Questions to the Mayor 21 March, 2019 ANSWERED QUESTIONS PAPER Subject: MQT on 21 March, 2019 Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat Wimbledon Police Station Question No: 2019/6038 Caroline Pidgeon Given that it has been eight months since the decision to close Wimbledon Police Station was judged as unlawful (20th July 2018), please outline when a decision reconsidering its closure is to be made. Wimbledon Police Station The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 MOPAC are considering the consultation responses relevant to Merton borough, ensuring all the material points raised are reviewed. Once this has been completed my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime will make a decision with due regard to all the points raised. Ford Dagenham (1) Question No: 2019/6039 Caroline Pidgeon What action are you and the London Economic Action Partnership taking to protect manufacturing jobs such as those at Ford Dagenham Engine Plant? Answer for Ford Dagenham (1) The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Ford Dagenham (1) The Mayor Last updated: 01 May, 2019 I continue to work closely with businesses and employee representatives to protect London’s jobs from the threats that Brexit poses to industries such as manufacturing. My Deputy Mayors for Business and Environment have met with the Chairman of Ford Motors at the Dagenham plant to discuss the support they need from both the Mayor’s office and Government. My team will continue to work closely with Ford to ensure that they get the support they need to retain jobs and investment in Dagenham. Ford’s Plant Manager Paul Neighbour has been appointed to my Skills for Londoners Business Partnership and will therefore play a key role in advising me on how to improve and better align skills provision including specialist, industry-relevant and higher level skills provision to meet the skills needs of businesses like Ford. The London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) is just one of the business-led bodies that are informing policy at City Hall, alongside my Business Advisory Board, the London Business Board and sector specific representative bodies. London’s manufacturing sector plays a key role in London’s economy and LEAP is commissioning research to better understand the challenges the sector is facing, particularly in terms of Brexit. Ford Dagenham (2) Question No: 2019/6040 Caroline Pidgeon Will you meet with workers and representatives from Ford Dagenham to hear about their work on cleaner diesel engines and future hybrid and electric technology? Answer for Ford Dagenham (2) The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Ford Dagenham (2) The Mayor Last updated: 01 May, 2019 Following representations made to me by Unite the Union, Shirley Rodrigues, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy and Rajesh Agrawal, my Deputy Mayor for Business - visited Ford Dagenham in August 2018 to meet with plant workers and senior management, and to see for themselves the work Ford is doing on future technology development to produce cleaner vehicles. Representatives from Ford attend TfL’s Automotive Forum and they are contributing to the work of my Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce, providing motoring industry input into our drive to improve London’s air quality. Loan facilities Question No: 2019/6041 Caroline Pidgeon How many bridging loans, such as that detailed in DD2305, have been provided by the GLA over the past two years? Please provide a full list of the recipients, how much was received by each and also provide detail on the criteria used. Answer for Loan facilities The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Loan facilities The Mayor Last updated: 10 April, 2019 The funding provided under DD2305 is senior debt finance. The GLA has provided senior debt finance in 8 other loans through the Housing Zones Programme and the Mayor’s Land Fund over the last two years. Details of the recipients and approved funding allocation is below. Also included is the number of the relevant Mayoral or Director’s decision. All investments were subject to financial, property and legal due diligence, and made in accordance with the funding conditions for the relevant programme. Further information can be found in the relevant Mayoral or Director Decision forms here: https://www.london.gov.uk/decisions/dd2305-marshgate-lane-woodlands-and-… Loan Approval Programme Counterparty Scheme amount Number Housing Anthology Wembley Wembley Parade £34,500,000 MD2190 Zones Parade Ltd Housing Harrow South LLP Northolt Road £15,250,000 DD2160 Zones Housing Origin Housing Northolt Road £10,086,956 DD2160 Zones Housing Central Harrow LLP Former £25,501,000 MD2267 Zones Cumberland Avenue Housing Origin Housing Former £17,000,000 MD2267 Zones Cumberland Avenue Housing Swan New Homes Blackwall Reach £50,000,000 MD2060 Zones Housing Waterside Places LLP Hale Wharf £38,183,235 MD2266 Zones Land fund Peabody Trust Holloway Prison £41,636,000 DD2328 101 service Question No: 2019/6042 Caroline Pidgeon The National Police Chiefs Council recently wrote to Policing Minister Nick Hurd suggesting that budget pressures could cause the 101 service to be turned off at night from next year, once the contract expires in March 2020. What is your response to this? 101 service The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 The challenges facing London and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) are well known - the funding picture for London continues to be extremely difficult and as a consequence, the MPS must deliver its services with fewer officers. However, responding to calls is a fundamental responsibility of the MPS, and the MPS have assured me they are working hard to improve this including recruiting additional staff to help deal with the rise in demand and there are currently no plans by the MPS to make any changes to the 101 service. Safer Schools Officers (1) Question No: 2019/6043 Caroline Pidgeon Could you clarify whether Safer Schools Officers are dedicated to one school at a time, or whether they cover multiple schools? Please also detail how many are currently assigned to (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools (iii) pupil referral units and (iv) further education/sixth form colleges. Answer for Safer Schools Officers (1) The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Safer Schools Officers (1) The Mayor Last updated: 10 April, 2019 Every school and Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) is offered a named designated officer to strengthen the link between schools and the police. As of end of February 2019 there are 382 Schools and Youth Engagement Officers. Schools and PRUs vary greatly by size and need and therefore an officer may support multiple education establishments. Local commanders are responsible for ensuring schools and youth officers are deployed where and when they are needed most according to risk and potential harm. HR data systems show there are currently around 90 officers that are dedicated to one school. The rest have responsibility for two or more schools (i.e. the total will be greater than the overall number of officers). I. 16 officers are assigned to Primary schools; II. 311 officers are assigned to secondary schools; III. 47 officers are assigned to PRUs; and IV. 5 officers are assigned to further education Safer Schools Officers (2) Question No: 2019/6044 Caroline Pidgeon How many Safer Schools Officer posts are currently vacant? Please break this down by BCU and borough. Answer for Safer Schools Officers (2) The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Safer Schools Officers (2) The Mayor Last updated: 12 June, 2019 One of the benefits of the move to BCUs is an investment in more officers involved with schools and youth engagement – a commitment to almost double numbers, from less than 300 officers to well over 500 officers. Change on this scale does take time and thus officers are still being posted into the new roles that were created within BCUs. To be clear these are not long-standing vacancies but newly created posts which the MPS must now recruit to. As of the end of February 2019 there were 382 Schools & Youth Engagement Officers. A snapshot of posts yet to be filled from the HR system against the new target shows 144.55 (Full Time Equivalent) posts across the 12 BCUs. The table below shows this detail by BCU. Safer Schools and Youth Engagement Officers will continue to grow throughout 2019 as the MPS completes the transition to the new model. BCU Name Newly Established Posts to be filled AS - Central South Command Unit Total 9.14 AW - Central West Command Unit Total 20.05 CE - Central East Command Unit Total 12.50 CN - Central North Command Unit Total 5.62 EA - East Area Command Unit Total 22.26 NA - North Area Command Unit Total 6.24 NE - North East Command Unit Total 6.01 NW - North West Command Unit Total 26.40 SE - South East Command Unit Total 17.43 SN - South Area Command Unit Total 13.05 SW - South West Command Unit Total 8.29 WA - West Area Command Unit Total -2.43* Grand Total 144.55 *Note that at the time this data snapshot was taken, the West Area was over establishment. Short-term rental market (1) Question No: 2019/6045 Caroline Pidgeon What action are you taking to support communities negatively impacted by the short-term rental market? Answer for Short-term rental market (1) The Mayor Last updated: 26 March, 2019 Officers are drafting a response Short-term rental market (1) The Mayor Last updated: 10 April, 2019 I am working to promote adherence to the 90-day short-term rental limit, as set out in my response to Mayor’s Question 2019/6046.