Key information
Decision type: Mayor
Reference code: MD2831
Date signed:
Date published:
Decision by: Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Executive summary
This decision form seeks the Mayor’s approval to receive £917,000 of grant funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for integration work to form the ‘Hong Kong Integration Programme’ and for the expenditure of a total of £911,000 (constituting £311,000 of this income and £600,000 of GLA funding) to support migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum in London. In addition, this MD seeks delegation of authority to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills to approve the expenditure of the remainder of the Hong Kong Integration Programme budget (£606,000), and £175,000 GLA budget for 2022-23.
Decision
That the Mayor approves:
1. receipt of £917,000 of grant funding from the MHCLG for integration work to support Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and to form the ‘Hong Kong Integration Programme’
2. expenditure of £311,000 of this funding towards the set-up of the Hong Kong Integration Programme [as outlined in Table 1]
3. delegation of authority to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills to approve the expenditure, through subsequent director decision forms, of the remainder of the Hong Kong Integration Programme income (£606,000)
4. expenditure of £600,000 of GLA budget for 2021-22 as follows:
- Insecure Immigration Status (£450,000) [as outlined in Table 2]
- Asylum Welcome Programme (£100,000) [as outlined in Table 4]
- Migrant Londoners Hub (£50,000) [as outlined in Table 3]
5. delegation of authority to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills to approve the expenditure, through subsequent director decision forms, of £175,000 GLA budget for 2022-23 as follows:
- Asylum Welcome Programme (£100,000) [as outlined in Table 4]
- Migrant Londoners Hub (£75,000) [as outlined in Table 3]
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 This decision form seeks approval to receive £917,000 income related to the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Programme, and for expenditure of £311,000 of that income towards the establishment of the programme – we are seeking approval to delegate authority to the Executive Director of Communities and Skills to approve the expenditure of the remaining budget, made up of £606,000 income from the MHCLG, through subsequent director decision forms.
1.2 This decision also seeks approval for the expenditure of £600,000 of related GLA budget to build the capacity of the immigration advice sector to support Londoners with insecure immigration status, provide a hub of information for migrant Londoners to access their rights and entitlements, and to improve access to support for people seeking asylum in London. Further, this decision seeks approval to delegate authority to the Executive Director of Communities and Skills to approve £175,000 of GLA budget for 2022-23 to continue these programmes.
1.3 The Mayor has been investing strategically in immigration advice and support services to meet the needs of Londoners with insecure immigration status through the funder collaboration “Justice Together” (approved under DD2418), and through the establishment of the European Londoners Hub (ref DD2239, DD2277). The programmes detailed in this decision document continue that strategic investment, building on existing programmes, and seek to improve coordination of immigration advice for Londoners disproportionately impacted by both the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. This includes further investment in the Justice Together funder collaboration and a contribution to the GLA Advice in Community Settings Grant Programme to support the capacity and improve the coordination of the immigration-advice sector. This will also include the development of the Migrant Londoners Hub to maintain existing assets in a quickly evolving policy landscape, and to further develop the European Londoners Hub to ensure it continues to meet European Londoners’ needs under the new immigration system.
1.4 The GLA also has a longstanding strategic coordination role in refugee and asylum issues in the capital through the work of the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP) (approved under MD2798). London’s asylum-seeking population accommodated in dispersed accommodation has grown from around 700 in 2015 to around 5,000 today and is likely to see further significant increases in the coming year, including in boroughs that have previously had minimal accommodated asylum populations. The LSMP has played a pivotal role during the pandemic in coordinating support, including the introduction of the London Asylum Procurement Framework and the establishment of the London Asylum Group. The Asylum Welcome programme detailed in this decision document will address some of the strategic gaps in the capital to support people seeking asylum through intensive work with local authorities.
1.5 The LSMP has been asked to use new government funding to establish a welcome and integration programme for new arrivals from Hong Kong. Following China’s imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in July 2020, the UK government has introduced a new immigration route for Hong Kong British national (overseas) (BN(O)) status holders, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK. The government’s impact assessment in October estimated that between 123,000 and 153,000 BN(O) status holders and their dependants could take up the route in its first year, with between 258,000 and 322,000 arrivals over five years – these numbers are estimates and may change.
1.6 This decision document requests authority to receive £917,000 of government funding towards supporting the welcome and integration of Hong Kong BN(O) status holders and their families, and expenditure of the first phase of funding totalling £311,000. This funding will be used to establish GLA capacity through the recruitment of project leads; deliver engagement and scoping work to plan an effective programme; provide online information, translation and signposting through the Migrant Londoners Hub; and fund urgent projects to build and sustain specialist Hong Kong and wider South and South East Asian community infrastructure in London to prepare for a large number of arrivals.
1.7 These projects will work closely with London boroughs in order to facilitate, support and coordinate their activities and to promote pan-London cooperation to enable social integration outcomes for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.
Hong Kong welcome and integration programme
Context and purpose
2.1 Following China’s imposition of the National Security Law on the people of Hong Kong in July 2020, the UK government has introduced a new immigration route for Hong Kong BN(O) status holders, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK. The government’s impact assessment in October 2020 estimated that between 123,000 and 153,000 BN(O) status holders and their dependants could take up the route in its first year, with between 258,000 and 322,000 over five years. While it is impossible to predict where in the UK arrivals will choose to settle, analysis based on existing diaspora alongside the additional pull factors of the capital suggests that up to a third of arrivals could choose to live in London.
2.2 To support new arrivals to settle in the UK, the government has launched a £43 million Integration Programme to improve access to housing, work and educational support and ensure Hong Kongers are able to integrate and contribute to their communities. This includes £5 million to establish 12 ‘welcome hubs’ across every region in England, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to co-ordinate support and give practical advice and assistance to new arrivals from Hong Kong to support their access to services and social integration. £917,000 has been apportioned to the GLA to administer through the LSMP for this purpose.
2.3 This regional funding sits alongside additional funding for local authorities with a focus on English language and destitution, and a voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) grant scheme to support BN(O) status holders in areas such as employment, and mental health and wellbeing to help build community cohesion.
Delivery method
2.4 The first phase of funding will focus on establishing capacity in London to support the welcome of new arrivals. This will include:
- Recruitment of two full time equivalent (FTE) posts within the Social Integration Team to lead the work, subject to normal GLA approval processes. The establishment of at least one coordinator in each region of the UK (including London) has been specifically requested by the MHCLG in order to enable engagement on the programme across government. The postholders will build relationships with relevant organisations in London, oversee commissioning and grant funding of projects, and establish a governance group to oversee the funding and hold service providers to account.
- Commissioning of a piece of consultancy work to undertake urgent research to improve our understanding of the existing Hong Kong diaspora in London, to deliver a programme of engagement, and to set out options for a programme of work informed by this evidence. This will enable to the GLA to move at speed to mitigate risks around recruitment delays and ensure that urgent funding decision are backed by evidence. There is currently a lack of sufficient data about the numbers of arrivals to London and their support needs to inform service planning; and a need to proactively engage with services to ensure that funding can be reactive to the emergent needs of arrivals.
- Commissioning of a provider to maintain, update and develop a comprehensive map of services across London that Hong Kong arrivals may need to access, including advice and support services, and community groups. This resource will build on what has been developed for the European Londoners Hub to ensure it meets the needs of arrivals from Hong Kong, as well as other migrant Londoners in need of specialist services.
- Development of the Migration Hub to provide Hong Kong-specific resources and improve accessibility to Cantonese speaking audiences. This will include local information for new arrivals from Hong Kong to supplement the resources being made available at a national level. This funding will go towards commissioning an organisation to maintain the Migration Hub, and a partner to provide translations in priority languages. Further information on the Migration Hub is detailed below.
- Initial funding to be allocated to organisations where there is an urgent capacity need to ensure the sector is in a strong position to respond to an increased number of arrivals, higher levels of programme funding coming to the sector, and the launch of the government’s voluntary and community sector grant programme. This will be delivered via other GLA grant programmes where a specialist Hong Kong need is identified, such as the Civil Society Roots Fund and the Advice in Community Settings Programme. Any remaining funding will go towards the establishment of a small grants programme to support small organisations specialised in supporting Hong Kong communities to grow.
2.5 We are seeking approval for the delegation of authority to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills to approve the expenditure of the remainder of the Hong Kong Integration Programme budget made up of income from the MHCLG (£606,000) through subsequent decision forms. This will enable the team to undertake a full engagement programme in advance of making funding decisions, avoiding duplication with simultaneous VCSE funding being launched by the MHCLG, and providing flexibility to design plans as we get a better understanding of arrival patterns and emergent needs.
Impacts and deliverables
2.6 This programme will align with the ambitions set out in the Mayor’s Social Integration Strategy All of Us and in the Recovery Mission to provide a robust safety net. Specifically, this programme aims to:
- establish capacity and understanding in London to respond to a potentially high number of arrivals from Hong Kong
- establish robust governance arrangements to oversee the spending
- align with wider funding to support broader civil-society infrastructure for migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking Londoners as well as East and South East Asian communities
- ensure arrivals through the Hong Kong BN(O) route can access relevant support services, feel welcome in London and thrive in their new communities.
Table 1
Insecure immigration status
Context and purpose
2.7 Research commissioned by the Mayor of London has estimated there are 397,000 undocumented children and adults in London. Cuts to legal aid following the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 have significantly reduced capacity in the immigration advice and representation sector, impeding Londoners’ ability to access free immigration advice in a timely way to resolve their status needs.
2.8 Over the past decade, the government has significantly increased fees to access settlement and citizenship. Britain’s citizenship fees for children are among the highest in the world and have recently been successfully legally challenged on this basis. Parents who need legal status to work in the UK will often find themselves unable to renew their children’s status because they can’t afford it, which can create difficulties as those children reach adulthood.
2.9 On 30 June 2021, the EU Settlement Scheme will come to an end and any European Londoners who have not accessed it in time will risk losing their rights and entitlements, which will pose more challenges for local government and civil society in meeting the needs of vulnerable communities. The GLA has been working with funders and civil society stakeholders to ensure that immigration advice is prioritised alongside other forms of social welfare advice. Work funded by the Mayor of London on immigration advice over the last two years has focused on developing capacity to identify and support people with immigration needs. This includes scaling up the capacity of local authorities, migrant rights organisations, legal advice and representation providers, and London’s communities to meet immigration needs. This work contributes towards a strategic vision where all Londoners can thrive irrespective of their immigration status by making access to settlement and citizenship easier for all Londoners in need.
Delivery method
2.10 A contribution of £200,000 to the Justice Together Initiative (JTI), a funder collaboration intended to respond to the challenges faced by the immigration-advice sector and increase the capacity of advice organisations to support people with accessing their rights and entitlements. The JTI’s vision is that people who use the UK immigration system can access justice fairly and equally, enabling them to get on with their lives.
2.11 The GLA previously contributed £310,000 to this programme which contributed to the JTI’s establishment in London, including funding mapping research about the needs and scale of advice for immigration issues within London, which is due to be published in June 2021. This research highlights that as London has a larger undocumented population than other parts of the UK, there is a high demand from people who have complex cases and/or are seeking advice at crisis point. London also has a larger and more complex advice network than other parts of the country because of the number of different organisations offering this support; London has 40 per cent of the offices with legal aid contracts in immigration and more than half of those are registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner to provide specialist advice. However, demand far outstrips supply and it is therefore critical that funding is used as strategically and effectively as possible, so that individual cases can contribute to long-term, systemic change. This is what the JTI aims to do.
2.12 Our initial funding also contributed to the establishment of two coordinator projects, which are focused on increasing awareness, capacity and referrals to specialist immigration advice services across London. The Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium (chaired by Coram Children’s Legal Centre and South London Refugee Association) and Praxis are the delivery partners for this work.
2.13 We are now at a phase to continue our investment, by supporting JTI to build on the work that the previous GLA funding has enabled. The contribution of £200,000 will be grouped along with contributions made by other funders and will be used by JTI to make grants to organisations delivering a range of activities by organisations across London, including increased capacity in specialist immigration advice, better co-ordination across immigration advice providers to ensure capacity is utilised most effectively and influence at a local and regional level to ensure long-term change.
2.14 Funding of £10,000 towards a Peer Outreach Worker to contribute to the ongoing delivery of the Children in Care programme (ref. DD2492) which aims to develop a lasting model for local authorities to identify and support children and young people in their care with immigration needs, and increase awareness about children and young people’s immigration and citizenship needs.
2.15 Funding of £240,000 for the GLA’s Advice in Community Settings programme (ref. MD2732) to ensure that immigration advice needs are fully integrated in this work. The Advice in Community Settings programme was launched in March 2021. The scheme provides small grants (of between £5,000 and £7,500) to support the development of new or existing partnerships that are capable of delivering community-based advice interventions that support Londoners experiencing (or at risk of) financial hardship. Larger grants (of around £50,000-£60,000 ) are then provided to each partnership to support the delivery of specific interventions.
2.16 The overall aim of the Advice in Community Settings programme is to reduce financial hardship by improving Londoners’ awareness of their rights and entitlements, and the support available to them to realise or access them. The interventions put in place through the scheme support this aim by working towards outcomes that help Londoners:
- maximise their incomes
- deal with debt or reduce other outgoings
- resolve complex and interconnected social welfare legal issues (e.g. relating to immigration. status, employment, housing, etc.) that can act as a barrier to relieving financial hardship.
2.17 The work funded in this area already has focused on scaling up and systematising good practice models to enable migrant groups can access immigration advice. GLA funding in this area of work is relatively small compared to what other grant funders in London are contributing towards this work, so it is particularly important for it to continue being strategic and building connections with the work of other funders. This work is informed by, and helps to shape, grant-funder priorities including work currently being undertaken by London Funders to develop a strategy for funding immigration advice across London. This work also sits alongside work the GLA is delivering through the recovery missions, particularly the robust safety net.
Impacts and deliverables
Table 2
Migration Hub
Context and purpose
2.18 The Migrant Londoners Hub will build on the European Londoners Hub, launched in 2018 in response to Brexit and the changes to EU citizens’ rights in the UK. The lifetime Key Performance Indicator for the Hub was 410,000 unique visitors. To date, the European Londoners Hub has been accessed by over 1.5m unique visitors which demonstrates the demand for and success of the resource.
2.19 The European Londoners Hub is a flagship resource, acting as a powerful tool in the Mayor’s advocacy for European Londoners and is a blueprint for other regional bodies and local authorities. Building on this successful format, we have since developed pages with guidance aimed at young Londoners with insecure immigration status and pages with guidance on migrants’ access to health care and employment rights.
2.20 The aim of the Migrant Londoners Hub is to maintain existing assets in a quickly evolving policy landscape, and to evolve the European Londoners Hub to ensure it continues to meet need under the new immigration system. This will include better join-up with other resources on London.gov.uk, such as the Employment Rights Hub, including pooling funds for commissioning translation providers (ref. DD2529), and through the development of new resources to broaden the remit of existing guidance to include further groups of migrant Londoners such as migrant rough sleepers, young people with insecure status, refugees and people seeking asylum, undocumented people and people with the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition applied to their leave. The resources of the hub will continue to be promoted via stakeholder engagement and paid social media campaigns, working closely with External Relations.
2.21 Additional funding from the Hong Kong Integration Programme will ensure the provision of Hong Kong specialist pages and ensure relevant resources are accessible in Cantonese/Traditional Chinese.
Impacts and deliverables
Table 3
Asylum Welcome
Context and purpose
2.22 The LSMP function means the GLA has a unique role in London in providing strategic leadership in relation to the asylum support system. The increase in numbers of people seeking asylum accommodated in London and proposals for changes to the asylum system in the government’s New Plan for Immigration creates an urgent need to support local authorities to work effectively with local partners so people seeking asylum can access services and overcome a range of specific barriers to social integration.
2.23 The in-depth engagement we have had during the COVID-19 pandemic with boroughs has already built a new awareness and understanding among them about the nature of the asylum accommodation system and the people accommodated within it. The Asylum Welcome programme would build on and carry forward this momentum from the last year.
Delivery method
2.24 The Asylum Welcome project will commission a delivery partner to run an intensive series of design labs for London local authorities on service design for people seeking asylum. The focus will be on creating pathways to services and social connection, looking at local statutory and civil society provision with explicit attention given to the interface with the service delivery of the Home Office and its commissioned providers of accommodation and support in London.
2.25 An evaluation will also be commissioned to ensure learnings from the programme can comprehensively feed into relevant fora in London overseeing asylum, including the London Asylum Group, and other LSMP and London Councils infrastructure, to secure ongoing buy-in, and influence a broader range of partners (e.g. clinical commissioning groups). The evaluation will seek to maintain an understanding of the asylum system in London at a key transition point, including new civil society infrastructure stood up during the pandemic, the ongoing operation to move people out of contingency hotel accommodation, the implementation of the new procurement framework, and the implementation of measures proposed in the New Plan for Immigration.
Impacts and deliverables
2.26 This project will contribute to London’s preparedness to support a potential increase in the number of people seeking asylum and catalyse change at a local level through partnership-working. Specifically, the project will aim to engage up to 12 local authorities in the design lab and a comprehensive evaluation in order to:
- establish single points of contact within local authorities and develop their role to provide effective representation and coordination of issues related to the provision of services for people seeking asylum
- establish a cross-departmental approach to the presence of people seeking asylum in their communities, including a statement of corporate strategy on asylum service access and integration
- build effective local partnerships across statutory sector and civil society to ensure the needs of people seeking asylum are met.
Table 4
3.1 Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the GLA must have ‘due regard’ of the Public Sector Equality Duty, that is the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity
- foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2 Equality, integration and inclusion are the drivers behind these programmes, and they support the delivery of the Mayor’s Social Integration Strategy All of Us . This strategy defines social integration as the extent to which people positively interact and connect with others who are different from themselves. It is determined by the level of equality between people, the nature of their relationships, and their degree of participation in the communities in which they live. All these programmes seek to tackle the inequalities that pose barriers to Londoners with insecure immigration status from fully participating in their communities, including through improving access to immigration advice. Initiatives contained within the Hong Kong welcome and integration programme will promote social integration outcomes, including through grant funding to civil society to enable activities that bring communities together.
3.3 The work to improve access to immigration advice and support services, and to improve accessibility of information and on immigration rights will reduce uncertainty and discrimination facing vulnerable migrant groups. This includes challenges such as feeling unwelcome, discrimination, hate crime, problems accessing credit and mortgages, difficulties renting private property, problems gaining employment, discriminatory treatment stemming from confusion about entitlements to services, and resulting mental health problems.
3.4 Insecure immigration status often interacts with other forms of marginalisation, such as poverty, disability and racism. Many of London’s migrant communities are also ethnic minorities and impacted by barriers in accessing housing, secure healthcare and other entitlements. The impact of insecure immigration status does not solely affect the life chances of migrants themselves, but also their British family members such as their children or other dependents.
3.5 Migrant groups are also significantly represented among the low-paid workers who have either been at the forefront of the city’s COVID-19 response, or have been impacted by poverty exacerbated by the pandemic. For instance, those affected by the NRPF condition are often from a Black or other minority background and struggling with other issues such as poverty, the impact of disability or domestic violence.
3.6 Creating opportunities for migrant Londoners to access immigration advice, and for this advice to be better embedded in settings where they can access it more easily, will help them to secure their rights and entitlements. The aspects of this programme which seek to build connections with frontline community settings recognises the ways that London’s communities have been stepping up and supporting migrants with insecure immigration status for many years now, even when this support can be lacking from public services. This programme creates more possibilities for migrant Londoners to flourish within their communities by ensuring that their basic rights are secured. Poor access to services and social connections has a particularly deleterious impact on people seeking asylum with additional protected characteristics. For example, we know that our partners believe that people in the asylum system who identify as LGBTQ+ experience disproportionate isolation and victimisation.
3.7 Any commissioning processes will ask potential partners to demonstrate how their projects are inclusive of a diverse group and actively work to eliminate discrimination on the basis of the nine characteristics protected in the Equality Act 2010. In order to ensure the highest standards of equality, diversity and inclusion are upheld, the GLA will use outreach and engagement approaches to target activities at particular groups that are less able to engage or face greater barriers to engagement to enable them to participate, while ensuring that activities are open and accessible to all Londoners.
3.8 The guidance and resources are produced in accordance with best practice for accessible communications. The production of materials in multiple languages will support Londoners with limited English and improve access to this information for digitally excluded groups, for users with low reading comprehension, and grant programmes will provide direct outreach to vulnerable and excluded groups.
Key risks and issues
Conflicts of interest
4.1 There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form. The team who will be administering these projects include secondees and trustees of a number of relevant organisations; appropriate mitigations will be put in place throughout all tendering and grant programmes to remove relevant officials from a decision-making role regarding funding where any conflict does arise. This applies to GLA officers and also those funded to deliver work on our behalf. All commissioned services will be procured competitively in accordance with the Contracts and Funding Code.
Link to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.2 This work links to the Mayor’s Strategy for Social Integration All of Us, including confronting barriers and discrimination faced by migrants and refugees and supporting Londoners with insecure immigration status to access their legal rights to citizenship and residence.
5.1 Approval is being sought for expenditure of £775,000 for the Migration Programme spanning over two financial years as detailed in the below table. Funding for 2022-23 is subject to the Authority’s budget setting process for that year.
5.2 This expenditure will be funded from the Migration Support programme budget held within the Communities and Social Policy Unit. This programme sits within ‘A Robust Safety Net’ mission. Funding for future financial years will be subject to the annual budget setting process and is not guaranteed. For 2022-23, a £750,000 indicative budget has been allocated to the ‘Migration Support Programme’ against which £175,000 of expenditure is being sought to be committed in this decision.
5.3 Approval is also being sought for receipt and expenditure of £917,000 grant funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for integration work to support Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and form the ‘Hong Kong Integration Programme’.
5.4 This decision requests delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Communities and Skills to approve £606,000 of expenditure through subsequent decisions.
5.5 The remaining £311,000 expenditure is approved via this decision and is detailed in the below table.
6.1 The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor fall within the statutory powers of the Authority to promote and/or to do anything which is facilitative of or conducive or incidental to social development within Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:
(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
(b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
(c) consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2 According to section 31(3) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the “Act”), the Authority cannot incur expenditure providing social services, which could instead be made by a London borough council, the Common Council or any other public body. By virtue of section 31(6), the limitation in 31(3) does not prevent the Authority incurring expenditure in cooperating with, or facilitating or coordinating the activities of the said bodies. The officers have set out at paragraphs 1.4, 2.3, 2.4, 2.14, 2.23, 2.24 and 2.26 above how the proposed projects amount to cooperation with borough councils and facilitation of their activities. Officers must ensure that any other proposed expenditure does not of itself provide social services where this could be made by a London borough council, the Commons Council or any other public body.
6.3 In taking the decisions requested of him, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
Procurement & grant funding
6.4 In decision two, the officers have sought approval of a £311,000 budget for the Hong Kong Integration Programme and, in decision four, the officers have sought approval of a £590,000 budget for three projects: (i) Insecure Immigration Status; (ii) the Asylum Welcome Programme and (iii) the Migrant Londoners Hub. Officers must ensure that any external services required for those projects be procured in accordance with the Authority’s Contracts and Funding Code (the “Code”) and with the assistance of Transport for London’s procurement team. Furthermore, officers must ensure that appropriate contractual documentation be executed by both the Authority and the relevant contractor prior to the commencement of the relevant services.
6.5 To the extent that the projects require the distribution of grant funding by the Authority, the officers must ensure that the funding be distributed in accordance with section 12 of the Code and that a funding agreement be put in place between the GLA and the recipient, before any of the funding is provided.
Creation of two posts
6.6 Under the Act, the Head of Paid Service (“HoPS”) may, after consultation with the Mayor and the Assembly and having regard to the resources available and the priorities of the Authority:
(a) appoint such staff as the HoPS considers necessary for the proper discharge of the functions of the Authority (section 67(2) of the Act)
(b) make such appointments on such terms and conditions as the HoPS thinks fit (section 70(2) of the Act).
6.7 The Assembly has delegated its powers of consultation on staffing matters to the Assembly’s staffing committee, currently the GLA Oversight Committee.
6.8 After consultation with the Mayor and the Assembly, the Staffing Protocol was adopted by the HoPS in November 2009 and revised in July 2018. The Staffing Protocol sets out the Authority’s agreed approach as to how the HoPS will discharge the staffing powers contained in sections 67(2) and 70(2) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (as amended).
6.9 This process will need to be followed separately to this Mayoral Decision in order to create the necessary posts should the funding be approved
Delegation
6.10 Any function exercisable by the Mayor on behalf of the Authority may also be exercised by a member of the Authority’s staff albeit subject to any conditions, which the Mayor sees fit to impose. To this end, the Mayor may make the requested delegations to the Executive Director, Communities and Skills, if he so chooses.
None
Signed decision document
MD2831 Migration Programme SIGNED