PCD 1376 Funding transfer to TFL - support for victims of road traffic collisions

PCD    1376    Funding transfer to TFL - support for victims of road traffic collisions

As stated in his Police and Crime Plan for London 2022-25, the Mayor is committed to improving the support provided to all victims of crime. This includes those bereaved and seriously injured victims of road traffic collisions in London.  

MOPAC and Transport for London (TfL) are working together to develop and commission specialist support services for victims of road traffic collisions in London. TfL will directly commission this 12-month pilot project, the value of which is up to £250,000, and MOPAC have offered to contribute funding towards it.  

This Decision seeks approval to transfer a one-off contribution of up to £100,000 to TfL. It also seeks approval to enter into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with TfL, to ensure MOPAC is involved in the management and continued development of the project, as well as supporting achieving successful outcomes and monitoring progress against the Mayor’s PCP priorities.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve MOPAC’s contribution and subsequent transfer of up to £100,000 to TfL to commission the 1-year pilot project to support victims of road traffic collisions in London.  

2. Approve the carry forward of funds totalling £100,000 into 2023/24 to meet the cost of MOPACs contribution. 

3. Approve entering into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with TfL to collaboratively manage the pilot.  

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background 

2. MOPAC has statutory responsibility to provide support for victims of crime and is funded by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to commission a wide range of services that do so. However, victims of road traffic collisions remain largely out of scope for receiving this support as collisions are often accidents rather than identified crimes.    

3. This creates a gap in support and MOPAC and TfL have jointly identified the need to improve the current support arrangements in London for those individuals who have been affected by road traffic collisions, particularly those victims who have suffered serious or life changing injuries.    

4. This is in line with the pledge in the current Police and Crime Plan, for TfL, MOPAC and the MPS, in consultation with the Victims’ Commissioner for London, to work together to enhance specialist support for bereaved and seriously injured victims of road traffic collisions in London. 

5. Issues for consideration  

6. The TfL Road Safety Data Dashboard shows that there is a positive downward trend in the volume of people killed or injured through road traffic collisions:  

TfL Road Safety Data Reports Dashboard1 

2. The following statistics have been provided by TfL:   

• The number of people tragically killed on London’s roads in 2021 fell by 22% to the lowest level on record, compared to a seven per cent increase nationally.  

• Vulnerable road users continue to be most at risk with people walking, cycling and motorcycling, making up 81% of all people killed or seriously injured in 2021  

• The number of people killed while cycling in 2021 was down by 40% on the 2005-09 baseline, from 17 to 10 people. However, serious injuries to people cycling increased by 54%. This partly reflects increases in the number of journeys cycled, with the most recent figures showing the share of road journeys by bicycle almost doubling to 4%.  

• The number of people killed or seriously injured in or by a bus in 2021 was the second lowest number on record after 2020 and is 70% down on the 2005-09 baseline, meeting the overall target of 70% by 2022.     

3. TfL are in negotiation with the charity Brake to provide this service. The following information about Brake and the proposed service should be noted: 

• Brake supported over 1,000 victims of road traffic collisions in 2022 

• Their trauma-informed model for London is designed to support 200-300 victims during the year of the pilot 

• This is based on a Take Up of Service (TUOS) rate of 80% 

• The Service will employ 4 caseworkers and a Triage caseworker for London 

• There will also be a budget set aside by the Service for therapeutic resources, to be accessed on a case by case basis. 

• Brake, TfL and MOPAC will negotiate on the key performance indicators for monitoring the service.  

4. TfL is proposing to commission a one-year pilot to explore the most appropriate ways of addressing this gap in support and MOPAC is prepared to contribute funds totalling £100,000 for this purpose. 

5. TfL will manage the procurement and ongoing management of the pilot in collaboration with MOPAC. The pilot will provide a short-term solution to the gap in specialist support for these victims and provide an opportunity to develop understanding of what is the best approach for providing support to these victims over the long term. 

6. This decision therefore seeks approval for MOPAC to contribute and subsequently transfer up to £100,000 to TfL to commission the 1-year pilot project to support victims of road traffic collisions in London.  

7. It also seeks approval to enter into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with TfL to collaboratively manage the pilot.  

8. Financial Comments  

9. TfL are undertaking a pilot project in 2023/24 to support victims of road traffic collisions at a total cost of £250,000, and MOPAC have offered to make a one-off contribution of £100,000 towards the costs. Of this £50,000 will be met from the 2022/23 Road Traffic Budget and the balance of £50,000 from the in-year underspend within the Commissioning and Partnership 2022/23 budget.   

10. Subject to DMPC approval £100,000 will be carried forward into 2023/24 to meet the cost of MOPACs contribution towards the pilot. 

11. Legal Comments  

12. In the absence of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation not specifically referencing the transfer of funds to other organisations within the Greater London Authority (GLA) family, approval is being sought from the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.  

13. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 (1) MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements.    

14. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social, Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides for MOPAC to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to victims or witnesses of or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.”  

15. There are further relevant powers set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at sections 17(1) (a) to (c) which place MOPAC under a duty to exercise its functions with due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all it can to prevent, crime and disorder (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment), reoffending in its area, and the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in its area. The proposed arrangements are consistent with MOPAC’s duties in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.  

16. Commercial Issues  

17. TfL will procure the provider to run the Service. MOPAC is, however, co-commissioner and that role grants oversight of contractual performance as set out in the Service Level Agreement.   

18. TfL is the procurement agent for the GLA and, therefore, MOPAC is comfortable with the procurement approach and process that TfL will undertake.  

19. Public Health Approach  

20. This piece of work has been informed by discussions and feedback with TfL and the Metropolitan Police Service, in line with the commitment in the Police and Crime Plan.   

21. GDPR and Data Privacy 

22. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

23. Equality Comments  

24. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

25. TfL, as a GLA body, is subject to the same requirement and, as the procuring body for this service, the responsibility to produce an Equalities Impact Assessment lies with them.   

26. There currently is a lack of extensive demographic data around the cohort of victims of Road Traffic Collisions, so it is not known whether any disproportionality exists. As part of the SLA, Brake will capture demographic data so that TfL and MOPAC can be alert to any disproportionality and act to mitigate it. 

27. Background/supporting papers 

N/A