Key information
Decision type: Mayor
Reference code: MD1616
Date signed:
Decision by: Boris Johnson, Former Mayor of London (May 2008 - May 2016)
Executive summary
The Mayor is required under sections 122 and 123 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the “GLA Act”) to prepare a capital spending plan for the following financial year for the five functional bodies; these are the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA); the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC); the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC); Transport for London (TfL); and the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC). The Mayor is also required under the GLA Act to send it to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, London Assembly and the functional bodies before 28 February. For completeness the capital spending plan for the core Greater London Authority is also included within this approval so that the proposed expenditure for the entire GLA group – as it will be constituted in 2016-17 – is presented in one place.
The draft capital spending plan for 2016-17 was issued for consultation on 21 December 2015 alongside the Mayor’s consultation budget. Revised versions of the capital spending plan were presented in the Mayor’s draft and final draft consolidated budgets for 2016-17 which were considered by the Assembly on 27 January and 22 February respectively.
The approved plan will be sent to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the London Assembly and each functional body before 28 February 2016. A copy of the final capital spending plan for 2016-17 will be placed on the GLA website at:
Decision
That the Mayor approves the Capital Spending Plan for 2016-17 for the GLA group.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 The Mayor is required to prepare a capital spending plan for the subsequent financial year for the functional bodies and to send it to the Secretary of State (for Communities and Local Government) and the Assembly before 28 February in line with section 123 of the GLA Act. This report seeks the Mayor’s formal approval for the final capital spending plan for 2016-17.
2.1 The draft capital spending plan for 2016-17 was issued for consultation on 21 December 2015 alongside the Mayor’s consultation budget. Responses to the consultation budget were received from the Budget and Performance Committee of the London Assembly, two of the London boroughs and a number of other stakeholder organisations. The Mayor has noted all the comments from respondents to the consultation and taken them into account before finalising his budget and capital spending plan for 2016-17.
2.2 The capital spending plan figures in the draft consolidated budget remained the same as those published in the consultation budget; however, reflecting updated information received after the publication of the draft consolidated budget, the MOPAC capital expenditure figures were revised in the final draft consolidated budget considered by the Assembly on 22 February.
2.3 The final capital spending plan for 2016-17 is unchanged from that considered by the Assembly on 22 February except for the revision set out below:
• LLDC borrowing and grant figures have been adjusted reflecting information received after the publication of the final draft budget. The changes do not affect the planned expenditure for LLDC but rather adjust the balance of funding between government grant and borrowing.
2.4 The borrowing limits and statutory prudential indicators for 2016-17 which the Mayor is required to set for the GLA and functional bodies - in order to illustrate that their proposed capital plans are prudent, affordable and represent value for money - will be submitted for approval by the Mayor before the end of March 2016.
2.5 A copy of the final capital spending plan for 2016-17 will be placed on the GLA website at:
/about-us/greater-london-authority-gla/spending-money-wisely/mayors-budget
3.1 As public bodies, the GLA and the functional bodies must comply with section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which provides for the “public sector equality duty”. This duty requires each body to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, to advance equality of opportunity, and to foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. The protected characteristics covered by section 149 are: age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; sex; religion or belief; and sexual orientation. Observance of the duty may involve, in particular, removing or minimising any disadvantage suffered by those who share a relevant protected characteristic, taking steps to meet the needs of such people and encouraging them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low, including tackling prejudice and promoting understanding. In limited circumstances this may involve treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without the characteristic.
3.2 The duty has applied to the formulation and approval of the GLA’s and functional bodies’ individual budgets and capital spending plans. Part 3 to the final draft budget provided detailed advice on the equalities implications of the Mayor’s final draft budget relevant to their proposed capital spending plans.
3.3 How the GLA group capital spending plan for 2016-17 will impact on specific persons who share a protected characteristic will be dependent on the specific decisions of the GLA and the functional bodies in regards to their individual capital programmes. In exercising their functions, including when making policy and spending decisions, the bodies are required to comply with the public sector equality duty. Compliance is necessarily iterative and on-going. It includes carrying out a process to identify and actively consider potential detrimental impacts (if any) that may arise for individual protected groups and what mitigations (if any) could be implemented to address them at a level proportionate to the decision being taken. The GLA and functional bodies will continue to carry out this process at a budget and capital spending plan level, and in the implementation of their individual strategies, policies, programmes, projects and expenditure.
Consultation Responses
4.1 As set out above, the Mayor consulted on the 2016-17 budget - including the capital spending plan - with the London Assembly, London boroughs, the Corporation of London and other key stakeholders between 21 December 2015 and 12 January 2016.
4.2 The Mayor has noted all the comments from respondents to the consultation and taken them into account before finalising his budget and capital spending plan for 2016-17.
Risks
4.3 There are no further implications for risk management as these have been addressed as part of the budgetary process.
5.1 These are highlighted so far as they are relevant in the capital spending plan for 2016-17.
6.1 The Mayor is required, under section 122 of the GLA Act, each financial year to prepare a capital spending plan (the Plan) for each functional body of the GLA Group which for 2016-17 will be: the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC); the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), Transport for London (TfL); the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC); and the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation. For completeness the capital spending plans for the core Greater London Authority’s expenditure are also included within this final plan so that the proposed capital expenditure for the entire GLA Group is presented in one place. Section 122 sets out the required contents of Sections A to D of the Plan in terms of estimates of receipts, borrowing and expenditure, and this appears in Table 1 of the Plan. In preparing the Plan the Mayor may take into account such factors as appear to him to be appropriate and the other matters listed in section 124.
6.2 The Mayor fulfilled the requirement to consult the Assembly and each functional body by 15 January 2015. He must have regard to their comments (if any) before determining the final Plan. The final Plan must be approved before 28 February, when copies must be sent to the Secretary of State, the Assembly and functional bodies, and a copy kept at City Hall for inspection by the public for the next 6 years.
Appendix: The Mayor of London’s Capital Spending Plan for 2016-17 (the final version will be published here
/about-us/greater-london-authority-gla/spending-money-wisely/mayors-budget)
The following documents were referred to in the preparation of the final capital spending plan for 2016-17:
• Section 9 and Appendices A to F of The Mayor of London’s Consultation Budget for 2016-17
• Section 9 and Appendices A to F of The Mayor of London’s Final Draft Consolidated Budget 2016-17: Explanation of Final Draft Proposals.
• 2016-17 budget submissions for GLA, MOPAC, LFEPA, TfL, LLDC and OPDC.
Signed decision document
MD1616 GLA Group Capital Spending Plan 2016-17 (signed) PDF
Supporting documents
MD1616 Appendix Draft Capital Spending Plan PDF