Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Finance Committee held on 20 January 2005 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Richard Sumray (Deputy Chair in the Chair)
• Richard Barnes
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Murad Qureshi
• Rachel Whittaker.
• Tony Arbour also attended.

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• John Crompton (Committee Services)
• David Riddle (Deputy Clerk) attended for consideration of agenda items 14 onwards)

MPS officers

• Keith Luck (Director of Resources)
• Sharon Burd (Director of Finance)
• Craig Watkins (Director of Business Development)
• Alan Croney (Director of Property Services)
• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)
• Derek Rothwell (Director of Outsourcing and Infrastructure)

Part 1

105. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Graham Tope, Reshard Auladin and Bob Neill. In the absence of the Chair, Richard Sumray the Deputy Chair chaired the meeting.

106. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

The Director of Resources declared a personal interest in respect of agenda item 14.

107. Minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2004

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2004 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

108. Chair and Members’ update

(Agenda item 4)

No updates were provided.

109. Revenue and capital budget monitoring 2004/05

(Agenda item 5)

A report was submitted which provided an update on the performance against the revenue budget as at the end of November. The overall year to date position is an underspend against budget of £6.7m and a forecast underspend at year-end of £4.2M. Expenditure on capital to date totals £61.2M. The forecast for the year is £4.0M above budget.

On paragraph 4, the Director of Business Development advised that it was estimated that total cost incurred to date by the MPS in responding to the tsunami in South East Asia was in the order of £6 to £7M. Since the immediate aftermath, the scale of the Casualty Bureau operation had been reduced and there were now more police forces involved in the work. ACPO was evaluating the total costs involved and police forces were involved in discussion on reimbursement with the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Treasurer reported that a meeting with the Home Office was due to be held later that day to seek clarification on reimbursement of the MPS’s costs in responding to the tsunami.

Rachel Whittaker reported that at the meeting of the Human Resources held earlier in the day there had been a discussion on the role of the Occupational Health Department in connection with the disaster. It was clear that there were long-term implications for OH.

Members commented on the budgetary uncertainty caused by the current arrangements for recording days in lieu as it was not known what the total liability would be if the cash equivalent was taken instead. The Director of Resources offered to bring details of lieu days owing to the next meeting of the Budget and Overtime Review Group.

The Deputy Chair also requested that future reports would include information on the income from partnership working in Territorial Policing

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

110. Annual review of fees and charges

(Agenda item 6)

This report sets out information on MPS fees and charges. It also provides details of charges for the detention of prisoners in MPS cell accommodation and for special services of police. It includes recommendations in respect of charging event organisers for the policing of charitable events applying different approaches to charging dependent upon the nature of the charity event.

Resolved – That

1. the schedule of fees and charges inclusive of charges for the special services of police be approved;
2. MPS fees and charges be aligned with those published in the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Guidance on Charging for Police Services where the ACPO fees are currently higher than MPS fees and charges;
3. the proposal by MPS Resource Approval Committee be endorsed to allow specific MPS charges to mark time until such time as ACPO fees reach the same level or are reviewed nationally in 2005 to accommodate the recommendation from ACPO Cabinet Office for the achievement of harmonisation across Forces;
4. the introduction of an overtime premium to the charges for special services of police as recommended to all Forces within the ACPO Guidance on Charging for Police Services. In order to mitigate the impact upon event organisers, it is recommended the increase resulting from the revision to the charges be phased in over 3 years be endorsed;
5. the adoption of employers’ pension liability charges and general administrative overhead recovery charge at a rate recommended by ACPO in the Guidance on Charging for Police Services. In order to mitigate the impact upon the MPS, it is recommended the harmonised charges be phased in over three years be endorsed; and
6. the following approach be made for charging for the policing of charitable events:
   • ‘pure’ charitable events – no charge
   • registered charities and commercial participators:
     • events with corporate hospitality – charge for the policing of the corporate hospitality
     • no corporate hospitality – no charge
     • donations to charities from proceeds of commercial events – full charge.

111. Debt recovery and outstanding debts

(Agenda item 7)

This report briefly sets out recent initiatives implemented to recover outstanding debt, provides an examination of the level of debt outstanding and seeks approval from this Committee to write off categories of debt not considered recoverable. The sums approved for write off will be set against the provision for bad debt.

The MPS Director of Finance advised that the debt referred to in paragraph 9 and Appendix 1 of the report related to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Resolved – That

1. the reduction in the level of outstanding debt be noted; and
2. approval be given to the writing off of the irrecoverable debt as set out in the report.

112. Estates update

(Agenda item 8)

This report updated members on the latest information on Estate and Property Services matters

With regard to key worker housing (paragraph 17) the Director of Property Services undertook to advise members how long the matched funding arrangements were in place

Resolved – That the report be noted.

Arising – On the suggestion of Elizabeth Howlett it was agreed that arrangements be made for members to visit Empress State Building.

113. Routine contracts programme

(Agenda item 9)

This report sets out the latest version of the Routine Contracts Programme, which provides members with detail on the contracts above £1m that the MPS wishes to let over the next twelve months on a rolling programme as well as details of those contracts let since the last report. The programme only covers the known routine renewals and not the emergent requirements that will still be dealt with under the current system and brought to Committee where required.

The Director of Outsourcing and Infrastructure advised that in addition to working with other police forces as described at paragraph 3 Procurement Services was also looking at working with other members of the GLA family to explore ways of working more closely on procurement exercises.

Resolved – That …

114. C3i programme: proposed extension to contract with Lockheed Martin

(Agenda item 10)

A report was considered concerning the consequences of the delays in delivery of the Integrated Communications Platform (ICP), and asking the Committee to recognise the consequential delay to C3i implementation and transition to MetCall services, and to allow a contract extension to Lockheed Martin (LHM), who are currently providing Systems Integration services to the C3i Programme.

This proposed extension of 18 months from June 2005 is in accordance with existing contract documentation and will increase the contract value, all of which shall be funded from within the existing C3i consultancy budget.

The contract is structured in such a way that LHM consultants are utilised on a call-off basis, meaning that if this extension is granted, the MPS will not be under any additional financial or contractual obligations.

Resolved – That approval be given to an extension to the MPS-Lockheed Martin contract for 18 months from June 2005, to be funded from the existing C3i consultancy budget.

115. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 11)

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 7, 8 and 9 of Schedule 12A to the above Act.

Summary of decisions made on exempt items

• Minute 116 agenda item 12 – exempt Appendix to Routine Contracts Programme
  The information was noted.
• Minute 117 agenda item 13 – exempt Appendix to C3i programme: proposed extension to contract with Lockheed Martin
  The information was noted.
• Minute 118 agenda item 19 – Disposal of Old Street
  Committee considered that the site be re-marketed. Full Authority asked to concur at its meeting on 27 January.
• Minute 104 agenda item 20 - exempt minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2004
  The minutes were agreed and signed as a correct record.
• Supplementary report Procurement of an Integrated Communications Platform
  Agreed to carry out a procurement exercise.

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