The Budget and Performance Committee of the Greater London Authority Council met on Thursday 9 July 2026 to discuss the performance and finances of GLA Land and Property Limited (GLAP), a subsidiary responsible for developing GLA-owned land and delivering new homes. Key discussions focused on GLAP's delivery rates, financial sustainability, loan repayments, and governance structures, alongside broader issues of policing funding and workforce allocation within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

GLA Land and Property Limited (GLAP) Performance and Finances

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to scrutinising the performance and financial management of GLAP. Concerns were raised about the slow pace of housing delivery, with only 29,000 homes started between 2016 and 2025 against a forecast of 68,000 over 25 years. This slow progress has contributed to issues with the repayment of a £300 million loan from the GLA to GLAP, originally due to start in 2018.

Housing Delivery and Loan Repayments:

• Slow Progress: Assembly Members highlighted that GLAP had started only 29,000 homes between 2016 and 2025, significantly behind its 68,000 target over 25 years. This has led to delays in repaying the £300 million loan from the GLA, with repayments not commencing until 2024, five years after the original schedule.
• Loan Details: As of March 2025, £215 million of the £300 million loan remained outstanding, with £85 million repaid. The current repayment schedule aims for full repayment by March 2031.
• Reasons for Delays: While acknowledging the challenging housing market, Assembly Members questioned why repayments were not made during the late 2010s and early 2020s, a period described as benign circumstances and boom time for development. Officers attributed delays to the phased nature of development schemes and the need to reschedule loan repayments to match cash flows generated by land sales, rather than an inability to repay.
• GLAP's Role: GLAP was established as a separate legal entity for land ownership and development subsidiary purposes, operating for the GLA to deliver its decisions. It differs from other GLA activities as it must operate through a separate company for legal and taxation reasons.

Governance and Transparency:

• Steering Group Issues: Auditors in 2023 identified a lack of terms of reference, minutes, and formally signed-off decisions for the GLAP Steering Group, which was established in 2021. Officers explained that the steering group is advisory, with decisions made through formal GLA processes. They acknowledged that governance has evolved in response to market challenges, with the steering group now meeting monthly instead of quarterly.
• Transparency Concerns: Assembly Members expressed frustration at the lack of access to commercially sensitive information, such as the business plan, which is not published. While private sessions were offered, concerns were raised about the overall transparency of GLAP's operations. The risk register was also noted as not being publicly available.
• Officer Costs: GLAP does not directly employ staff but uses GLA staff time. The core team comprises 23 people, with staffing costs of £2.4 million. Wider administrative costs, including accommodation, IT, and insurance, were £6.65 million, and estate management costs were £8.24 million in the last financial year.

Financial Sustainability and Model:

• Income Model: GLAP's business model is funded from land receipts. It acts as a commercial entity that on-lends GLA-decided loans to other housing organisations. Operating activities and debt repayment are funded from land receipts, without direct GLA support.
• Financial Expectations: Forecasts for the next five years indicate GLAP making surpluses and meeting loan repayment obligations, predicated on land receipts being delivered. The business plan is reviewed annually by the steering group and monitored quarterly.
• Singapore-Style Approach: The Mayor's announcement of a Singapore-style approach to housing, which involves retaining land ownership rather than selling it off, was discussed. Officers explained that while GLAP has historically operated on a land disposal model, there have been instances of joint ventures (JVs) like Barking Riverside and Silvertown Keys, where the GLA has taken equity. This approach offers advantages in risk-sharing but depends on available resources. The Silvertown Keys investment of £100 million from Housing and Land Fund reserves is an example of this more active approach.
• Loan Repayments: The £300 million loan from the GLA to GLAP was originally scheduled to begin repayments in 2018. However, due to cash flow issues, the repayment profile was changed. Officers stated this was a timing issue, not an inability to repay, as land assets remained with GLAP.

Housing Delivery Targets:

• Overall Target: GLAP aims to deliver 68,000 homes.
• Current Progress: As of March 2025, 20,465 homes had been completed since 2012, and 26,469 had started.
• Delivery Pace: Concerns were raised about the slow build-out rates on major sites like Greenwich Peninsula (3,500 started out of 17,500 homes) and Barking Riverside (just over 3,000 started out of nearly 20,000 homes). Officers explained that inherited development agreements, particularly for Greenwich Peninsula, lack the controls on delivery pace that would be expected in current contracts. Efforts are being made to enable other developers to take forward sites where delivery partners are prepared to support this.
• Future Forecasts: While specific annual targets are set, forecasting further ahead is challenging due to market conditions. The Building More Homes Delivery Plan sets targets, with 1,500 homes to start this financial year and next. Beyond 2028-29, nearly 32,000 homes are forecast. However, the average starts over the past 10 years have been just under 2,000, leading to concerns that at current rates, it could take over 100 years to deliver the planned start expectations.
• Silvertown Investment: A £100 million investment in Silvertown Keys was discussed. This is a GLA investment through a separate company, GLA Housing Investment Silvertown, which has taken a 50% stake in the partnership. The funding comes from Housing and Land Fund reserves. The scheme is planned over 20 years, with a forecast repayment of the £100 million equity and a surplus of circa £60 million to the GLA. The current planning permission is for 7,000 homes with 25% affordable housing.

Accessible Homes:

• Data Gap: GLAP currently does not record or report on the number of accessible, adaptable, or wheelchair user homes completed. While partners are required to comply with London Plan policies on accessibility, the data is not collected. Officers agreed to take this away and review the possibility of recording and reporting this data in future annual reports.

Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Funding and Officer Numbers

The committee also discussed the funding and officer numbers within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Officer Numbers and Funding:

• Declining Numbers: Police officer and PCSO numbers have fallen from a peak of 35,731 in April 2023 to around 32,570, with a downward trend over the last two years.
• Funding Increases vs. Officer Numbers: Despite increased funding from the Government (£373.9 million over two years, a 16% increase) and the Mayor's precept, officer numbers have decreased. Officers explained this is due to a decade of underfunding, inflationary pressures, and the need to use reserves for one-off costs, leaving the MPS with limited reserves.
• Neighbourhood Policing: A priority has been to stabilise officer numbers and increase neighbourhood policing. 561 officers have been redeployed to neighbourhood teams, and the MPS aims to increase neighbourhood officer numbers by 399 FTE this financial year.
• Redeployment vs. New Recruits: Concerns were raised about the term extra officers, with clarification that 560 officers have been redeployed from back-office roles to frontline neighbourhood policing, rather than being entirely new recruits.
• Red Lines: Priorities for potential cuts, if funding remains constrained, would focus on avoiding reductions in neighbourhood policing and public protection. Civilianisation and technology are seen as ways to drive efficiencies.

Workforce Model and Productivity:

• Workforce Balance: The ideal balance between warranted officers, PCSOs, and civilian staff is a complex issue. While a 50:50 split was once proposed, current trends suggest a need for more specialist officers for cybercrime and fraud, alongside a strong local presence. There is also a recognised need for more back-office staff to support frontline operations.
• Productivity: Experts suggested a greater focus on how police officers spend their time, with one study indicating neighbourhood officers spend only 18% of their time on patrol. There is a need for better data analytics to understand officer deployment and identify unproductive tasks.
• Technology and Data: The MPS has access to significant data, but its effective use for everyday policing and crime fighting was questioned. The potential of AI and technology to improve productivity was acknowledged, but concerns were raised about the cost and the need for local solutions. The rejection of the UOA contract was attributed to process and value-for-money concerns, not the company itself.
• Police Reform: The Government's policing White Paper proposes changes to national policing structures, which could impact the MPS by potentially transferring national functions to a new National Police Service. This could reduce the MPS headcount and alter career structures, impacting specialist roles and training.

Funding Sources:

• Precept Reliance: The GLA precept now funds around a quarter of the MPS budget, up from a fifth in 2016/17. While sustainable in the short term, future reliance on precept increases is uncertain and dependent on Government permission.
• NICC Funding: Discussions with the Government regarding National and International Capital City (NICC) funding are ongoing, highlighting London's unique pressures as a capital city.

Other Issues:

• Missing Persons and Hospital Guarding: Concerns were raised about police time being spent on tasks like hospital guarding and responding to intoxicated individuals, which could be handled by other agencies, freeing up officers for core policing duties.
• Trust and Confidence: Public trust and confidence in the police have not improved and require better local-level measurement and targeted interventions.
• Fraud and Cybercrime: The changing nature of crime, with a rise in online and fraud-related offences, requires greater specialist capability within the MPS.
• Workforce Reform: Experts highlighted the need for modernising police employment structures to attract and retain specialist skills, particularly in areas like technology and cybercrime, and to allow for more flexible career paths.

The meeting concluded with noting the work programme and agreeing to delegate authority to the Chairman to agree any outputs arising from the discussions.