Appointment of members

Overview

The Metropolitan Police Authority has 23 members:

• 12 Assembly members, appointed by the Mayor taking account of the political balance on the London Assembly
• 10 independent members, at least one of whom must be a magistrate, who are appointed following a public recruitment process
• 1 independent member appointed by the Home Secretary

Assembly and independent members have equal status on the MPA and all have full voting rights.

• Member profiles

As a public authority, much of the local authority legislation applies to the MPA. However, this does not include the provisions of the Local Government Act 2000 in relation to executive arrangements. The MPA therefore currently operates on ‘traditional’ local authority lines with the Authority delegating many of its functions to committees.

In terms of the membership of the MPA, the Mayor of London can:

• choose to be a member of the MPA (which would count as one of the 12 Assembly member appointments). If he or she is a member he or she must be chair
• appoint the chair and one or more deputy chairs of the Authority from amongst its membership before the Authority’s Annual Meeting or if there is a vacancy in these positions

The Authority makes all other appointments (such as appointments to committees) at its annual meeting in June.

The role of MPA members

The MPA is part oversight body – with responsibility for overseeing the performance of the MPS - and part strategic decision-making authority.

In terms of the latter role, for instance, the MPA approves the policing plan and the strategic direction of the MPS; it holds the budget (although day to day management is carried out by the MPS); it takes the major procurement decisions; and the MPA owns the police estate. The MPA also appoints all senior police officers (rank of commander and above with the exception of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner), and senior police staff. It is also responsible for any appraisal of and for any disciplinary action against these officers.

The MPA also has responsibilities at a borough level, not least as a statutory partner on crime and disorder reduction partnerships. With the government’s focus on local answerability this part of the MPA’s role is of increasing significance.

The range of the MPA’s responsibilities can place significant demands on its members. In very broad terms these include:

• contributing to the development of the MPS’s strategic direction
• scrutinising MPS performance and service delivery
• engaging with local communities, borough police and local organisations as one of the MPA’s borough link members
• working effectively with a range of people – for instance, fellow members, senior police officers and borough-based organisations

Independent members may expect to commit the equivalent of at least two days a week to carry out their role. The other demands on assembly members may make an equivalent time commitment problematical but full participation in the work of one or more committees is important.

At present the basic requirement is that each member attends the monthly full Authority meetings and acts as a Borough Link Member for one or more boroughs. Members are also encouraged to become members of one or more committees and to take part in other activities such as scrutiny panels and ACPO officer appointment panels.

Term of Office

Members are appointed for a four-year term. The current term of office runs until October 2012 (subject, for Assembly Members, to the outcome of the Greater London Authority elections in May 2012).

Allowances and expenses

MPA members are paid an allowance for their work on the MPA. They can also claim validly incurred expenses. The MPA publishes an annual summary of allowances and expenses paid to its members.

Standards Committee

All members are required to abide by the MPA’s Code of Conduct and a breach of this Code can result in action being taken against them. As required by law, the MPA has a Standards Committee which is responsible for maintaining high standards of ethical conduct amongst its members. This includes investigating alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct and determining what sanction should be applied if it is found that a member has broken the Code.

To ensure transparency and independence, at least one quarter of the membership of the Standards Committee must be people who are not members of the MPA. The Standards Committee and its sub-committees must be chaired by these independent people. The MPA’s Standards Committee has two ‘independent’ members.

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