Subject: Core Secretariat Performance and Budget Monitoring (second quarter 2005/06) Report Number: 10 Report to: Business Management and Appointments Committee Date: 13th October 2005 Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat 1. Recommendation 1.1 That the Committee notes and comments on the Core Secretariat performance and budget monitoring information for the second quarter of 2005/06 (1 July – 30 September). 2. Background 2.1 This report provides details of Core Secretariat performance and budget monitoring for the second quarter of the 2005/06 financial year, that is the period 1 July 2005 to 30 September 2005. It covers activity, outputs and funding of the work of the Core Secretariat (the Scrutiny, Committee Services, Assembly Media Office and Administration teams). 3. London Assembly and committee activity 3.1 London Assembly Mayor’s Question Time (MQT) 3.1.1 Two Assembly Mayor’s Question Time (MQT) meetings were held during this period – on 20 July and 14 September. In total, 293 questions were asked of the Mayor (not including subsequent inter-meeting questions). 3.1.2 On 20 July, the Mayor was questioned on the London bomb attacks and the London Olympics 2012. 3.1.3 On 14 September, among the topics on which the Mayor was questioned were under-16s free travel, arms fairs, the London deficit and police and community safety officers. City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: 020 7983 4100 minicom: 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov 3.2 London Assembly Plenary 3.2.1 Two Plenary meetings of the London Assembly were held during this period - on 13 July and 8 September. 3.2.2 Before the meeting on 13 July, Assembly Members and the Mayor held a minute’s silence following the terrorist attacks on 7 July. At the meeting Assembly Members put questions to Mike Lee, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, London 2012, on questions relating to London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics. 3.2.3 The Assembly meeting on 8 September was an additional meeting to allow Assembly Members to put questions relating to the 2012 Olympics to the following panel: • Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London • Keith Mills, Chief Executive, London 2012 • Mary Reilly, Chair, London Development Agency (LDA) • Tony Winterbottom, Executive Director of Regeneration and Development, LDA • David Lunts, Executive Director of Policy & Partnerships, GLA • Neale Coleman, Director Business Planning and Regeneration, GLA 3.3 London Assembly – events and school visits 3.3.1 The Secretariat on behalf of the Assembly took the lead, in conjunction with the Royal British Legion, in organising the GLA's ceremony on 15 August 2005 (VJ Day) to dedicate the new City Hall War Memorial to London government employees who lost their lives on active service. The ceremony was attended by over 300 invited guests, including MPs, local dignitaries and more than 100 veterans of the far east conflict in the Second World War. The service was conducted by the Canon Pastor of Southwark Cathedral, with contributions from faith representatives. Sally Hamwee, Chair of the Assembly, gave the welcome address and Brian Coleman, Deputy Chairman, laid a wreath. The ceremony was followed by a reception in London's Living Room. 3.3.2 On 26 September, pupils from Ashmole School, LB Barnet, visited City Hall partly hosted by the Secretariat on behalf of the Assembly. A book was presented on behalf of Brian Coleman, constituency Member. 3.4 2004 Elections Review Committee 3.4.1 The Elections Review Committee met informally on 14 September to consider its draft report. The final meeting to sign off the report is expected take place on 19 October. 3.5 Audit Panel 3.5.1 There were no meetings of the Audit Panel during this period. 3.6 Budget Committee 3.6.1 The Budget Committee met twice during this period – on 27 July and 15 September. On 11 July members of the Budget Committee met informally with American academics to discuss the scrutiny and management of budgets in New York. 2 3.6.2 On 7 July the Budget Monitoring Sub-Committee met briefly to agree to defer the meeting due to the serious events on that day and that questions would be submitted in writing to officers. Pre-Budget Scrutiny Project 3.6.3 The Committee is due to issue its pre-budget report in November setting out its main issues for the 2006/07 budget and criteria against which it will consider the Mayor’s consultation draft budget. At its meeting on 27 July the Committee considered the Mayor's Budget Guidance and questioned officers from LDA, LFEPA and MPA on issues, new initiatives and assumptions for the 2006/07 budget. On 15 September the Committee questioned representatives from Camelot, LDA, TfL and Neale Coleman, Director of Business Planning and Regeneration, Mayor's Office, on the financial implications of the 2012 Olympic Games. 3.6.4 In addition to gathering evidence at meetings, the Committee has written to external stakeholders seeking their views on budget issues and commissioned NOP World Ltd to consult Londoners via six focus groups. 3.7 Business Management and Appointments Committee 3.7.1 The Committee met twice during this period – on 19 July and 7 September. 3.7.2 At its meeting held on 19 July, the Committee agreed: • to note the Core Secretariat performance and budget monitoring information for the first quarter of 2005/06; • to approve an additional term of reference for the Planning and Spatial Development Committee; • to note the Planning and Spatial Development Committee’s work programme for 2005/06; • to approve expenditure of £9,500 for desktop research to review trends and consistency in decisions that the Mayor has taken on strategic planning applications and their consistency with other Mayoral strategies; • to endorse the findings of the former Safer London Committee in relation to its scrutiny of the co- ordination of emergency plans in London; • to note the contents of the GLA Race Equality Scheme (2005 - 2008); • to approve expenditure of up to £10,000 by the Transport Committee to appoint an academic to undertake a piece of comparative research into industrial relations in other world city public transport networks in support of the Committee’s review of industrial relations on the London Underground; • to approve expenditure of up to £10,000 by the Environment Committee to appoint technical consultants to undertake an analysis of the appropriateness of draft alterations to the London Plan on waste and minerals; and • to approve expenditure of up to £10,000 for external consultancy assistance to review the consistency of the Sub-Regional Development Frameworks for the North, East, Central, South and West regions of London with each other and the London Plan. 3.7.3 At its meeting on 7 September, the Committee agreed: • to note action taken to improve the Corporate Governance Framework and Handbook in line with the Executive Director of Finance and Performance’s delegated authority; • to note progress made on implementing the recommendations from the 2004 Annual Corporate Governance Report; • to note the position on complaints received during 1 April 2005 - 30 June 2005 and action taken as a result of complaints received for this quarter; • to note that the GLA’s Complaints and Comment Policy was updated in May 2005; 3 • to note the terms of reference for Angie Bray’s investigation as rapporteur into the effects of the introduction of the European Union Directive on “Droit de Suite” and its effect on the London 20th Century Art Market, and to approve expenditure of up to £5,000 should it be necessary for the timely conclusion of this work; • to appoint Tony Arbour AM as a rapporteur to the Planning and Spatial Development Committee to investigate the Blue Ribbon Network; • to appoint Mike Tuffrey AM as a rapporteur to the Environment Committee to respond to the Mayor’s Draft Food Strategy and investigate sustainability issues in the London food industry; • to note the contents of the report on the Assembly’s plans to approach scrutiny of the Olympics in the period leading up to the 2012 Games; • to receive reports from the standing Assembly Committees at its November or December meeting which will set out proposals for scrutiny of the London Olympic Games over the next twelve month period, at which time Assembly co-ordination issues will be considered; • to approve the payment of an on-call allowance of £2,100 per annum to Facilities Management managers; • to agree the measures for reducing the use of fixed term contracts; • to convert the following posts from fixed term to permanent status on the establishment: SASPAC Support Officer (DMAG, Corporate Services), Research and Statistical Analyst – census (DMAG, Corporate Services), Senior Cultural Strategy Officer (Culture Strategy, Mayor’s Office), Events Co-ordinator - two posts (Events for London, Mayor’s Office), Senior Project Officer (Older People’s Resource Facility, Mayor’s Office) and Project Officer (Older People’s Resource Facility, Mayor’s Office; • to require that performance review information be reported on an annual basis in future years; • to note progress made against the recommendations in the OPM Review; • to approve the revised probation procedure; and • that Fiona Campbell, Head of Scrutiny and Investigations, be permitted to continue in her appointment as non-executive director on the board of the Centre for Public Scrutiny. 3.8 Commission on London Governance 3.8.1 The Commission met five times during the period (either as the full Commission or in informal panel sessions) – on 12 July, 19 July, 22 July, 6 September and 13 September, taking evidence from a variety of London stakeholders and expert witnesses.