Home | About | City
Hall | Contact | FAQ | Help | Jobs | Site map
| Home | About | City
Hall | Contact | FAQ | Help | Jobs | Site map
|
| London Life | | | Mayor of London | | | London Assembly | | | Media Centre |
|
|
London Assembly Budget and Performance ReportsReports may be downloaded, free of charge, in PDF and RTF formats - the site help page provides information about these formats.
For further information on any of the reports below, please contact Tim Steer, Scrutiny Manager, email tim.steer@london.gov.uk. Response to the Mayor's draft Capital Spending PlanFebruary 2010 The Budget and Performance Committee's response raises concerns over uncertainties in the Mayor’s proposals for capital investment in London including the costs of upgrading the Underground and the transfer of Olympic Park land. In addition, the Committee states it has limited confidence in figures from the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA). There are also concerns about LFEPA’s lack of a contingency plan if the sale of the old headquarters of the London Fire Brigade is further delayed as LFEPA’s programme is to a large extent dependent on this sale. The Committee calls for additional information and some changes to the way the figures are presented to make the Mayor’s plans clearer. Response to the Mayor's consultation draft budget 2010/11January 2010 Our report warns that the Mayor may struggle to continue freezing the council tax precept in the future in the face of an unprecedented set of pressures facing the capital. The Budget and Performance Committee* says London is suffering from a combination of the effects of the recession and increasing costs of upgrading the Tube network. The Committee says there is a real risk of cuts to future government grants and if these are significant, the Mayor may not be able to continue to freeze the precept without cutting police, fire and transport services. * The Conservative Group on the London Assembly does not support the Committee's response. Response to Mayor's draft Budget and Strategic PlanDecember 2009 This document sets out the Budget and Performance Committee’s response on behalf of the Assembly to the draft Mayor and Assembly budget and draft Strategic Plan. The response is structured around three themes: reporting against the Strategic Plan and assessing the impact of Organising for Delivery; the allocation of programme budgets; and risks to income. The recommendations are reproduced at the end of the document. Pre-Budget report 2009October 2009 The Budget and Performance Committee's Pre-Budget report warns the financial prospects for the capital’s economic development body – the London Development Agency – are 'bleak'. It says the recently identified £159 million shortfall in the LDA’s Olympic Land commitments has both damaged the Agency’s reputation and significantly reduced its resources. The report reveals that the shortfall and expected cuts in government grants mean the LDA will lose more than a fifth of the resources it expected for 2010/11 and by 2012/13 it is likely to have only around 60 per cent of the programme budget available to it last year. The report warns that from 2011/12 onwards the pressure on all GLA functional bodies will increase. Reductions in government grant are expected, but there is significant uncertainty about the scale and timing of these cuts. The Committee warns that the Mayor will need to balance his desire to limit the financial burden on London council taxpayers with his priority to maintain frontline services – particularly in the police and fire services. It calls on him to make the case for London to central government to try to ensure that vital services in the capital continue to be funded adequately. As part of its examination of the issues facing the functional bodies’ finances, the Committee notes that the challenges facing Transport for London (TfL) from the recession may be even greater than previously thought. Mayor's Response: A fare decision? The impact of the Mayor's fares decision July 2009 London’s transport network is facing one of its biggest financial challenges yet, with a potential £1.7billion funding gap by 2018 caused by the effects of the recession, our report warns. The Budget and Performance Committee says likely negative inflation in July 2009 will mean the Mayor will have to either freeze or reduce fares in 2010 in line with the formula (RPI + one per cent) he committed himself to last year. Reductions in passenger numbers mean Transport for London is already facing a shortfall in fares income of as much as £112million in 2009/10 and a fares freeze will add to the problem. The Committee calls on the Mayor to set out how any shortfall in income from the recession will be met and urges him to consult with Londoners about his fares decision each year from 2010 – as is done in Paris and New York. The below submissions were received during the Committee's investigation. London TravelWatch evidence submission PDF Citizens Advice evidence submission PDF Youth expenditure in the GLA Group July 2009 Our report reviews the Mayor's spending on and targets for young people. It finds that there is good work being done, but calls on the Mayor to set clearer targets by which he may be judged, and to better define his youth priorities. A report by the Budget and Performance Committee on the GLA group environment spend 2009/10 June 2009 Our report reveals that despite costing more, the environmental benefits and impact on climate change of the Mayor’s environment spending remain unclear. The Committee found that less than a third of the total GLA group environment spend will be on combating climate change, and less than 4 percent will be spent on reducing waste. The vast majority will be spent on other initiatives designed to ‘make London a greener and more pleasant city’ for which the environmental benefits are not very clear or are still being worked out. The report makes a number of recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the GLA group’s work on environment:
Response to the Mayor’s Draft Capital Spending Plan for 2009/10February 2009 The Budget and Performance Committee's response outlines areas of significant risk in the Mayor's spending plans for 2009/10. A combination of challenges from the recession and uncertainty over central government funding are putting pressure on plans for the Olympic Games, building new police stations and rolling out new transport infrastructure. Response to the Mayor's consultation draft budget 2009/10January 2009 The economic downturn is now the biggest challenge facing Mayor Boris Johnson as he sets his first budget for the capital, according to this report. The Mayor is grappling with this challenge, while attempting to re-orientate City Hall to his new priorities. The report says that, with less than one month to go before the budget process is complete, there is still a lack of clarity about some structural, policy and financial decisions, and where some of the savings required by the Mayor will come from. In order to demonstrate value for money, the Mayor needs to show that he is not just about spending less but showing what more Londoners can get for their money. The Committee's analysis of the Mayor's draft budget shows that in 2009-10, the precept freeze can be achieved without too much pain. However, in future years, significant questions remain about how the MPA and LFEPA particularly can continue to cut their budgets without affecting services Response to the Mayor's consultation on the draft GLA budgetDecember 2008 This report responds to the Mayor's consultation on the draft GLA budget. The response emphasises the need to show how value for money is being delivered by setting out what will be achieved with the money the GLA is spending. It also calls for more information on any work still underway to identify further budget reductions. Pre-budget report 2008October 2008 Mayor Boris Johnson’s quest for value for money must achieve a balance between spending less and still providing the services and facilities the capital needs, according to our report. The Mayor needs to make clear how much will be spent, what will be achieved, what projects will no longer be funded, and how he will deal with the impact of inflation on the budget and additional major projects - like Crossrail - that need funding. The report says the Mayor’s freeze on the precept adds to the already considerable financial pressure on the GLA and functional bodies – Metropolitan Police Authority, Transport for London, London Development Agency. A number of recommendations are made to the Mayor:
The Mayor’s response to the Committee's report is published below: Letter from the Mayor PDFLetter from the Mayor RTF Mayor’s Response to the Pre-Budget Report recommendations PDF Response to the Mayor’s 2008/09 Consultation BudgetJanuary 2008 Following discussions with the Mayor, the functional bodies and external stakeholders, the Budget Committee has made its response to the 2008/09 budget proposals. Our main points include the need for government funding for police and fire brigade work on national and capital-city security, efficiency savings, police recruitment and overtime, pressure on the fire services' budget, continued growth of the Mayor's media team, the incomplete plans presented by Transport for London and the unknown impact of the Metronet collapse on TfL's budget, and the impact of the Olympics on the budget of the London Development Agency. Pre-Budget ReportDecember 2007 Mayor of London Ken Livingstone will shortly publish his eighth budget for consultation. The London Assembly Budget Committee’s Pre-Budget Report sets out information that the Committee would like to see included in the Mayor's consultation budget for 2008/09. It also highlights some performance and financial issues for the members of the Greater London Authority Group – Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Authority, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and the London Development Agency - that may be of relevance to this budget. Safer Neighbourhood PolicingFebruary 2007 Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs), described as “a revolution in policing”, have been a significant priority for the Mayor in his last three budgets. He has used London council taxpayers’ money to fund the roll out of an SNT (a unit comprised of 1 police sergeant, 2 police constables and 3 Police Community Support Officers) to every ward in London. In this report, the Budget Committee explores the impact and value for money of SNTs to date, including the performance measures and evaluation mechanisms being used. It makes recommendations to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Additional information has been provided by the MPA on safer neighbourhood policing: Information from MPA PDF Response to the Mayor’s 2007/08 Consultation BudgetJanuary 2007 In this response to the Mayor's consultation budget for next year, the Budget Committee comments on some of the main budget issues for the GLA and its functional bodies. These include expenditure on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, counter-terrorism and neighbourhood policing. The Budget Committee also suggests where in the budget the Mayor might make further budget reductions of £8 million to meet his proposed maximum council tax precept increase of 5.3%. IPF analysis of past budgets
PDF This year external finance experts are contributing to the Budget Committee's work on the Mayor's budget. They have provided a written analysis of past budgets and performance. Pre-budget report 2006December 2006 The Mayor will shortly be publishing his seventh budget for consultation. This report sets out information that the Budget Committee would like to see included in the Mayor's consultation budget. It also highlights some performance and financial issues for the members of the GLA Group that maybe of relevance to this budget. Financing the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic GamesDecember 2006 One year on from London being awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and around £500 million of public money had been spent on the Games. Separately there has been some reporting on expenditure on the Games, but only recently has some information been published on total public expenditure on the Games this year. And the lifetime budget for the Games will not be published until next year (2007). In this report the Budget Committee calls for more information on the financing of the Games to be put in the public domain. Tube and bus faresSeptember 2006 Since 2004 Tube and bus cash fares have increased year-on-year and they are set to increase further. For Londoners on low incomes higher cash fares could mean public transport becomes unaffordable unless they are using Oyster cards. The Budget Committee has sought to identify how far such Londoners are taking up Oyster cards. It has also considered the extent to which the Mayor consults on his fare changes to ensure any adverse effects are identified and addressed. This report sets out the Budget Committee's findings and includes specific recommendations to the Mayor and TfL. It also includes details of external research commissioned by the Budget Committee into Tube and bus fares. GLA Group expenditure on tourismJune 2006 In the last few years tourism has increased in London. At the same time, the amount of money spent by the GLA Group on promoting tourism has also increased. The Budget Committee has sought to identify the extent to which the increased tourism can be attributed to GLA Group spending. This report sets out its findings and includes specific recommendations to the Mayor and the GLA Group in relation to greater transparency of spending on tourism, clearer measurements and evaluation of the impact of this expenditure and greater involvement of stakeholders in decisions about spending. Response to the Mayor’s 2006/07 Consultation BudgetJanuary 2006 In this response, the Budget Committee assesses the extent to which its six pre-budget criteria have been addressed. It comments on Government funding for counter-terrorism, expenditure on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the level of cash savings proposed for the GLA Group and the proposed 16.6% increase in the council tax precept. It also comments on the individual budgets proposed for 2006/7 and the main budget proposals. On Safer Neighbourhood Teams, the Committee seeks more evidence of their impact. In respect of TfL and the GLA, it suggests that their call on the council tax precept could be reduced. For LFEPA, it highlights the potential long-term financial implications of a significant use of reserves and, for the LDA, how increased expenditure on the Olympic Games will impact on its other work. Pre-budget reportDecember 2005 On the eve of the Mayor issuing his 2006/7 draft budget for consultation, this report sets out some criteria against which the Budget Committee will assess the draft budget. It would like any additional funding for counter-terrorism provided by Government and clarity on expenditure on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is seeking rigorous examination of funding for major initiatives such as the roll out of more community policing. It would like to see increased efficiencies and savings across the GLA Group and no more than the smallest possible increase in the council tax precept. It has asked the Mayor to provide Londoners with clear information on his budget and consult upon it widely. Response to the Mayor’s 2005/06 Consultation BudgetJanuary 2005 The Mayor anticipates that the final increase on the council tax precept will be lower than the 7.2 per cent he has proposed in his consultation budget. The Committee suggests that, given the rise in fares this year and TfL's ability to borrow £3 billion over the next five years, there is scope to reduce TfL's £26 million demand on London's council taxpayers. The report also discusses the growth of community policing teams (and the need for more sophisticated evaluation and better training), the financial pressures on the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority budget (LFEPA), the cost of the western extension of the Congestion Charge Scheme and key issues for each of the bodies within the GLA Group. Transport budget plans for 2004/05February 2004 This report examines the changes in Transport for London's budget plans for 2004/05 between the Mayor's Consultation and Draft Budgets for 2004/05. Response to the Mayor’s
|
|
| Top of page | Home | About | City Hall | Contact | FAQ | Help | Jobs | Site map |
