Key information
Decision type: Director
Reference code: DD2167
Date signed:
Decision by: Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Executive Director of Development, Enterprise and Environment
Executive summary
This DD seeks approval to spend £95,000 of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 London Plan budget to employ an Examination in Public (EiP) Secretary and EiP administrator for a period of 12 months. The appointments will support the preparation for and management of the EiP on the London Plan.
Decision
That the Executive Director of Development, Environment and Enterprise approves spend of £95,000, from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 London Plan budget, to employ an EiP Secretary and an EiP Administrator for the period of 12 months.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 The Greater London Authority Act 1999 (as amended) places responsibility for strategic planning in London on the Mayor, and requires him to produce a Spatial Development Strategy for London (also known as the London Plan) and requires that it is kept under review. Following his election in 2016, the Mayor agreed a full review of the London Plan would be undertaken leading to the adoption of a new London Plan in 2019.
1.2 The draft London Plan is scheduled for public consultation for the end of November 2017 until February 2018 with the Examination in Public (EiP) provisionally scheduled for Autumn 2018. Preparation for the EiP starts shortly after the commencement of the consultation on the draft London Plan.
1.3 For every Examination in Public to date, staff have been recruited on fixed term contracts of varying duration depending on the length of the Examination to help manage the EiP process.
1.4 The Planning Inspectorate provides restrictions on who is able to occupy these roles. Candidates must not have had any direct involvement in preparing the London Plan. However, candidates currently or previously employed as London Plan EiP staff are eligible for these posts. These exclusions are written into the job descriptions / person specifications.
1.5 Note this decision is seeking approval for expenditure; the GLA’s powers concerning the appointment of staff are vested in the Head of Paid Service (with a few exceptions that do not apply here) and delegated in line with the Head of Paid Service – Staffing Protocol.
2.1 The EiP secretary reports directly to the independent Panel Chair or Examiner and project manages the entire EiP process – analysing consultation responses and helping to define the matters for discussion in advance of the EiP, programming and running the EiP itself and assisting the Chair / Examiner in drafting the report which is submitted to the Mayor after the EiP.
2.2 The EiP Assistant reports to the EiP secretary and is responsible for the detailed day to day management of the EiP process. The Assistant’s primary focus is with the participants, acting as their first point of contact and staffing the EiP office during the EiP sessions.
2.3 It is expected that both posts will be appointments for a period of 12 months.
3.1 The appointment of the two posts will adhere to GLA recruitment processes.
a) key risks and issues
4.1 The EiP secretary has an important role in ensuring the smooth running of the EiP, particularly in relation to understanding the London context and how the London Plan and its implementation may differ from elsewhere in the country. The EiP secretary role is also important in that it is the main interface between the London Plan Team and the Inspector.
4.2 It is helpful if the EIP Administrator works at the GLA so they have prior knowledge of internal GLA process to assist the EiP Secretary.
b) links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.3 These posts are essential to the EiP process which must be followed before the London Plan can be published.
5.1 Executive Directors approval is sought to appoint EiP Secretary and EiP Administrator for the period of 12 months from January 2018 to December 2018. The posts will form part of the London Plan team within the Planning unit and are to support in the preparation and management of the Examination in Public on the London Plan.
5.2 The total cost of the two posts will be approximately £95,000 (at mid point salary scale including on-costs) and will span to financial years as follows;
5.3 The two posts will be funded by the 2017-18 and 2018-19 London Plan Budget. These posts are currently on the Planning Teams Establishment, however only filled when required therefore funded as and when required from the London Plan budget.
As noted above, the Mayor has a duty to keep all of his strategies, including the London Plan, under review. The review process is governed by statute and regulations which prescribe how it is to be carried out, including arrangements for consultation, public participation, document managing and the holding of the EiP.
Signed decision document
DD2167 EiP (signed) PDF