Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Finance Committee held at 2.00 p.m. on 17 July 2008 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Steve O’Connell (Chair)
• Richard Sumray (Deputy Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Faith Boardman
• Dee Doocey
• Aneeta Prem
• Rachel Whittaker

The Deputy Chair was in the Chair for part of agenda item 5, item 6 and part of item 7.

MPA officers

• Jane Harwood (Assistant Chief Executive)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• John Crompton (Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)
• Alan Croney (Director, Property Services)
• Anthony Doyle (Director, Procurement Service)
• Allan Gibson (Commander, SCD)
• Rod Jarman (Commander, TP)
• Karim Mahamdallie (Director, Business Support)
• Nigel Mawer (Detective Chief Superintendent, Specialist Crime)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Chris Nason (Directorate of Information)
• Peter Ross (Director of Programme Delivery, PSD)
• Brita Sread (Commercial Operations Director, PSD) and
• Sean Wilson (Chief Inspector, TP). Gordon Mitchell (Strategic Insurance Manager) attended for agenda item 20.

18. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

An apology for absence was received from Jenny Jones.

19. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

There were none.

20. Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2008

(Agenda item 3)

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2008 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

21. Revenue and capital budget monitoring 2008/09 –period 2

(Agenda item 4)

This report provided an update on the revenue and capital budget monitoring position for 2008/09 at period 2 (to the end of May). The revenue budget is forecast to underspend by £12m (approximately 0.4% of budget). The capital programme as at period 2 (to the end of May) shows year to date total expenditure of £14.7m. This total represents 6.1% of the annual budget of £241.1m

Reshard Auladin referred to the projected overspend in supplies and services which followed on from an overspend in the previous year and asked whether the underlying reasons were known. The Director of Business Support undertook to look into the matter and speak to the member.

RESOLVED -That

1. the year to date and forecast position for revenue and capital budgets be noted; and

2. approval be given to the budget changes relating to Olympics Security and Counter Terrorism funding as set out in paragraph 36.

22. The cost implications of public order events

(Agenda item 5)

This report set out the policing costs associated with major public order events in the financial year 2007-08

Members commented that it would be useful for future reports to indicate for which events a recharge had been levied, and the current status regarding payment of the account. In reply to a question from Faith Boardman, Richard Sumray advised that discussions concerning recharging for policing costs associated with football matches were continuing with the football authorities.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

23. Proceeds of Crime Act 

(Agenda item 6)

This report set out the latest quarterly report of the Payback Programme Board.

RESOLVED – That

1. the update be noted; and

2. a budget variation of £3,548m in 2008/09, £1.412m in 2009/10, £1.168m in 2010/11 and £0.674m in 2011/12, to be funded from POCA receipts be agreed.

24. Stage 2 of the safer neighbourhoods property programme - update

(Agenda item 7)

Contracts for stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods Property Programme were awarded in January 2008 and work to deliver the 124 bases contained within the programme has commenced. The first six bases have started on site and works are progressing to complete the programme by December 2009. Work has also commenced to retro-fit signage to the bases constructed under Stage 1 of the programme with installation work starting on site in July 2008 and will be completed by December 2008. To facilitate the effective management of the programme, the acquisition and fitting out of each base is treated as a separate unit, subject to the normal decision-making powers delegated to the MPS.

In reply to questions from members the Chair confirmed that at the meeting of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 4 July it had been agreed that there would be a review of the estate strategy and no decisions should be made on relevant items until that review had been completed. Dee Doocey said that due to her concerns about a lack of clarity about the review process, which she intended to pursue outside the meeting, she could not support the recommendation in the report.

RESOLVED (with Dee Doocey abstaining) – That the progress made on stage 2 of the Safer Neighbourhoods Property Programme be noted and note the use of MPS delegated powers, as set out in the Contact and Financial Regulations, for both site acquisition and fit out works required to individual units within the overall programme.

25. Routine contracts programme

(Agenda item 8)

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 continue to be dealt with under the current arrangements and brought to Committee where required.

RESOLVED – That the latest version of Routine Contracts Programme be approved and authorisation be given to place OJEU advertisements where appropriate.

26. PROSPA programme

(Agenda item 9)

A report was submitted which provides information on the PROSPA programme in Procurement Services and summarises the programme contents and achievements at June 2008.

Members made a number of detailed comments on how some of the momentum behind the achievements of the PROSPA programme could be carried forward to build on its success.

RESOLVED –That

1. the work of Procurement Services in the success of PROSPA, through the achievement of its £35m cost reduction target ahead of schedule be noted; and

2. it be noted that Procurement Services build on the work of the PROSPA programme through the development of Strategic Procurement Plans with business groups.

27. Geographic information  programme

(Agenda item 10)

The MPS Geographic Information Programme is a phased programme of activity to implement the agreed Geographic Information Strategy at an estimated cost of £6.2m capital over 2008/09 – 2012/13 and annual revenue costs of £0.7m. . The programme will deliver a range of benefits throughout its 5-year duration and will ensure that Geographic Information provision within the MPS meets the requirements of the Service

RESOLVED —That approval be given to the implementation of the Geographic Information Programme at an estimated capital cost of £6.2m over the next 5-years plus yearly revenue spend of £0.7m subject to normal decision making arrangements applying to projects within programme.

28. Review of standing orders

(Agenda item 11)

The Authority’s Standing Orders were last reviewed in 2007, when it was agreed that in future this would take place on an annual basis. The latest review has been undertaken and amended Financial and Contract Regulations and scheme of delegation were attached for consideration and approval. The other sections of standing orders remain unchanged.

RESOLVED - That

1. the proposed amendments to Standing Orders be approved and they be forwarded to the Full Authority; and

2 the wider piece of work currently being undertaken on governance of contracts, under the supervision of the Procurement Oversight Group be noted.

29. Virtual courts 

(Agenda item 12)

This report sought approval to spend £1.003M capital and £2.621M revenue from money already allocated in the current seven year capital plan and DOI revenue to support the capital programme to allow virtual courts to function as a pilot in up to 15 custody sites across nine London boroughs sending their cases into one first hearing court centre. The costs would cover the purchase, installation and support of video conferencing and collaboration space equipment and networks. This report outlined significant non-cashable benefits to the MPS in terms of efficiency savings and, in addition, shows the commitment to find cashable savings of £1.3m from 2011/2012 onwards. Both cashable and non-cashable benefits from the full roll out will be identified during the pilot.

RESOLVED - That

1. up to 15 pilot sites be used for virtual courts;

2. capital expenditure of £1.479m, offset by £0.476m from the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) business continuity fund and revenue expenditure of £2.62M be agreed; and

3. any funding not spent in 2008/09 can be carried over to 2009/10, as a reserve, to cover the spending profile as shown in the report.

30. Improving prevention and reassurance in reducing serious youth violence

(Supplementary Agenda item 12A)

This report summarised the new approach to prevention and reassurance to deliver a strategy to reduce serious youth violence. They form part of Operation Blunt 2 and have been created by a working group comprising Territorial Policing, Specialist Crime Directorate, Central Operations and Specialist Operations to create an integrate long term approach to reducing violence.

The report had been included in a supplementary agenda with the agreement of the Chair.

Commander Jarman apologised for the fact that recommendations 3 and 4 did not fully reflect the financial implications and suggested that they be amended to reflect the fact that in particular there was no need for the reference to the National Insurance contributions refund.

The Committee supported the proposal and felt that in addition to the changes to the recommendations felt there should also include a reference to leverage.

RESOLVED - That

1. the enhanced approach to preventing serious youth violence set out in the attached report be noted;

2. approval be given to the Prevention Reassurance funding plan for Serious Youth Violence within Operation Blunt 2 , making use of the provision set aside for youth violence initiatives;

3. a carry forward of under spends into 2009/10 be agreed; and

4 opportunities be taken to secure further funds through leverage.
 

31. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 14)

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 paragraphs 3 and 7 of Schedule 12A to the above Act.

Summary of decisions made on exempt items

Minute 32 agenda item 14 – Exempt appendices to estates update
Information noted

Minute 33 agenda item 15– exempt appendix to routine contracts programme
Information noted.

Minute 34 agenda item 16– extension to BT global services contract for 999 call routing system
Recommendations adopted

Minute 35 agenda item 17 – extension to Arqiva radio services contract
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 36 agenda item 18 – Messaging Programme
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 37 agenda item 19– provision of facilities management services and audit functions to the 3 Metcall (C3i) buildings
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 38 agenda item 20 aviation indemnity
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 39 agenda item 21 – proposal for the development of a London Strategic Co-ordination Centre (SCC) within the MPA strategy for the development of the Peel Centre, Hendon
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 40 agenda item 22 – update on future variations to the Capgemini contract
Recommendations adopted.

Minute 41 agenda item 23- Exempt minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2008
Agreed and signed as a correc
 

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