is responsible for handling complaints against members. The process for doing this requires the committee to have three sub-committees. Therefore, in addition to the two external independent members it would be helpful to have an MPA membership of six (ideally three assembly members and three independent members). The committee meets about twice a year unless there are cases to consider.

9. It is also suggested that the Authority should try to achieve a balance between assembly and independent members on these Committees. A minimum expectation might be that every member should sit on at least one Committee and one sub-committee and this is reflected in the proposals for changes to the Scheme of Members’ Allowances elsewhere on this agenda.

Sub-Committees

10. Appointments to sub-committees will be made by the appropriate ‘parent’ Committee. There is no requirement for members of sub-committee also to sit on the parent committee.

Borough Link members

11. There has been discussion amongst members about the future of the borough link member role. On balance members see the value of link members but feel that the role needs to be more tightly defined and have clear relevance to members’ strategic responsibilities. Although further discussion will be needed to clarify the role, the following statement is suggested as a starting point:

Borough Link Membership

The MPA is a responsible authority within each crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP). The Authority is required to play an active part in the development of strategic crime and disorder reduction work in each of the 32 London boroughs.

The overarching purpose of the link member role is to ensure that the MPA’s strategic policies and priorities are promoted at the borough level (particularly through CDRPs and with borough commanders); and that strategic planning processes are informed by experience gained by members at the borough level.

Specifically, the role involves:

1. Attending the executive-level CDRP to:
   • ensure an appropriate fit between MPA Policing Plan priorities and CDRP priorities
   • promote MPA policies and strategies on the CDRP
   • act as the MPA signatory to CDRP plans and submissions
   • promote the MPA’s equal opportunities policies and in particular the General Duty of promoting race equality set out in the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
     report back to the MPA on issues that may have strategic implications.
2. Meeting with the Borough Commander at reasonable intervals in particular to gain an understanding the impact of corporate policing priorities and objectives at the local borough level. There is also an expectation that the link member will be kept informed locally and centrally of any significant operational issues in their link borough
3. Feeding into the MPA’s strategic planning processes experience gained at the local level
4. Ensuring a two-way flow of intelligence.

In discharging tier responsibilities, link members are supported by officers in the MPA’s Engagement and Partnership Unit

12. Members have been invited to give expressions of interest in the borough link member role and these are currently still being sought and will be circulated to members prior to the meeting.

MPA representation on outside bodies

13. A number of outside bodies seek MPA representation on various committee, boards and panels. As with the borough link member role, members have been invited to give expressions of interest in representing the MPA on these organisations. These are currently still being sought and will be circulated to members prior to the meeting. Members may wish to consider whether the Authority could appropriately be represented by officers in some cases.

C. Race and equality impact

There are no specific implications as a result of these recommendations.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Nick Baker, Committee Services, MPA

For more information contact:

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

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