Key information
Decision type: Director
Reference code: DD2012
Date signed:
Decision by: Jeff Jacobs , Head of Paid Service
Executive summary
It is important for the GLA Group to effectively engage with the media and thereby reach Londoners and beyond; and media monitoring plays an important part in meeting that objective. It provides the respective media teams with a comprehensive report of media reaction to the strategies, policies and activities of the GLA Group.
Newspaper Licensing Agency's (NLA) role is to ensure all organisations have access to the news they need whilst ensuring they are copyright compliant. The NLA licenses the copying of newspaper content on behalf of the copyright owners under the authority of the Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988. The current NLA licence expires on the 1st June 2016. It is proposed that a licence agreement is entered into by the GLA with the NLA for one year up to a maximum expenditure of £61,965.
Decision
That the Executive Director approves:
• expenditure of up to a maximum of £61,965 to enter into a licence agreement with the Newspaper Licensing Agency for one year and corresponding receipt of income of £55,853 from TfL, the Metropolitan Police and Crossrail; and
• a related exemption from the requirement to seek three or more competitive quotations /make a call off from an accessible framework for the provision of the licence to reflect the Newspaper Licensing Agency's position as sole licensor of copyright materials circulated by way of the press cutting service.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 The GLA Group press cutting service was established in 2003 in order to deliver a more focused,
responsive and efficient media monitoring service. This is a daily newsprint (national, regional, local and papers and trade journals) monitoring service that supports the communication work of the Mayor, Assembly and Transport for London. It is important for the GLA Group to engage effectively with the media and thereby reach Londoners and beyond and media monitoring plays an important part in meeting that objective.
1.2 The Media Monitoring service provided the respective media teams with a comprehensive report of media reaction to the strategies, policies and activities of the GLA Group. In October 2010 the in-house service was outsourced to an external media monitoring agency.
1.3 Following the decision in 2002-3 to establish an in-house service, and subsequently outsource the entire service in 2010 the GLA is still required to procure a licence annually from the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA). A fee has been negotiated for 2016-17 following an NLA audit and this fee is applicable irrespective of who supplies the service.
1.4 The service is jointly funded by TfL, Met Police and Crossrail and they are invoiced quarterly to recover their contributions. The costs are proportional to the amount of coverage each functional body attracts.
1.5 As the NLA is sole authorised owner and licensor of copyright in the newspaper content under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988 the press cuttings service required cannot be obtained from any other supplier.
2.1 To continue to operate the Media Monitoring service in compliance with legal requirements. It is expected that the GLA Group will continue to hold a valid licence with the NLA.
3.1 There are no identifiable potential impacts, both positive and negative, of the decision on those with protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation)
a) Links to strategies and Corporate Plan
The Mayor is committed to public information and engagement as stated in the corporate plan and the media is an established avenue of reaching Londoners and beyond. To ensure that the GLA communication strategy is effective, it is important to monitor media coverage of the GLA Group. Also establishing a GLA Group in-house monitoring service is in-line with the convergence agenda.
b) Impact assessments and Consultation
Consultation with TfL, the Met Police and Crossrail in regards to licence fees and aligning/merging the Met Police & Crossrail NLA licences has been carried out at the time of drafting of the original and subsequent Media Monitoring service agreements and at the regular quarterly service meetings held between TfL, GLA, Met Police, Crossrail & Precise (our current Media Monitoring service provider). No further consultation was considered appropriate or necessary in the circumstances.
c) Risk
It is illegal to operate or utilize a press cutting service without a licence and failure to procure one leaves the authority open to legal proceedings/challenge.
5.1 The cost of the Media Monitoring service’s Newspaper Licensing Agency fee to cover the period 1st June 2016 to 31st May 2017 is £61,965. (In 2015/6 the fee was £60,323 and in 2014/15 it was £56,928).
5.2 The table below details the breakdown of fees:
Period 01/06/16 – 31/5/17 £
Basic 931
Regional Banded 2,770
Magazine Banded 396
Foreign titles 45
Digital Universal- Newspapers 54,092
Digital Universal Magazines 3,731
Total Renewal Fee 61,965
5.3 The GLA, Transport for London, Met Police and Crossrail all fund the media monitoring services.
The approximate proportional contribution towards this fee from the respective parties is broken down below.
Description £
GLA 6,112
TfL 30,104
Met Police 13,686
Crossrail 12,063
Total Fee 61,965
5.4 The GLA’s share of these costs is £6,112. £5,181 will be met from the 2016-17 Press Office Media Monitoring budget, held in External Affairs Directorate, with the remaining £931 met by equal contributions from the 2016-17 Facilities Management budget (Resources Directorate) and the Intelligence Unit (Communities & Intelligence Directorate).
5.5 The Mayor’s Press Office and Business Support Teams within the External & International Relations Directorate will be responsible for ensuring that all agreements comply with the GLA contracts and funding code and for recovery of the contributions from TfL, Met Police and Crossrail via quarterly invoicing.
6.1 The forgoing sections of this report indicate that:
6.1.1 the decisions requested of the Director fall within the powers of the Authority, to do anything which is facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and
6.1.2 in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority's related statutory duties to:
(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
(b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
(c) consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2 Under the Authority's Contracts and Funding Code ("Code") ordinarily competitive tenders should be sought or a call off made from an accessible framework for licensed services with a value of £61,965.09. However, section 5 of the Code also provides that an exemption from this requirement may be justified on the basis that the provider has exclusive rights to provide the supplies required. Therefore, as officers have indicated in this paper, because NLA are the sole owner and licensor of the required rights, the Director may approve the exemption and entry into a licence with NLA.
6.3 In order to facilitate the cost sharing arrangements with TfL, the Met Police & Crossrail, the Authority may charge TfL, the Met Police & Crossrail for the Authority's press cutting services under Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 but officers should ensure the sums charged do not exceed the costs of providing the service.
The Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) is responsible for copyright protection of Newspapers - national, regional and local including digital copying and has the sole power to issue licences for the press cutting team's use of copyright protected materials. The GLA cannot use the materials lawfully without this license and therefore, the license is a legal requirement which only the NLA can fulfil.
This DD seeks permission to be exempted from the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code by way of directly appointing NLA to carry out the services. One of the grounds for exemption in section 5 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code to undertake a competitive procurement exercise is where no other supplier is able to undertake the services and consequently there is a complete absence of competition. Officers have confirmed that this is the case, and that this approach will provide value for money
This is an annual licence and this latest licence will cover the GLA for another year up to and including 31st May2016. The current licence expires on the 1st June 2015
Signed decision document
DD2012 Licence agreement with the Newspaper Licensing Agency