Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee held on 17 February 2011 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Steve O’Connell (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin (up to agenda item 15)
• John Biggs
• Faith Boardman (Vice Chair)
• Chris Boothman
• Dee Doocey
• Amanda Sater
• Valerie Shawcross
• Graham Speed

MPA officers

• Bob Atkins (Treasurer)
• John Crompton (Treasury Team)

MPS officers

• Jane Bond (Director of Property Services)
• Chris Gibson (Procurement Supplier Director)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Nick Rogers (Director of Finance Services)
• Alex Walsh (HR Strategic Director)
• Patrick Collins (Finance Services)
• Superintendent Julia Pendry (Public Order Central Operations) attended for consideration of agenda item 11

137. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Neil Johnson.

138. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations were made.

139. Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2011 (part 1)

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 January 2011 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

140. Revenue and capital budget monitoring 2010/11 – period 9

(Agenda item 4)

This report advised that at period 9 (to the end of December). The revenue budget is forecast to overspend by £0.9m (0% of budget). The capital programme as at the end of Period 9 shows year to date total expenditure of £124.1m which represents 44.9% of the revised annual budget of £276.3m. The forecast for the year of £224.7m represents an under-spend of £51.6m (18.7% of the revised annual budget).

Resolved – That the information be noted.

141. Treasury Management 3rd Quarter 2010/11 update

(Agenda item 5)

This report invited members to review Treasury Management activity for the period 1 October 2010 to 31 December 2010.

The Treasurer reported that members had been sent a briefing concerning Icelandic investments. In reply to a question he advised that it was envisaged that in the new proposed new arrangements outlined in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility the overall responsibility for Treasury Management would very likely rest with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime although, as now, the detailed work would be carried out by MPS officers.

Resolved That the report be noted.

142. Review of residential rent and service charge

(Agenda item 6)

This report sought approval to increase the rental charges levied to tenants. The rents are reviewed in April year by reference to social housing rent data published by Dataspring Research Centre . Dataspring reports that rents have increased by an average of 6.05%, and the report recommended that this level of increase should be applied to the MPA residential estate. The report also contained a recommendation that in future the decisions in regard to the level of rent can be delegated to the Metropolitan Police Service and reported retrospectively to the MPA, if the link with social housing rents is maintained.

Members indicated that they did not agree with the recommendation that in future years the increases be reported retrospectively to members and considered that the information from DataStream was published sufficiently far in advance of the 1 April implementation date for the decision on the charges to continue to be made by the Authority.

Resolved That

1. Approval be given to an average increase of 6.05% in the level of rent to be charged in 2011/12 in respect rents that are paid by police officers when occupying houses or flats and rooms in section houses within the MPA estate.
2. future annual changes in the level of rent charged to the MPA’s tenants continue to be submitted to the MPA for approve and on the basis that change continues to be linked with the level of social housing rent levied to tenants of the London boroughs.

143. Disposal of Norwood Green Former Police Station, Ealing

(Agenda item 7)

This report requested approval to dispose of the freehold interest in Norwood Green Former Police Station at 190 Norwood Road, Southall, UB2 4JT following an open market tender. However subsequent to the approval given at the 20 January meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee the bid became noncompliant when the bidder confirmed that funding for the purchase was conditional upon Local Authority approval for a change of use and that the sale would proceed only on this basis.

Graham Speed, the Chair of the Estate Panel, said that he would support the disposal as now proposed.

Resolved

1. the disposal of the freehold interest in Norwood Green former police station at the value and to the bidder identified in Exempt Appendix 2 following an open market tender be approved; and
2. It be noted that the bidder is different to that previously approved by the Committee at its meeting on 20 January 2011.
3. it be noted that in view of the exceptional circumstances in this case the capital receipt generated from the sale of this property will be re-invested as part of the corporate real estate programme in support of policing in Ealing.

144. Any urgent business

(Agenda item 8)

It was agreed to consider an item of late business relating to a request for the commencement of contract action as an exempt item as it involved the disclosure of exempt information as detailed in paragraph 3 of Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972.

145. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 9)

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

146. Exempt appendices to disposal of Norwood Green former police station, Ealing

(Agenda item 10)

Information noted.

147. Award of a contract under Section 25 of the Police Act 1996

(Agenda item 11)

Details of a Section 25 Agreement were agreed.

148. Transforming HR –commercial settlement

(Agenda item 12)

The Chair was given delegated authority to agree the final terms of the settlement.

149. Quarterly update on variations to the Capgemini contract

(Agenda item 13)

Information noted and approval given to an amended authorisation process for variations to the Capgemini contract.

150. Report from the Olympic and Paralympic Sub-committee

(Agenda item 14)

Business case relating to catering agreed.

151. Early departures of police staff from the MPS

(Agenda item 15)

Approval given to the use of the budget pressures reserve in order to meet the costs associated with the next phase of the MPS police staff early departure scheme.

152. Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2011 (part 2)

(Agenda item 16)

Agreed and signed as a correct record.

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