PCD 1533 Project Adder Central East BCU grant award extension 2023 to 2025

PCD 1533  Project Adder Central East BCU grant award extension 2023 to 2025

This paper seeks approval to accept HO funding of £750,000 for 2023/24 and, provisional £500,000 for 2024/25 to continue supporting the Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement, and Recovery (ADDER) project which has now been extended to 2025. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve receipt of Home Office funding award of £750,000 for FY 2023/24 and provisional £500,000 for 2024/25 to be allocated to CE BCU under Project Adder.   

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

1. Introduction and background   

1. In April 2021, the MPS agreed to be one of the pilot forces in two local authority areas, Hackney and Tower Hamlets in respect of Project ADDER an important cross-government pathfinder project to tackle the harms associated with drug misuse. These LA’s are covered by the Central East Basic Command Unit. 

2. This resulted in the approval of £1,000,000 funding per year, for 2021/22 and 2022/23, as well as accompanying multi-year Grant Agreements, through PIB (now Exco) & IAM 

3. The project has been extended until 2025, with the Home Office providing tapered funding of £750,000 for 2023/24 and a provisional £500,000 for 2024/25 to continue the pilot site in CE BCU. 

2. Issues for consideration.  

1. The funding has been awarded by the Home Office following agreement of comprehensive delivery plans with the two local authorities and approved by Central Government. 

2. In addition to the £750,000 for 2023/24 and provisional £500,000 for 2024/25 allocated to the MPS, the whole system approach involved each Local Authority being awarded significant funding activity conducted in partnership with the MPS. This funding is reliant on MPS acceptance of the Home Office Grant and continuing with partnership activity. 

3. Funding is in arrears and existing activity has been undertaken ‘at risk’ using BCU funds on the understanding that once the agreement is formally approved the Home Office will reimburse that activity. 

4. During the  recent budget setting process City Hall has provided an additional £4,000,000. for Project Adder Expansion which will be built into the MPS baseline going forward.  This is in addition to the grant amounts referred to in this paper and will see the further expansion if the initiative across the MPS with reach into all BCU’s under project Adder LITE. 

5. The programme has now been expanded to all 4 quadrants of the MPS (North, South, East, West) and a dedicated Project Adder Partnership and Coordination Team will feature in all BCU’s by the end of March 2024.   

6. Financial Comments.  

7. This paper asks approval  to accept  £750,000 of  Home Office grant funding for 2023/24, as well as a provisional £500,000 for 2024/25. The MPS confirms that MOPAC will provide an additional £250,000 for 2023/24 and £500,000 for 2024/25 as match funding to the Home Office grant awards for CE BCU from the £4,000,00 Adder Expansion baselined funding to ensure continuation of  the project until 2025. 

4. Legal Comments. 

1. The legal powers applicable to the acceptance of the Grant will be under Schedule 3, Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 which provides that: The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office. 

2. Para 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated power to approve all offers made of grant funding. 

3. The grant agreement will be published pursuant to The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) (Amendment) Order 2012. 

5. Commercial Issues.  

1. There are no commercial issues. 

6. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. 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.   

2. The MPS assure that the project does not use personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no GDPR issues to be considered 

7. Equality Comments  

1. 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. 

2. The MPS assure that this business case has undergone an initial equality screening. Due regard has been taken to the Equality Act’s Public Sector Equality Duty. Real consideration has been taken to assess equality impact caused by the proposed business changes. Acceptance of the grant will have a positive impact on equalities by supporting local communities and narrowing inequalities 

3. Background/supporting papers 

4. MPS  Report Project ADDER – Grant Extension (2023/24 & 2024/25) CE BCU