Premises improvement fund/video facilities fund– bids to Home Office

Report: 09
Date: 23 October 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides details of bids made to the Home Office in respect of:

• The Premises Improvement Fund scheme (two bids).
• The Video Facilities Fund (one bid) The Home Office require formal approval of both bids by an MPA Committee.

A. Recommendation

1. 1. The Committee is invited to formally approve the following bids made to the Home Office:
   • £0.475m in respect of the front office refurbishment programme, and
   • £0.5m in respect of refurbishment work for the technical evidential laboratories.

B. Supporting information

Premises Improvement Fund

1. As part of the capital settlement for 2003/04 announced by the Home Office for police authorities in England and Wales, it was notified that a sum of £20m would again be placed within the Premises Improvement Fund (PIF). This fund was established to finance modernisation of the police estate and communications technology in order to improve the working conditions of police officers and support staff.

2. Bidding guidelines for the PIF for 2003/04 allow police authorities to submit up to two bids: each bid for a maximum of £0.5m capital grant. For each bid the authority must guarantee to provide at least the same sum in matched funds from its own resources. (This assurance was provided to the Home Office when submitting the formal bids for consideration.) There is also a requirement to identify the extent to which the efficiency and effectiveness of police officers would be improved.

3. The MPS has submitted two bids as follows:

• £0.475m in respect of Phase 4 of the Front Office Refurbishment Programme; and
• £0.5m in respect of the installation of ‘fit for purpose’ air conditioning, appropriate power supply, energy efficient lighting, and other refurbishment works at the evidential laboratories.

4. In view of the short timescale involved in preparing the bids for submission to the Home Office endorsement was obtained from the Treasurer, subject to formal approval being sought from this Committee as soon as possible. Confirmation of this approval is required to be advised to the Home Office.

5. Both projects are included within the medium term capital plan. Details of the outcome of both bids will be advised in future monitoring reports to this committee.

Video facilities fund

6. A bid has also been submitted to the Home Office is respect of the recently announced £2m capital fund for improving facilities for the video recording of interviews with vulnerable witnesses. The bid is for the maximum £0.1m permitted and if approved would be utilised in the purchase of editing, copying and viewing equipment. As required, assurance has been provided to the Home Office that if successful, the bid will be match-funded. Details on the outcome of this bid will be provided in due course.

C. Equality and diversity implications

There are no equality and diversity implications arising from this report.

D. Financial implications

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

E. Background papers

• Corporate Finance – 2003/04 Capital Budget Files

F. Contact details

Report author: Sharon Burd, Director of Finances, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback