Minutes

Joint meeting of the Strategic and Operational Policing and Finance and Resources committees held on 19 November 2009 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Reshard Auladin
• John Biggs
• Faith Boardman
• Chris Boothman
• Dee Doocey
• Toby Harris
• Jenny Jones
• Joanne McCartney
• Steve O’Connell
• Graham Speed

Also attended –Valerie Brasse

MPA officers

• Annabel Adams (Acting Treasurer)
• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Jane Harwood (Deputy Chief Executive)
• John Crompton (Committee Officer).

MPS officers

• Richard Clarke (Director of Strategy and Improvement)
• Paul James (Director of Finance)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)

7. Appointment of chair

(Agenda item 1)

Resolved – That Steve O’Connell Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee, be appointed as Chair of the meeting.

8. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 2)

Apologies for absence were received Cindy Butts Kit Malthouse, Neil Johnson and Richard Tracey (members).

9. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 3)

No declarations of interest were received.

10. Minutes of the joint meeting held on 3 September 2009

(Agenda item 4)

Resolved – That the minutes of the joint meeting held on 3 September 2009 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

11. Budget and business plan 2010/13

(Agenda item 5)

This report provided members with MPS priorities, budgets and proposed headline performance indicators for 2010-13 as set out in the draft of the Budget and Business Plan 2010-13, in line with the Mayor’s guidance and the increasingly constrained financial environment. This submission also provides a statement on the robustness of the estimates by the Authority’s Acting Treasurer and a copy of the Mayor’s letter of consultation regarding the preparation of the draft component budget for 2010/11.

Copies of a draft letter from Kit Malthouse, Vice Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority to the Mayor in response to his letter of 6 November 2009 were tabled. Members approved the letter.

The Director of Resources advised that following the briefing for members which had been held in the previous week a number of detailed questions had been submitted. Members had raised issues on the following points:

• Human Trafficking activity
• London Safety Camera Partnership
• Commercial Vehicle Training
• Borough Policing partnership agreements
• The Safer Neighbourhood Team Model
• Borough staffing and devolved budgets
• MPS response to Laming 2 proposals
• The MPS activity on environmental issues including the Building Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP)
• The impact of the withdrawal of partnership funding
• The risks, demands and uncertainties faced by the MPA/MPS over the planning period
• The level and adequacy of earmarked and general reserves
• The challenge of delivering the reductions identified in the plan
• The impact of meeting in full the Mayor’s guidance for years two and three of the plan

It was hoped to provide information on any outstanding issues from the briefing session to the MPA within the next couple of days. Additional Information would also be submitted on:

• The savings and growth for business groups
• Territorial Policing (TP) Borough partnerships
• Human Trafficking following consideration of a paper by the MPS Senior Management Team (SMT) on 18 December 2009

The MPS also agreed to arrange for more detailed briefings on the environmental work being carried out on corporate social responsibility.

Jenny Jones said she wished to reiterate her concern that the continued lack of certainty as to the future of the human traffic work was not satisfactory.

Dee Doocey said that whilst acknowledging the position had changed from the previous year, she still felt that not a wide enough pool of MPA members were involved in the detailed scrutiny of the draft budget proposals and she intended to pursue this point.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Chairman said the Director of Resources was to be thanked for answering so many detailed questions. As many of the areas covered were operational issues it would have been helpful if some senior police officers had also been in attendance to advise members and asked that this be borne in mind for future joint meetings.

Resolved – That

1. the progress on the development of the draft Budget and Business Plan 2010-13 and the supporting financial information be noted;
2. Comment on the draft Plan, including priorities and work to bridge the budget gap, and on the supporting financial information
3. The proposed measures for 2010/11 and the timeline for targets be noted
4. It be noted that the Budget and Business Plan 2010-13 will be submitted to MPA Full Authority for approval at its meeting on 26 November
5. It be noted that members will have further opportunities to comment on the Policing London Business Plan 2010-13 before it is finalised in March 2010.
6. The statement at Appendix 3 by the Acting MPA Treasurer (the Chief Finance Officer under the Local Government Act 2003) on the robustness of the estimates made for the purposes of the calculations and the adequacy of the proposed financial reserves be noted;and
7. the 2010/11 Budget for Greater London Authority and Functional Bodies Preparation of Draft Component Budget letter at Appendix D be noted and it be noted and the draft response which had been tabled be agreed

12. Draft borrowing and capital spending plan 2010/11 to 2016/17

(Agenda item 6)

This report provided details of progress on the development of the capital programme for 2010/11 to 2016/17. The report had previously been considered by the Resources and Productivity Sub-Committee which had supported the recommendations.

Resolved – That

1. the proposed funding of the draft borrowing and capital spending plan 2010/11 to 2016/17 (Appendix 4A refers) be agreed;
2. the annual statement regarding the 2010/11 Minimum Revenue Provision and the key prudential indicators calculated from the draft borrowing and capital spending plan (paragraphs 33 to 34 and Appendix 6 refer) be agreed;
3. subject to the above, approval be given to the proposed capital programme 2010/11 to 2016/17 (paragraphs 21 to 22 and Appendices 4B to 4D & 5A refer) and the approach to managing the programme within available funds (paragraph 21 refers); and
4. it be noted the three projects on the pending list which will be considered as having first call on any additional funding (paragraph 23)

13. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 3)

The Chair ascertained that members did not wish to discuss the content of the information contained in the exempt items on the agenda and had noted the information. He said that it was therefore not necessary to exclude the press and public

Part 2: Summary of exempt items

14. Exempt annexes to appendix 2 to budget and business plan 2010/13

(Agenda item 8)

Information noted.

15. Exempt appendices to draft borrowing and capital spending plan 2010/11 to 2016/17

(Agenda item 9)

Information noted.

16 Exempt minutes of the joint meeting held on 3 September

(Agenda item 10)

Agreed and signed.

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