Premises Improvement Fund

Report: 09
Date: 16 January 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides information on the Premises Improvement Fund and the success of two bids submitted to the Home Office for consideration. Approval is sought from the Committee for these two schemes to progress in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Fund.

A. Recommendations

The Committee is asked to:

1. approve the use of two grants of £0.5m from the Home Office, Premises Improvement Fund (PIF) to support expenditure on:
   1. joint criminal justice units
   2. vulnerable and intimidated witnesses’ interview rooms; and
2. agree the conditions set down for the use of these monies.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. As part of the capital settlement for 2002/03 announced by the Home Office on 28 January 2002, it was advised that £20m would be made available to police authorities in England and Wales to modernise the police estate and communications technology. A key criterion in determining which schemes should receive favourable consideration was the extent to which the efficiency and effectiveness of police officers would be seen to improve.

2. Plans for schemes were to be considered in the context of each authority’s medium term capital programme, with the expectation that any project put forward for consideration would receive matched funding from the authority’s own resources.

Bidding guidance

3. The Police Resources Unit of the Home Office provided details of the £20m capital fund, to be known as the PIF, on 16 August 2002. It was confirmed that the £20m to be made available must be used to modernise the police estate /communications technology in order to improve the working conditions of police officers.

4. Police Authorities were able to submit bids that embraced working with other criminal justice agencies, including the co-location of police/Crown Prosecution Unit criminal justice units and/or the provision of video equipment/video suites for the purposes of recording interviews with witnesses.

5. The following bidding criteria applied:

• each authority was able to submit up to two bids for capital grant from the PIF during 2002/03;
• each bid could be for a maximum of £0.5m capital grant;
• for each bid the authority must provide at least the same sum in matched funds from its own resources;
• each bid could cover one development, or a number of related initiatives, provided the total grant bid for did not exceed £0.5m;
• there must be clear evidence that a project would not proceed as envisaged, or within the same timescale, without support from the PIF;
• efficiencies and improvements emanating from a scheme must be clearly identifiable;
• expenditure should be committed before the end of financial year 2002/03;
• schemes should be completed by 31 March 2004;
• PIF capital grant could not be carried forward into 2004/05;

6. The Home Office required bids for funding from the PIF to be submitted by the end of September 2002.

Consultation

7. Finance Services consulted with provisioning departments and operational staff on projects which were regarded as suitable for consideration for funding from the PIF.

8. The following schemes were selected for submission based on the robustness of case prepared by the business group, closeness of fit to the selection criteria, and support of MPA objectives:

• the establishment of joint criminal justice units for the co-location of police and Crown Prosecution Service staff. This was in line with recommendations contained in the ‘Glidewell’ Report and the Government White Paper “Justice for All”
• the provision of video suites and equipment for the purposes of recording interviews with vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

Outcome

9. On 25 November 2002 the Home Office wrote to the Commissioner confirming that the two bids submitted for funding from the PIF had been successful. Each was for the maximum £0.5m grant permissible

10. Notification was provided that payment of grant would be subject to:

• receipt of an up to date timetable for the selected schemes
• confirmation that the police authority approved the schemes and guaranteed matched funding

Glidewell

11. A report was submitted to the Finance Committee on 12 December 2002 providing an update on criminal justice matters. The report advised that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had successfully bid for £0.6m from the national CPS capital fund which it wished to use to facilitate co-location of staff. It is envisaged that the successful bid from the PIF will form part of these same deliberations on how best to utilise available monies to improve criminal justice performance.

Interview rooms

12. A report was submitted to the Finance Committee at its meeting on 27 September 2002. It was reported that costs is respect of video and IT equipment for the interview rooms were rising. To ensure that overall expenditure remained within budget associated building works were to be capped. This is proving difficult to achieve in the present economic climate. The award of £0.5m grant from the PIF shall ensure that it will be possible to complete the envisaged programme of providing one interview suite per borough without compromise. It will also facilitate the purchase of much needed duplicating and editing equipment. Additionally, consideration will be given to the provision of interview rooms for specific use by SO Teams.

Conclusion

13. The Committee is asked to note the content of this paper and approve the use of grants secured from the PIF for the purposes as set down in the bids submitted to the Home Office. Progress reports on the two schemes in question and how the PIF grants have been utilised will be placed before the Committee at regular intervals.

C. Equality and diversity implications

There are no overt equality or diversity implications arising from this report. Such considerations have been taken/will be taken into account in the design of joint criminal justice units and vulnerable and intimidated witnesses’ interview facilities.

D. Financial implications

Financial implications are discussed in the main body of the report.

E. Background papers

Corporate Finance – 2002/02 Capital Settlement Premises Improvement Fund (PIF)

F. Contact details

Report author: Mike Jennings, Director of Finance

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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