Memorandum updating the Comptroller and
Auditor General's Report, The Royal Parks: An Executive
Agency (HC 485 Session 2003-04: 2 April 2004)
1. The C&AG's Report The Royal Parks:
An Executive Agency was published in April 2004 and included
key data relating to the year 2002-03. The purpose of this note
is to update key figures in the Report by providing data for the
years 2003-04 and 2004-05.
2. In 2002-03 the Agency's grant from the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport was £25.6 million
and its self-generated income amounted to £6.1 million making
a total income that year of £31.7 million, as shown below
with corresponding information for 2003-04 and 2004-05.
The Royal Parks: Funding from Department
for Culture, Media and Sport from 2002-03 to 2004-05
| Year | Departmental funding
| Self-generated income | Total income*
|
| 2002-03 | £25.6 million
| £6.1 million | £31.7 million
|
| 2003-04 | £25.4 million
| £5.7 million | £31.1 million
|
| 2004-05 | £26.7 million
| £6.9 million | £33.6 million
|
| | |
|
* Total income excludes lottery and other grants, and notional
income.
Source: The Royal Parks Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05.
3. The main sources of self-generated income for the
Agency (Figure 11 and paragraph 4.2 on page 21) for 2002-03
and updated for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are also shown in the table
below.
Self-generated income achieved by the Agency from 2002-03
to 2004-05
| Income from: | 2002-03
| 2003-04 | 2004-05
|
| Concessions | £2,111,000
| £2,156,000 | £2,563,000
|
| Fees from events | £1,610,000
| £1,482,000 | £1,686,000
|
| Licences and rents | £1,164,000
| £1,015,000 | £1,409,000
|
| Fundraising | |
| £9,000 |
| Other fees and permits | £379,000
| £393,000 | £380,000
|
| Royal Parks Constabulary | £180,000
| £14,000 | £5,000
|
| Services | £136,000 |
£80,000 | £91,000 |
| Other | £562,000 | £540,000
| £713,000 |
| Total Income | £6,142,000
| £5,680,000 | £6,856,000
|
| | |
|
Source: National Audit Office.
4. In 2002-03, The Royal Parks employed some 87 staff,
together with 151 officers and civilian staff at The Royal Parks
Constabulary (paragraph 3 on page 1, paragraph 1.7 on page
8) as shown in the following table with comparative numbers
for 2003-04 and 2004-05. During 2004-05, a total of 103 Royal
Parks Constabulary officers and civilians transferred to the Metropolitan
Police Service, which has been co-policing The Royal Parks since
1 April 2004.
The monthly average number of staff (full time equivalents)
employed by The Royal Parks from 2002-03 to 2004-05
| Year | The Royal Parks Staff
| Royal Parks Constabulary officers and civilian staff
|
| 2002-03 | 87 | 151
|
| 2003-04 | 97 | 140
|
| 2004-05 | 97 | 63
|
| | |
Source: The Royal Parks Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05.
5. Updated results of visitor satisfaction surveys for
2003-04 and 2004-05, relating to the overall quality and cleanliness
of the Parks, are compared to figures for 2002-03 (Figures
8 and 9 on page 18) in the final table below.
The overall quality of the Parks (average score in
visitor satisfaction survey) 2002-03 to 2004-05
| Year | Overall Target
| Overall Outturn | Range across the Parks
|
| 2002-03 | 89%: Each Park to
| 86% | Actual scores ranged from 80% to 89%
|
| 2003-04 | score at least 85%
| 86% | Actual scores ranged from 81% to 92%
|
| 2004-05 | Each Park to score at least 85%
| 94% | Actual scores ranged from 93% to 95%
|
| | |
|
Source: The Royal Parks Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05.
Cleanliness in the Parks (average score in visitor
satisfaction survey) 2002-03 to 2004-05
| Year | Overall Target
| Overall Outturn | Range across the Parks
|
| 2002-03 | 89%: Each Park to
| 88% | Actual scores ranged from 81% to 91%
|
| score at least 85%
| | |
| 2003-04 | Each Park to score at
| 90% | Actual scores ranged from 84% to 97%
|
| 2004-05 | least 85% |
86% | Actual scores ranged from 81% to 94%
|
| | |
|
Source: The Royal Parks Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05.
6. The Report states (paragraph 3.8 on page 1),
in reference to The Royal Park's backlog of building maintenance,
that "The Agency has previously estimated the backlog to
be some £110 million, but in light of condition surveys is
reassessing the extent of the backlog and the level of investment
required". Based on condition surveys completed by Carillion
Services Limited (at a cost of £215,000) the Agency assessed
that as at October 2004 its Accumulated Works Maintenance Liability[5]
stood at £64.5 million.
5
The term-Accumulated Works Maintenance Liability-is a summary
of the accumulation of expenditure required to maintain the hard
fabric of The Royal Parks and replaces the use of the term backlog
by The Royal Parks. Back
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