MQT late answers April 19
Local authority funding sustainability
Question No: 2019/0378
Andrew Dismore
Are you concerned that any London local authorities will be left unable to set a balanced budget as a result of the forthcoming £1.3 billion reduction the Government has chosen to make to the Revenue Support Grant?
Answer for Local authority funding sustainability
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 January, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Local authority funding sustainability
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The scale of reductions arising from the Government’s austerity policies places great pressure on London’s local authorities. Although, all have set balanced budgets for 2019-20, most will have had to have made invidious decisions to do so. However, with the impending Spending Review, Fair Funding Formula Review, and business ratio re-set, further pressures will arise in future years in setting balanced budgets.
Question No: 2019/3868
Andrew Dismore
In view of violence associated with the drug trade, especially in London, what is your view of the experience of New York and of Portugal about decriminalising certain categories of drugs? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it
Answer for Drugs
The Mayor
Last updated: 28 February, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Drugs
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The de-criminalisation of drugs proposed within the article is not within my remit as Mayor of London. However, I recognise that drug use and associated violent crime is complex and cannot be tackled by one agency alone. In my Police and Crime Plan I support multi-agency approaches to reduce harm. Clearly, there is a link between crime and drug use and the Met supports referral into treatment to break the cycle of offending. The way drug intervention operates across London is currently being reviewed by MOPAC; a final report is expected soon, which will make recommendations for use by all London partners.
Any changes to the law and policing of drugs must be carefully considered, and I will continue to discuss the best solutions to drive down crime and keep vulnerable people safe with the MPS.
Reviewing the local authority liaison officer role
Question No: 2019/3905
Andrew Dismore
London Fire Brigade was instrumental in developing the role of the local authority liaison officer. What steps have been taken to quality assure or review the role across London boroughs?
Answer for Reviewing the local authority liaison officer role
The Mayor
Last updated: 28 February, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Reviewing the local authority liaison officer role
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The Local Authority Liaison Officer role was developed between the London Fire Brigade (LFB) Emergency Planning team, local authorities and LFB. The training continues as part of an annual training programme and is overseen by a joint team from London Resilience Group and Local Authority Emergency Planners to ensure it remains fit for purpose and reflects current practice. Training is reviewed by the team following each session to ensure it meets any changing requirements.
Question No: 2019/3906
Andrew Dismore
What percentage of London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police premises have back up generators in place to deal with a power supply failure, as outlined in the London Resilience Forum document “London Power Disruption Framework”?
Answer for Back-up generators
The Mayor
Last updated: 28 February, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Back-up generators
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
LFB: The London Operations Centre has a back-up generator with UPS and fuel on site to power the generator for seven days. All fire stations have back-up generators and most sites have fuel on site to power the generators for up to 10hrs. London Fire Brigade has strategic fuel reserves at 38 sites so additional fuel could be delivered to stations to power generators for longer if required.
MPS: Approximately 36% of premises have a generator. Generator support ranges from basic life safety (i.e. to allow the safe egress of staff) to full building support. Fuel storage ranges from 2 hours to 11 days. The MPS also uses UPS to cover generator start up times and for essential IT and operational services including at some sites without generators.
LAS: Both LAS control rooms have back up generation and UPS. LAS also has a number of portable generators for deployment to any other LAS premises. LAS operated 111 service locations also have back up power supply.
Resilience and outsourcing (1)
Question No: 2019/3907
Andrew Dismore
Has London Resilience Forum or any other relevant body conducted training exercises for emergencies that have involved Arm’s-Length Management Organisations and similar spun-out local authority ventures as a core actor?
Answer for Resilience and outsourcing (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 28 February, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Resilience and outsourcing (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
Following the Grenfell Tower Fire, the London Resilience Forum (LRF) held a table top exercise focussed specifically on tower block fires which the major social housing providers attended in October 2017. Major arms length management companies through their involvement in Borough Resilience Forums are invited to participate in relevant exercises and similar events led by LRF at the Sub Regional level. It is the responsibility of individual organisations as defined within the Civil Contingencies Act to maintain their statutory and critical services regardless of whether the service is outsourced, and they do so through their own business continuity arrangements. We would expect the majority of training and exercising for such a specific element of an emergency response to be led by the individual responsible organisation.
Resilience and outsourcing (2)
Question No: 2019/3908
Andrew Dismore
What assurances are local authorities and other public sector partners required or requested to provide in the course of their engagement with London Resilience Forum that where local authority housing stock or other core services are managed by an outsourced or arm’s-length management organisation, emergency plans are fit for purpose and capacity exists at all levels to execute them?
Answer for Resilience and outsourcing (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 28 February, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Resilience and outsourcing (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The London Resilience Forum (LRF) has no powers of direction under its statutory responsibilities. In line with Government good practice, the LRF participates in the assurance processes provided to it and is currently undertaking a review against national resilience standards developed by Central Government. These standards are designed to examine to collective arrangements of the LRF not the individual components of organisational responses. It is the responsibility of each organisation to ensure that it has the appropriate emergency plans in place and the required capacity to execute them. There is however no national assurance programme to undertake such a level of assessment.
Question No: 2019/6252
Andrew Dismore
Are you confident that the Government can make up any shortfall in EU funding in the case of no deal?
Answer for EU funding
The Mayor
Last updated: 26 March, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
EU funding
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The Government has guaranteed that UK contracts relating to current EU funding, such as the 2014-20 European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund programmes managed by City Hall, will continue to be supported in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. It remains unclear whether such funds might continue to be reclaimed from the EU, or be directly provided by the Government.
However, the Government’s promised consultation on the proposed post-2020 ‘UK Shared Prosperity Fund’ to replace the EU’s vital multi-billion pound programmes for business, employment, skills and regeneration has not appeared; while their recent ‘Stronger Towns’ Fund excluded London entirely.
Other city Mayors and I have therefore just written to the Government to share our concerns. We have called for a multi-year, fully devolved funding programme of at least the quantum of existing structural fund and related domestic programmes.
Question No: 2019/6256
Andrew Dismore
What are the potential options for the next development stages of the London Growth Hub, as per DD2311 and when do you expect to have the results of the market research?
Answer for London Growth Hub
The Mayor
Last updated: 26 March, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
London Growth Hub
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
I am committed to my ambition to be the most pro-business Mayor yet. In order to deliver on this, I have expanded the service the Growth Hub offers from a virtual portal to delivering face to face support through a variety of programmes. I will further expand our services in the Autumn to ensure we reach out to more businesses. The new model will comprise a hub and spoke model where business navigators based across London will be delivering face to face advice to SMEs both on a one-to-one basis and through events.
The market research referred to in DD2311 will be commissioned next month. The results, which will help to inform the future development of the Growth Hub will be released in the Autumn.
Removing flammable cladding (2)
Question No: 2019/6271
Andrew Dismore
How many premises in London have been a) inspected by Joint Inspection Teams under the changes to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System implemented on 23 January, and b) issued with enforcement notices to remove dangerous cladding or make other fire safety improvements?
Answer for Removing flammable cladding (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 26 March, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Removing flammable cladding (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
The Joint Inspection Team announced by the Government last summer is still being set up by the Local Government Association. The Government has not published any data on how many premises have been issued with enforcement notices.
No left turn’ restriction from the A1 into Tithe Walk
Question No: 2019/6293
Andrew Dismore
Further to Question 2017/3281;
What safety actions have been taken at Tithe Walk, and why hasn’t the sign been put up yet? When will it be?
Answer for No left turn’ restriction from the A1 into Tithe Walk
The Mayor
Last updated: 26 March, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
No left turn’ restriction from the A1 into Tithe Walk
The Mayor
Last updated: 30 April, 2019
Following Mayor’s Question 2017/3281, Transport for London (TfL) raised the issue with the London Borough of Barnet (the highway authority for Tithe Walk) and has monitored collisions at this location. The latest available data shows that, over the previous 36 month period ending July 2018, there have not been any reported personal injury collisions in Tithe Walk. However, I have asked TfL to continue to engage with LB Barnet officers and explore how a ‘no left turn’ could reduce potential hazards and rat-running, subject to funding and prioritisation. Any change would of course need the full support of the Borough.
