Minutes - draft

Minutes of a joint meeting of the Finance Committee and the Planning Performance and Review Committee held on Thursday, 18 September 2008 at 2.00 pm at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1.

Present

Members

• Reshard Auladin
• Cindy Butts
• Dee Doocey
• Jenny Jones
• Steve O’Connell
• Aneeta Prem
• Richard Sumray

MPA officers

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

MPS officers

• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Simon Hart (Acting Director of Finance Services)
• Commander Richard Morris (Temporary Director of Business Performance)

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Faith Boardman, Caroline Pidgeon and Rachel Whittaker.

2. Appointment of Chair

(Agenda item 2)

It was moved, seconded and

Resolved – That Steve O’Connell, Chair of the Finance Committee, be appointed Chair of the meeting.

3 Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 3)

No declarations of interest were received.

4. Minutes of the joint meeting held on 19 November 2007

(Agenda item 4)

Resolved - That the minutes of the joint meeting held on 19 November 2007 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

5. Mayor’s budget guidance 2009/10

(Agenda item 5)

A report was submitted which summarised the Mayor’s budget guidance issued for the 2009/10 budget planning round.

Resolved – That the mayor’s budget guidance for the 2009/10 budget planning round, and the implications for the MPA budget be noted.

6. MPA/MPS business plan and budget 2009/12

(Agenda item 6)

This report updated Finance Committee and PPRC members on the progress of the development of the draft Policing London Business Plan for 2009-12 and sought approval to the interim budget response for submission to the Mayor.

Members referred to the table on page 12 in the appendix. Richard Sumray said it was not reasonable to expect members to agree this being included in the submission without knowing some of the details of how it was proposed to bridge the budget gap. There was also a particular objection to the fact that the figures for new reductions and new growth had been identified so precisely as this removed any room for manoeuvre for members of the Committee. He thought it would be preferable at this stage just to show an overall funding gap with an undertaking to the GLA that proposals to plug the gap would be made in the next iteration of the report. He requested that members be given information about what was currently being proposed by way of new reductions and new growth, although it was accepted that this would be subject to change.

Reshard Auladin said that he wished to make the point that the budget scrutiny process was now an established way in which the details in the budget was identified and this meant that there was member involvement in the process.

The Chair said he agreed that the table on page 12 be amended by the deletion of the specific point concerning the split between new reductions and new growth. The information about the items being considered as savings and growth should be provided to members within 10 working days.

Resolved-That-

1. the activities being undertaken in the integrated strategic financial/planning framework including the development of the draft Policing London business plan be noted;
2. the interim budget submission to the Mayor be approved subject to amending the table on page 12 to delete any reference to new reductions and to show an overall “budget gap” still to be found and it be noted that any final amendments to the submission will be subject to the agreement of the MPA Treasurer;
3. the process for submitting the detailed business plan and budget to the GLA outlined in paragraph 25;
4. members be provided with details of the items being considered as savings and growth within 10 working days.

The meeting closed at 2.52 pm

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