Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee held on 21 January 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Steve O’Connell (Chairman)
• Reshard Auladin
• John Biggs
• Faith Boardman
• Chris Boothman
• Neil Johnson
• Graham Speed
• Chris Boothman
• Dee Doocey
• Graham Speed

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Bob Atkins (Treasurer)
• John Crompton (Treasury Team)

MPS officers

• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)
• Kim Bridges (THR Programme Manager)
• Jane Bond (Director Of Property Services)
• Paul Daly (Director of Exchequer Services)
• Paul James (Director of Finance Services)
• Paul Madge (Director of HR Operations)
• Diana Marchant (Director of Operational Resourcing, TP)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Gordon Mitchell (Strategic Insurance Manager)
• Nick Rogers (Director, Group Finance)
• Peter Ross (Director, Procurement Delivery PSD)
• David Willis (Director Estate Management, PSD)
• David Woosey (Director, Supply Chain Management)

Charles Griggs , Borough Commander for Bromley attended for consideration of agenda item 10

85. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Cindy Butts, Dee Doocey and Kit Malthouse.

The Chairman welcomed Bob Atkins and Neil Johnson to their first meeting of the Committee.

86. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations were made.

87. Minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2009 (part 1)

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 17 December 2009 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

88. Business considered by the sub-committees

(Agenda item 4)

A report was submitted which contained a summary of the business considered by the Resources and Productivity Sub-Committees and the Estate Panel since the last meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

89. Revenue and capital budget monitoring 2009/10 – period 8

(Agenda item 5)

This report provided an update on the revenue and capital budget monitoring position for 2009/10 at period 8 (to the end of November). The revenue budget is forecast to overspend by £11.3m (approximately 0.4% of budget). The capital programme as at period 8 (to the end of November) shows year to date total expenditure of £93.5m. This total represents 43.7% of the revised annual budget of £214m. The forecast for the year of £206.7m is £7.3m below the revised annual budget

In response to a request it was agreed that members would be advised of the headline position with regard to the period 9 (December) position when the figures were available.

Resolved – That

1. the year to date and forecast position for the revenue and capital budgets be noted; and.
2. members be advised of the headline position with regard to the period 9 (December) position when the figures were available

90. Borrowing Strategy

(Agenda item 6)

This report provided information on MPA cash flow planning, the funding of the capital programme and the decision making process when assessing the scale and timing of external borrowing to support the capital programme. It showed how current long term borrowing is historically low priced illustrated by the PWLB yields and as assessment of future changes.

Resolved –

1. the report and the context within which decisions to borrow are made be noted; and
2. the borrowing strategy for Quarter 4 2009/10 and 2010/11 outlined from paragraph 30 be noted including estimated new external borrowing of £50m to be undertaken in January 2010 in consultation with the Treasurer and in accordance with the approved treasury management strategy.

91. MPS European Commission funding reporting

(Agenda item 7)

A report was submitted which provided an update regarding completed funding applications made to the European Commission in 2009.

In introducing the report the Director of Resources stated that notification had been received that the bid in respect of Operational Golf had been successful.

Arising from a request from Reshard Auladin it was agreed that a report be submitted to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee which provided an assessment of the performance of a couple of projects which had been funded in this way

Resolved – That

1. the current status of funding applications made by the MPS to the European Commission be noted.
2. A report be submitted to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee setting out an assessment of the performance of a couple of projects which had been funded via the European Commission.

92. Renewal of personal indemnity insurance

(Agenda item 8)

The former Finance Committee ratified informal approval of the Personal Insurance Indemnity Policy (PIIP) in November 2004. This followed agreement in principle by MPS Management Board that MPS personnel should be indemnified by the MPA in certain tightly defined situations where its own personal life and accident insurances did not provide an indemnity. At the time the then Finance Committee required that the PIIP be subject to annual renewal and that an annual progress report be provided summarising key developments since implementation of the policy. Members received the 2009 report.

The Treasurer advised that there were now well established alternative ways in which this cover could be provided and suggested that if the Committee was minded to approve the renewal of the Policy it be on the basis that consideration be given during the coming months to using an alternative

Resolved –

1. The Personal Insurance Indemnity Policy be renewed for a further 12 months.
2. the activity in year in respect of enquiries about the policy and the volume of claims and/or payments set out in the report be noted.
3. Consideration be given during the course of the year to identifying alternative approaches for subsequent years

93. Process of agreeing changes to the public facing estate

(Agenda item 9)

This report proposed principles to guide decisions about changes to the public facing estate. Specifically it covers the transfer of front counter facilities from existing buildings to new, purpose built facilities within Borough Operational Command Units (BOCU) and the disposal of surplus buildings. This report does not include the provision of contact points or reception areas provided under the Safer Neighbourhoods programme, which are supplementary to BOCU main front counter provision.

Graham Speed explained that the process set out in the report had been developed at a series of Estate Panel meetings.

Members felt that the current wording of the bullet point in paragraphs 8 and 10 relating to MPA link members was too rigid and in order to reflect a wider range of responses should be amended to read:

“The MPA link member has been consulted and their views on the proposal have been submitted in writing”

Resolved

1. the principles to guide decisions about the transfer of front counter facilities to new, purpose built facilities be supported;
2. the principles to guide decisions about the disposal of surplus buildings be supported subject to the amendment detailed above;and
3. it be agreed that where these principles are met, and having taken account of all available information including the outcome of any engagement challenge, the MPA Estates Review Panel will make an appropriate recommendation to the Finance and Resources Committee for the transfer of the services and/or the disposal of buildings

94. Transfer of front counter facilities –Bromley Borough

(Agenda item 10)

This report sought the agreement of the Committee to the transfer of the front counter services on Bromley Borough Operational Command Unit from Penge police station to the Safer Neighbourhood base for Penge & Cator ward and Crystal Palace ward. The report also asked the Committee to support the future plans for Penge police station following the transfer of front counter facilities.

Graham Speed explained that this was the first set of proposals relating to a particular borough which the Estate Panel had forwarded to the Committee pursuant to the principles set out in the report on the process of agreeing changes to the public facing estate.

Charles Griggs, the Borough Commander for Bromley attended for consideration of this item and spoke in support of the proposal.

Resolved – That

1. approval be given for the transfer of the front counter service from Penge police station to new accommodation within the Safer Neighbourhood base for Penge & Cator and Crystal Palace wards, known as Copperfield House.
2. the future plans for Penge police station following the front counter transfer, taking into account the written support for the changes provided by the MPA link member be supported.

95. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 11)

Resolved - That under section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved disclosure of exempt information as detailed in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the above Act.

Summary of decisions made on exempt items

96. Exempt business considered by the Resources and Productivity Sub-Committee

(Agenda item 12)

The information was noted in connection with the relevant report.

97 Routine Contracts Programme

(Agenda item 13)

Approval was given to the latest version of the Routine Contracts Programme and to the authorisation to place OJEU advertisements where appropriate.

98 Logica Pay and Pensions Contract–Results of Benchmarking

(Agenda item 14)

Recommendations relating to this contract were agreed.

99 London Strategic Co-ordination Centre Capability

(Agenda item 15)

Recommendations relating to the siting of this Centre were agreed.

100 Real Time Communications Tranche 2 Core Notes –Essential Telephony Replacement

(Agenda item 16)

Recommendations to proceed with tranche 2 of this Programme were agreed.

101. Imber Court Sports Club

(Agenda item 17)

Recommendation relating to the future governance of the sports club were agreed.

102. Report from the Olympic and Paralympic Sub-Committee

(Agenda item 18)

A business cases relating to the dog support unit and the Olympic site support unit were adopted.

103. Transforming HR

(Agenda item 19)

A programme update was noted.

104. Minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2009 (part 2)

(Agenda item 20)

Subject to an amendment the minutes were agreed and signed as a correct record.

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