Minutes - draft

Draft minutes of the meeting of the Finance Committee held at 2.00 p.m. on 19 June 2008 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Steve O’Connell (Chair)
• Richard Sumray (Deputy Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Dee Doocey,
• Jenny Jones
• Aneeta Prem
• Rachel Whittaker.

The Deputy Chair was in the Chair for agenda item 13
 

MPA officers

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

MPS officers

• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)
• Alan Croney (Director of Property Services)
• Paul Daly (Director of Exchequer Services)
• Tim Godwin (Assistant Commissioner, Territorial Policing for agenda item 16)
• Karim Mahamdallie (Director of Business Support)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Chris Nason (Directorate of Information)

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

An apology for absence was received from Faith Boardman.

2. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

Agenda item 12: Rachel Whittaker declared a personal interest as a trustee of the Dolphin Square Charitable Foundation.

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 17 APRIL 2008

(Agenda item 3)

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2008 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

4. Finance committee workplan 2008-9

(Agenda item 4)

A draft work plan for 2008-09 was provided for consideration. The Chair acknowledged that the work programme would no doubt change in the light of events. Rachel Whittaker said she wished to suggest the following amendments to the terms of reference:

•  that in the absence of a Committee with a specific Human Resources remit, the Finance Committee continue to be the body which receives data on the workforce figures as part of the monthly budget monitoring report
• a specific mention of environmental sustainability - perhaps as part of item 10 in the existing terms of reference.

RESOLVED —That

1. the work plan for 2008-09 be endorsed;

2 members confirm that the equality objective continue to be to monitor progress in implementing the Responsible Procurement Policy; and

3 the terms of reference be amended to reflect the following

• that in the absence of a Human Resources Committee, the Finance Committee continue to be the body which receives data on the workforce figures
• a specific mention of sustainability - perhaps as part of item 10 in the existing terms of reference.

(Committee Secretary’s note: the terms of reference of all committees will be reviewed as part of a review of the committee structure.)

5. Revenue and capital budget monitoring 2007/08 - provisional outturn

(Agenda item 5)

The report provided an update on the provisional and un-audited outturn position for revenue and capital budgets in 2007/08. The revenue budget was underspent by £17.9m (0.6% of budget), which included £5.3m of additional costs related to Operation Seagram. The underlying forecast underspend excluding Operation Seagram was £23.2m (0.8% of budget). The provisional outturn took account of proposed transfers to earmarked reserves as part of the year-end process of £49.8m. The provisional outturn for the Capital Programme was £147.8m, which was £32m below the revised budget of £179.8m (£136.4m below the original annual budget of £284.2m).

The Director of Business Support apologised for the fact that the report did not contain the usual information about officer numbers. A note would be circulated on the current figures and the information would appear in future monitoring reports.

Members indicated that they supported the approach being taken with regard to the reserves as outlined in the report and as discussed at previous meetings.

RESOLVED – That

1. the provisional and unaudited outurn position against the revenue and capital budgets for the year be noted;

2. the proposed transfers to reserves of £49.8m. be agreed;

3. in furtherance of the decision made by the Committee at its meeting on 18 October 2007, £10m be transferred to the Modernisation Reserve, with £7.9m being transferred to the General Reserve;

4. the proposed re-phasing of approximately £30m of capital budgets into future years be noted; and

5. approval be given to the revenue contributions to capital outturn of £25m as indicated in Appendix 3.

6. Treasury management financial review 2007/08

(Agenda item 6)

This report set out the Annual Review of Treasury Management for the year ending 31 March 2008. The Treasurer referred to the tables on borrowing limits in paragraph 22 and confirmed that further discussions would be held with the GLA to point out the effect that the limits would have on the capital programme. The Chair said that he would be pleased to take this matter up if this was necessary.

RESOLVED – That the annual report of the Treasury Management for the year ended 31 March 2008 be noted.

7. Efficiency plan monitoring - as at fourth quarter 2007/08

(Agenda item 7)

This report provided an update on the monitoring of the MPA / MPS 07/08 efficiency plan. Overall, there had been an over-achievement against the Home Office’s efficiency target of £47.3m.

RESOLVED – That the position against the efficiency as at the fourth quarter be noted.

8. Partnership strategy

(Agenda item 8)

A report was submitted setting out approval to a Partnership Strategy and Implementation Plan to facilitate a consistent approach to partnership working across the Service. This approach would also help ensure the Service optimised the value of partnership working in support of the delivery of the Service’s key objectives.

Members commented that the opportunity should be taken to implement significant corporate leads as soon as they were identified.

RESOLVED – That the Partnership Strategy and Implementation Plan be agreed.

9. Estate update

(Agenda item 9)

A report was submitted updating the committee on estate and Property Services matters.

In reply to a question from a member concerning the firearms training facility (paragraph 29), the Director of Property Services confirmed that the search for a site had covered a wide area of London, but the only sites considered suitable had been in west London. The Director also undertook to speak to Dee Doocey outside the meeting on disposals and acquisitions in Richmond. Rachel Whittaker requested that she be sent a copy of any evaluation that might be carried out on Property Zone.

RESOLVED –That the report be noted.

10. London Criminal Justice Board - Diamond initiative

(Agenda item 16)

It was agreed that this report could be considered in part 1 of the agenda.

A report was tabled which on the London Diamond Initiative, which had been first reported to the Co-ordination and Policing Committee on 5 June 2008. The London Diamond Initiative aimed to break the cycle of re-offending and thereby reduce the demand for prison places by multi agency intervention to address the needs of offenders. This report requested delegated authority be given to the Chief Executive to sign the joint agreement on behalf of the Authority for the introduction of the project.

AC Godwin gave a presentation of this initiative and supporting documentation was tabled. The AC confirmed that if for any reason the funding was is not forthcoming for 2009/10 and 2010/11 there was sufficient deferred income carried forward from 2007/08 to cover lack of central funding.

Richard Sumray reported that he was aware of the initiative through his membership of the London Criminal Justice Board, and that he had also had a briefing from the AC. He supported the carrying out of the pilots.

RESOLVED - That

1. the current position on the initiative be noted; and

2. delegated authority be given to the Chief Executive to sign the joint agreement on behalf of the Authority.

11. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 10)

Resolved - That under section 100A(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 paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the above Act.

Summary of decisions made on exempt items

Minute 12 agenda item 11 – Exempt appendices to estates update
Information noted

Minute 13 agenda item 12– request for authority to dispose of surplus properties
Recommendation amended to clarify that this applies only to surplus non-residential properties.

Minute 14 agenda item 13 – D’Albaic House, Heathrow
Recommendations relating the leasehold acquisition of space within an office building were adopted.

Minute 15 agenda item 14 – Rent Review New Scotland Yard
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 16 agenda item 15 – Update on future variations to the Capgemini contract
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 17 agenda item 17- Exempt minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2008
Agreed and signed as a correct record.

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