Grant Funding Acceptance - Project ADDER

This decision seeks approval to accept Home Office grant funding of £1,000,000 for both financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 for Project ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement, and Recovery).

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve receipt of Home Office funding award of £1,000,000 for FY 2021/22 and £1,000,000 for 2022/23 to be allocated to Central East BCU under Project Adder.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The MPS agreed to be one of the pilot forces in two local authority areas, Hackney and Tower Hamlets in respect of ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement, and Recovery) 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. Issues for consideration

2.1. 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, and will pilot an intensive whole-system approach to drug misuse in areas with high levels of drug-related harms.

2.2. In addition to the £1m pa allocated to the MPS, the whole system approach involved each Local Authority being awarded £900,000 each for activity conducted in partnership with the MPS. This funding is reliant on MPS acceptance of the HO Grant and continuing with partnership activity.

2.3. 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.

2.4. Through the recent budget setting process City Hall has provided an additional £2m for Project Adder in 2022/23. This is in addition to the grant amounts referred to in this paper.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This proposal seeks approval to accept £1,000,000 per annum for two years 2021/22 and 2022/23 of Home Office grant funding. The MPS confirm that there is additional MOPAC funded spend meeting the match funding requirement.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. 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.

4.2. 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.



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

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. There are no commercial issues.

6. GDPR and Data Privacy

6.1. 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.

6.2. 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

7.1. 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.

7.2. 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

8. Background/supporting papers

• Appendix 1 MPS Report - Project ADDER