Minutes - draft

Please note these minutes are currently draft and are subject to committee approval.

Minutes of the special meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 17 November 2005 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Len Duvall (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin (Deputy Chair)
• Cindy Butts (Deputy Chair)
• Tony Arbour
• Jennette Arnold
• Richard Barnes
• Dee Doocey
• Nicky Gavron
• Damian Hockney
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Jenny Jones
• Aneeta Prem
• Murad Qureshi
• John Roberts
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Abdal Ullah

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• David Riddle (Deputy Chief Executive)
• John Crompton (Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Sir Ian Blair (Commissioner)
• Paul Stephenson (Deputy Commissioner)
• Keith Luck (Director of Resources)
• Tim Godwin (Assistant Commissioner)
• Martin Tiplady (Director of Human Resources)

61. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence was received from Toby Harris, Kirsten Hearn, Peter Herbert, Karim Murji, Bob Neill and Rachel Whittaker.

62. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations were made.

63. Budget submission 2006/07

(Agenda item 3)

A report was submitted which asked the Authority to approve the 2006/07 budget submission. The projected precept increase is 5.5%. Incorporating the effects of the full roll out of the safer neighbourhood programme would lift the precept increase to 11.2%. The budget will be reviewed following the provisional grant settlement in early December and in the meantime work will continue to identify options for reducing the budget. The Authority will make final decisions on the budget submission to the Mayor at a future special meeting.

Schedule 9 – Prudential indictors – were tabled.

In his opening remarks the Chair said that he had tabled some revised recommendations which were to be substituted for those which appeared in the report. During discussion of the revised recommendations members pointed out that the revised recommendation 1 should refer to a “full” rather than a “further” roll out of safer neighbourhoods as there was in fact an element of further roll out in the budget submission. It was agreed that the recommendation be amended accordingly.

In reply to points raised by Tony Arbour on safer neighbourhoods the Commissioner confirmed that the full roll out would mean a standardised team of 6 (1x Sergeant, 2x Police Constables and 3 PCSOs) in each ward in every borough. Consideration was being given to ways in which there could be extra provision at PCSO level in those wards with a significantly higher than average population.

Members identified the following areas where they required further information:

• Child protection -to include an assessment of whether the savings would risk putting back the changes which had been made following the Climbié case;
• Mounted branch – including an assessment of how savings made now might affect provision in 2012; and
• DNA – how were the overspendings in the current year reflected in the budget submission.

The Chair requested that the next budget report should contain a full note on the areas of concern or interest which members had highlighted.

Members also requested information on the impact of the reductions at borough level as there had been considerable speculation of the range of possible reductions in manpower etc. Assistant Commissioner Godwin confirmed that a schedule would be provided showing the position for each borough. He stressed however that a key element of the rationale behind the budget reductions as agreed by the Management Board was that there would be as little adverse effect as possible on the front line service provision at BOCU level and that account was taken of the Resource Allocation Formula.

Members indicated that given the uncertainties regarding the grant settlement etc it would only be possible to endorse the budget submission in principle and the tabled recommendation 1 was amended accordingly.

Resolved - (with Tony Arbour, Richard Barnes, Elizabeth Howlett and Jenny Jones asking that their names be recorded as dissenting with respect to recommendation 1 as amended) that-

1. the budget submission be endorsed in principle, excluding the full roll out of safer neighbourhoods;
2. the roll out of safer neighbourhoods be supported in principle and the costs associated with this be submitted to the Mayor;
3. it be noted that the budget submission will be subject to review in December/January;
4. work continue to identify options for reducing the budget so that they are available for consideration following the announcement of the grant settlement;
5. it be noted that the reserves position will be reviewed in December/January;
6. representations be made to government on the need for urgent decisions on
   1. the counter-terrorism bid 2006/07 to 2008/09 and
   2. the bid for special Home Office grant for the additional costs of the events on 7 and 21 July, and
7. the MPS be commissioned to bring forward to the special meeting of the Authority where the budget is considered a paper on the recruitment and staffing consequences of the draft budget incorporating an assessment of the effects of the safer neighbourhoods and counter terrorism bids.

(note: it was subsequently agreed that the next special meeting of the Authority to approve the budget submission be held on 6 January 2006)

The meeting ended at 3.28 p.m.

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