Corporate report
DCLG data
Updated 24 May 2013
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| Project name | Housing Investment and Regulatory Reform Programme (HIRRP) | ICT Relet Project (formerly entitled ICT Desktop Refresh) | Reform of the Audit Commission | Enterprise Zones Programme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department | DCLG | DCLG | DCLG | DCLG | Not set |
| MPA RAG rating (A Delivery Confidence Assessment of the project at a fixed point in time, using a five-point scale, Red – Amber/Red – Amber – Amber/Green – Green; definitions in the MPA Annual Report) | Green | Amber/Red | Amber | Amber | Not set |
| Description / aims | HIRRP was set up to deliver major institutional reform in line with Government's ambitions to reduce the number of quangos, shift focus to local priorities and meet the challenges of the Spending Review outcome. The programme's aims are to: a) reform the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) role, size and shape to ensure it meets Ministerial priorities; b) implement a new regulatory framework in the social housing sector, including abolition of the Tenant Services Authority and the integration of regulation within HCA; c) deliver the devolution of the HCA's London functions to the Mayor; and d) implement the move to a single Ombudsman for social housing complaints. | DCLG must replace current ICT services by February 2014 when the current supplier service contract ends. There is an opportunity to break the current contract in August 2013 something DCLG are hoping to do inn order to reduce costs as quickly as possible. The existing IT estate is up to 7 years old and requires updating. The service will include circa 2,500 desktops across 20 offices and 50 business applications. | Disband the Audit Commission and refocus local audit on helping local people to hold councils and local public bodies to account for their spending decisions by:- (a) Developing and implementing a new audit regime where all such audits will be regulated within a statutory framework, with oversight by the profession and the National Audit Office; (b) Transferring (through outsourcing) the Commission's in-house audit practice into the private sector | The Enterprise Zones (EZ) Programme is a key part of the Government's wider plans for local growth. Enterprise Zones are geographically defined areas agreed between Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Government of economic growth potential, which, through a combination of fiscal incentives and simplified planning, will generate both new jobs and business, helping to drive local and national growth. In line with Ministers' localism agenda, this programme is locally-driven with LEPs being the key agents overseeing the development of the zones. Overall aim: to support successful delivery of the current 24 EZs so that they create new (net) additional jobs and businesses. This will be achieved through Government, LEPs and other key public/private sector partners working together. Objectives: To agree the number, size, location and sectoral focus of EZs across the country; To put in place appropriate legislation to enable EZs to have access to financial and other relevant incentives; Government to work closely with LEPs and other local partners, supporting them to successfully deliver EZs; and to generate a long term income stream for LEPs through the business rate uplift secured by new businesses on the zones. | Not set |
| Departmental narrative, actions on Delivery Confidence Assessment | The project is now at the point of effective completion. The regulatory changes needed to implement the project are in place. The transfer of functions into and out of the Homes and Communities Agency have been made and the new organisation is working effectively. | The contract for the supply of new services was let in December 2012 and robust plans are in place to transition to a new Fujitsu service in the summer of 2013. Five months of the 12 month procurement timetable were spent waiting for spend control approval from Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group and now that these are in place the project is progressing well. The procurement phase has secured savings of circa 40% on a like for like basis. | The outsourcing of the Commission's audit practice staff to the private sector has been successful, achieving a 40% saving on audit fees for local public bodies. (The audit practice staff were successfully transferred to the private sector on 31 October 2012.) The introduction of the new audit arrangements is dependent upon Royal Assent to the Local Audit & Accountability Bill which has been introduced in the Lords and received its second reading on 22 May 2013. Royal Assent is anticipated in early 2014 which will allow the closure of the Audit Commission in April 2015. | Phase one of the programme was completed in April 2012 with all 24 Enterprise Zones opening for business having largely put in place key processes, such as: site designation; governance arrangements; business rate retention and simplified planning. Work on phase two of the programme continues to ensure that this phase builds on the progress achieved so far by ensuring all Government enabling work is completed (e.g. legislation), and that Government is doing as much as possible in the context of the programme to create the conditions for growth in Enterprise Zones. Additionally the Programme is doing as much as it can to support Local Enterprise Partnerships and Local Authorities in getting development work on Zones well underway. Since the Programme was launched, a number of sites have successfully secured significant investment, and have already generated a number of new jobs. However, whilst there has been progress, difficult economic conditions have posed real challenges to the delivery of some the Zones ambitions and there has been a need to increase the scale of support and also the challenge to accelerate the pace of delivery to ensure that the Programme realises its full potential in the short and long-term | Not set |
| Project - start date | 01/11/2011 | 16/11/2011 | 30/06/2011 | 23/03/2011 | Not set |
| Project - end date | 31/03/2012 | 28/02/2014 | 01/11/2012 | 31/03/2015 | Not set |
| Departmental narrative on schedule, including any deviation from planned schedule | On Schedule | On Schedule | On Schedule | Phase one of the Programme was delivered as planned with all EZs going live in April 2012. Phase two of the Programme is currently being reset, specifically as the Chancellor has asked that action be taken to ensure that there are no Zones without development by 2015.In response to this DCLG are currently undertaking an intensive period of work to gather detailed information from all EZ sites across the Programme. This will enable a package of support to be provided to EZs where required. | Not set |
| 2012/13 Budget (£million) | 6.9 | 1.9 | 24.99 | 0 | Not set |
| 2012/13 Forecast (£million) | 6.9 | 1.9 | 0.05 | 0 | Not set |
| Total budgeted whole life costs (£million) (including non-government costs) | 25.5 | 36.63 | 53.08 | 0 | Not set |
| Departmental narrative on budget/forecast variance for 2012/13 (if variance is more than 5%) | Variance within tolerance | Variance within tolerance | The outsourcing delivered a successful outcome for both audited bodies, in terms of savings on fees, but also in relation to the transfer of audit staff to the private sector, thus obviating significant redundancy costs for over 600 staff. | Variance within tolerance | Not set |
| Departmental narrative on budgeted whole life costs | Not set | Not set | The minimisation of redundancy cost, especially for audit practice staff as above, has reduced the overall cost. | HMT funds the majority of EZ programme expenditure which relates to business rate discounts. There is also a cost funded by HMT for Enhanced Capital Allowances in income foregone, of up to a maximum of £1.8 billion. Given current market conditions Enterprise Zones have flagged that it is difficult to access the long-term investment required to address the infrastructure needs that some EZ sites have. DCLG have recently made a £59m fund available to provide the recoverable investment needed to unlock sites with real potential to deliver the jobs and growth that local economies need. | Not set |
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