Objectives 2023/24
Overall objective
- The Commission’s clear focus this year was on formulating revised proposals, consulting on them, and beginning the work on determining final recommendations for new Parliamentary constituencies. It was a busy financial year in the 2023 Review cycle, as it included the analysis of all the responses to the initial proposals (received during both the initial and secondary consultations), taking those into account during the development of revised proposals, then assessing the further responses received during the final public consultation on those revised proposals.
Main objectives for 2023/24, with outcomes
- The main objectives for the Commission during the financial year 2023/24 were:
- To submit to the Speaker of the House of Commons final recommendations for all the constituencies in England by 1 July 2023. Final recommendations were submitted on 27 June 2023.
- During the course of the year the Commission aimed to hold one formal meeting to evaluate the success of the review with regard to its communications strategy, and to consider lessons that had been learnt. A meeting was held on 18 July 2023.
- By the end of August 2023 to have established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to establish areas of common interest and a closer working relationship. The Memorandum of Understanding was agreed in August 2023.
- To attend a meeting of the UK Boundary Commissions in December 2023, where the main items for discussion would be individual reports on the 2023 Review. The meeting, at which the BCE was represented, was held in Edinburgh on 8 December 2023.
- By the end of March 2024, collect Parliamentary electorate data from all local electoral registration officers in England, as at the date of the statutory annual publication of their register. The electoral statistics were compiled by the end of March 2024.
Budget and expenditure 2023/24
- The Commission agreed a budget of £1,050,000 with the sponsor Department, which it considered would be necessary to deliver the substantial elements of the 2023 Review during the 2023-24 financial year. Two tables are set out below. The first provides a quarterly profile of the planned and actual staffing levels of the Secretariat during the financial year. The second compares the Commission’s actual expenditure during the year against the initial budget agreed with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as sponsor Department. The Commission had an underspend of approximately £679,000.
Staff complement (Full Time Equivalent)
| Apr-Jun 2023 | Jul-Sep 2023 | Oct-Dec 2023 | Jan-Mar 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Plan | Actual | Plan | Actual | Plan | Actual | Plan | Actual |
| SCS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Band A | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Band SEO | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Band HEO | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Band EO | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Band AO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Temp staff | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
Budget and expenditure by subhead (figures supplied by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities*)
| Budget component | Budget 23/24(£) | Expenditure (£)* | Variance (£)** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay and related costs | 850,000 | 230,250 | -619,750 |
| Travel and subsistence costs | 5,000 | 2,088 | -2,912 |
| Accommodation costs | 2000 | 1,138 | -862 |
| IT and equipment costs | 310,000 | 123,712 | -186,288 |
| Staff related costs | 0 | 94 | 94 |
| Marketing and media | 115,000 | 29,778 | -85,222 |
| Other goods and services | 12,000 | -371 | 12,371 |
| Training and development | 15,000 | 0 | -15,000 |
| Conference and hospitality | 15,989 | 910 | -15.079 |
| Miscellaneous expenditure | 2,480 | 0 | -2,480 |
| Reimbursement from Boundary Commission Scotland & Wales | 0 | -16,144*** | 16,144 |
| Total | 1,050,000** | 371,455 | 678,545 |
**Rounded to nearest pound from total derived from detailed (not rounded) component expenditure and variance figures.
***IT costs reimbursed by Boundary Commission for Scotland and Boundary Commission for Wales for a shared IT service.
- The significant underspend was largely the result of members of staff leaving the Commission early following the submission of its recommendations to Parliament in June 2023, lower media costs than anticipated, and the decommissioning of the consultation portal and geographic information system at the end of 2023, following the completion of the 2023 review.
Monitoring expenditure
- The Secretariat maintained information that recorded by date, topic, sub-heading, and component, every item of expenditure. Each month, the Secretariat met with officials from the DLUHC central finance team, in order to confirm monthly expenditure and to provide accurate financial reports, to profile expenditure for the financial year, confirm quarterly expenditure, and report on potential under-spends or over-spends.