Minutes - draft

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

Minutes of the meeting of the Finance Committee held on 21 October 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Graham Tope (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Murad Qureshi
• Richard Sumray

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• John Crompton (Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Bryan (Planning and Performance)
• Keith Luck (Director of Resources)
• Sharon Burd (Director of Finance)
• Alan Croney (Director of Property Services)
• Steve Atherton (Director of Procurement Services)
• A Doyle (Director of Category Management)
• Craig Watkins (Director of Business Development, Finance)

Part 1

66. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence was submitted on behalf of Richard Barnes, Bob Neill and Rachel Whittaker.

67. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations were made.

68. Minutes of the meetings held on 23 September and 11 October 2004

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved: That the minutes of the meetings held on 23 September and 11 October 2004 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

69. Chair and members’ update

(Agenda item 4)

No reports were made.

70. Finance Committee work plan

(Agenda item 5)

A report was submitted which requested the Committee to endorse a work plan for the coming year.

Members referred to the view that had been expressed at previous meetings about the need for a closer harmonisation of the budget and planning process. One way to bring this about would be to hold a joint meeting of the Finance and Planning Performance and Review Committees. It was further agreed that the appropriate time in the cycle to do this would appear to be the budget meeting of the Finance Committee held in October.

Resolved - that subject to the budget meeting of the Committee being a joint meeting with the Planning Performance and Review Committee the work plan be endorsed.

71. Budget monitoring – capital and revenue

(Agenda item 6)

A report was submitted which provided an update on the performance against the revenue budget as at the end of September. The overall year to date position is an underspend of £1.3m. and a forecast overspend of £2.5M. Expenditure on capital to date totals £48M. The forecast for the year is £3.7M. below budget.

Resolved – That the revenue and capital performance against budget to date and the latest revenue and capital forecasts for the year be noted.

72. Treasury management

(Agenda item 7)

A report was submitted which provided a review of treasury management for the six month period ended 30 September 2004 and reviewed current developments in 2004-05

The Treasurer advised that the Authority would be invited to approve the Prudential Code Indicators as part of the budget process.

Resolved – That the report and budgetary implications be noted.

73. Bow Street former police station – approval of sale

(Agenda item 8)

A report was submitted which sought the Committee’s approval to the terms for approval of the sale of the MPA’s interest in the former Bow Street police station.

Resolved - That the unconditional sale of the MPA’s interest in the former Bow Street police station to the highest named bidder as shown in the linked exempt report be agreed.

74. Maurice Drummond Section House –approval of sale

(Agenda item 9)

This report set out the result of a remarketing exercise hand sought the Committee’s approval to the unconditional sale of the MPA’s interest in this former section house.

Resolved – That the unconditional sale of the MPA’s interest in the former Maurice Drummond section house to the highest named bidder as shown in the linked exempt report be agreed.

75. Terms agreed with orange for use of Croydon Police Station as a site for non emergency service aerials

(Agenda item 10)

The report detailed the terms agreed with Orange for the use of space at Croydon police station

The Chair said that in his role as link member for Croydon he would support the proposal in view of the large number of existing aerials in the immediate vicinity of the police station.

Members indicated that they did not wish to receive reports on similar applications for new aerials (or for upgrades from G2 to G3) appearing as a matter of course on the agenda for Finance Committee meetings. The link members should continue to be consulted and they could request that a particular application be referred to the Committee.

Resolved – (with Elizabeth Howlett dissenting)

1. That approval be given to the terms agreed, subject to contract, with Orange for the siting of mobile telecom aerials and associated equipment at Croydon police station; and
2. That further applications t be dealt with under delegated powers and only be submitted to the Finance Committee for consideration if requested by the borough link member.

76. Procurement transformation programme update

(Agenda item 11)

A report was submitted which detailed the progress made by Procurement Services on it programme to change and improve its service delivery. The report also outlined the vision for the future.

The Director of Resources reported on the outcome of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management Awards the details of which are listed at Appendix 5. He said that the results had been announced at a dinner held the previous evening and he was very pleased to report that the MPS had won the award for the most improved purchasing operation and that Steve Atherton the Director of Procurement had won the award of Purchasing and Supply Management Professional of the Year.

Members expressed warm congratulations to the Director of Procurement and his team on their achievements. They commented that there had been a marked improvement in performance in this area since the establishment of the MPA and these awards were in recognition of that fact. The Committee also noted that this was the last meeting at which the Director of Procurement Services would attend, as he would shortly be leaving in order to take up another post and wished him well for the future.

In returning thanks the Director of Procurement stressed that the progress which had been made was due to efforts of the whole team.

In reply to questions concerning the further improvements to be made the Director of Resources advised that these would include involving Procurement Services with the business groups at an even earlier stage of the procurement process.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. the future requirements needed to complete the transformation programme be endorsed.

77. Programme for retendering the services delivered through the current outsource contracts

(Agenda item 12)

A report was submitted which updated the Committee on the status of the programme for retendering services currently delivered to the MPS through the existing main outsource contracts.

Resolved - That the information be noted;

78. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 13)

Resolved - That under section 100 A(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 paragraphs 8 and 9 and 12 of Schedule 12A to the above Act.

Summary of decisions made on exempt items

• Minute 79 agenda item 14 – Bow Street former police station –approval of sale
  A recommendation to dispose of the MPA’s interest in the former Bow Street police station to the highest named bidder was agreed.
• Minute 80 agenda item 15 – exempt Appendix to Maurice Drummond section house – approval of sale
  The information was noted.
• Minute 81 agenda item 16 – exempt Appendix to terms agreed with Orange for use of Croydon police station as a site for non emergency service aerials
  The information was noted.
• Minute 82 Agenda item 17 – exempt Appendix to Programme for Retendering the services delivered through the current outsource contracts
  The information was noted.
• Minute 83 agenda item 18 – Routine Contracts Programme
  The information was noted.
• Minute 84 agenda item 19 - exempt minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2004
  The minutes were agreed and signed as a correct record.

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