COVID-19: Support for MOPAC Grant-Funded and Commissioned Services

COVID-19 is an international pandemic which has affected all of the UK. MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers face challenges in adapting their service delivery arrangements; managing increasing levels of staff absences, and responding to increased demand for services.

This decision is to approve the transfer of funding from MOPAC’s reserves to support MOPAC’s partners to respond to COVID-19, and to enable them to maintain service delivery and availability throughout this period.

This funding will form a contribution from MOPAC to the emergency fund the GLA has set up, in collaboration with the City Bridge Trust and other London Funders (MD2623).

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. approve the creation of an emergency response fund, drawing on MOPAC reserves to enable MOPAC to respond effectively to emerging needs in core areas of Police and Crime Plan delivery as the COVID-19 crisis develops;

2. approve the transfer of up to £550k to the London Community Foundation, via a variation to their VAWG Grassroots Fund contract, to administer MOPAC’s contribution to the London emergency support fund; and

3. delegate the approval of detailed arrangements for these additional funds to the Chief Executive Officer.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers play a critical role in supporting vulnerable Londoners, including victims and survivors of domestic abuse and young victims of serious violence. They currently face unprecedented challenges in adapting their service delivery arrangements; managing increasing levels of staff absences, and responding to increased demand for their services.

1.2. The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) wishes to support MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers during this period through the creation of an emergency response fund, to enable MOPAC to respond effectively to emerging needs in core areas of Police and Crime Plan delivery as the COVID-19 crisis develops.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime has engaged with MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers, and other representatives of the voluntary and community sector in London, including members of the VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) sector, to understand the challenges they are facing in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, and their emerging needs.

2.2. The Mayor has been working with London Funders and other partners across London to set up the London Community Resilience Fund, to provide emergency support funding to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) across London at this time (MD2623). They have identified three core areas of focus for funders, which respond to the needs both they have identified through engagement with the VCS, and the DMPC and MOPAC have identified through provider engagement activity:

• “Sector sustainability – core/unrestricted funding that enables organisations to survive through the difficult period in terms of ensuring a core income, or rapidly redeploy resources to meet needs as they emerge.

• Delivering differently – funding to enable groups to adapt their activities to continue to deliver their core services in different ways, maintaining their reach and support to vulnerable communities, including covering staffing costs associated with this.

• Increasing and innovating – funding to groups that are able to expand their services with target communities, including in partnership with others, to address emerging needs; and providing space for groups to come up with more innovative solutions to delivering in response to community need in the coming months.” (MD2623)

2.3. The decision seeks approval to allocate emergency funding, drawn from MOPAC reserves, as a contribution from MOPAC to the London Community Resilience Fund. This contribution will be available to MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers to support them to respond to COVID-19, and to enable them to maintain service delivery and availability throughout this period.

2.4. MOPAC has identified the London Community Foundation, as one of the funders involved in the London Community Resilience Fund, to administer its contribution to the fund, including the assessment of applications and the disbursement of funding to MOPAC’s partners on its behalf. MOPAC will vary the contract held by the London Community Foundation for the delivery of the VAWG Grassroots Fund (awarded in PCD 644) to enable them to take on this additional work.

2.5. If evidenced need emerges, from MOPAC’s partners, of areas of increased or new service demand that require the provision of additional emergency funding, this will be subject to a further DMPC Decision.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This decision seeks approval of the creation of an emergency response fund of £550k, funded from MOPAC reserves, to enable MOPAC to respond effectively to emerging needs in core areas of Police and Crime Plan delivery as the COVID-19 crisis develops.

3.2. This decision also seeks approval to transfer this funding, to London Community Foundation to distribute in emergency grants, to be spent in 2020 – 2021.

3.3. This £550k allocation includes a maximum of £50k, to be paid out to London Community Foundation as a management fee for administering the fund on MOPAC’s behalf.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. 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 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.

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

4.3. The recommendations in this decision are in line with the legislation and MOPAC’s Scheme of Consent and Delegation. In line with section 4 of the Scheme, the DMPC has the authority for the:

• approval of business cases for revenue or capital expenditure of £500,000 or above (paragraph 4.8); and

• approval of unforeseen contract variations and extensions to contracts (paragraph 4.13).

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The proposed contract variation for London Community Foundation is considered by officers not to be substantial within the meaning of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and so can be awarded to the incumbent without further competition.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1. Not applicable, as this decision relates to the provision of emergency funding to support the sustainability of MOPAC’s grant-funded and commissioned services providers.

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1. 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.

8. Equality Comments

8.1. 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.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1. None.