Business plan element of Mayor's budget submission

Report: 15
Date: 9 October 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

The MPA’s 2004/05 budget submission to the Mayor includes a Business Plan. This report seeks the approval of PPRC to specific elements of that business plan, prior to the complete budgetary package being approved by the Full Authority on 30 October.

A. Recommendations

That

1. appendix 2 as part of the MPA’s budget submission to the Mayor be approved; and
2. appendix 3 as part of the MPA’s budget submission be approved.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The Full Authority is approving the MPA’s budget submission package to the Mayor on 30 October 2003. Before the package is collated into a coherent whole, the most appropriate MPA committee is reviewing each element individually. The schedule for MPA committees to approve these elements is shown in Appendix 1.

2. As part of the budget submission, the Mayor requires the MPA/MPS to develop a 3-year business plan alongside financial projections. The guidance stipulates that the business plan should cover at least the period to 2006/07. The timescale for ‘Towards the Safest City’ is 2003-2005. Last year, in response to a similar request, our strategic framework was sent, since this covered the required 3-year time period. There are two separate and unrelated influences on development of any medium term business plan – those imposed by the National Policing Plan and those relating to the Mayor.

Approach being taken

3. Having considered all the various issues raised by the two distinct influences, the approach being taken for the 2004/05 budget submission is to:

• Submit the existing ‘Towards the Safest City’ (TtSC), accompanied by a supporting report highlighting where the Mayor’s policy directives have been addressed in it, and attaching the Step Change Business plan.
• Add an attachment for insertion into the original, outlining the additional work being performed to increase the safety and security of women. Note: This is a key MPA policy requirement from the Mayor. An analysis of TtSC has shown, however, that aims in TtSC do not include specific reference to the safety of women. Although this is implied in the wording of the aim ‘Protect vulnerable victims, including children and victims of rape, domestic violence and hate crimes (such as racist and homophobic crime),’ this may not incorporate the broad spectrum of women’s safety that the mayor’s policy objective implies.
• Provide an update to Annex L in TtSC, which shows the relationship between new initiatives/growth items in the revised 3-year financial projections and goals in TtSC.
• In an accompanying letter to the Mayor, highlight the caveats to this version of TtSC, namely that the MPA/MPS:
  • is awaiting release of the National Policing Plan (due by 30 November 2003) to confirm its content
  • will review it thoroughly in 2005 to bring it into line with the next cycle of Crime and Disorder strategies. This approach is in line with statutory expectations.

Items for approval

4. Appendix 1 shows that this Planning, Performance and Review Committee is approving:

• A supporting analysis to ‘Towards the Safest City’, which highlights how the Mayor’s policy directives have been addressed in the MPA’s existing strategy. This analysis is given in Appendix 2, which also includes an accompanying Annex A. (Towards the Safest City itself has not been included in this PPRC paper, as members already have their own copy).
• An insert outlining the additional work being performed to increase the safety and security of women within the capital. This insert is shown in Appendix 3. Note that this work is in its infancy – a meeting to progress it is scheduled for the end of October. It is hence subject to change.

C. Equality and diversity implications

Clearly the insert in Appendix 3 (by its very nature) will improve the appropriateness and accessibility of MPS service provision to women.

D. Financial implications

The financial implications of this report are considered in the overall budget submission package to the Mayor. In particular, an updated Annex L of Towards the Safest City (being considered by the Finance Committee on 13 October) will illustrate the relationship between the new initiatives/growth items in the 2004/05 budget and the goals in TtSC.

E. Background papers

• Three – year strategy plan (Full Authority 27 February 2003 – agenda item 10 – MPA/03/15)
• Completion of the three – year strategy plan (Full Authority 27 March 2003 – agenda item 8)

F. Contact details

Report author: Sarah Hedgcock, corporate planning group, DCI Sue Williams, Diversity Directorate, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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