Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - 2nd Floor West Wing, Guildhall. View directions

Contact: George Fraser
tel. no.: 020 7332 1174  Email: george.fraser@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Deputy Doug Barrow and Lucy Sandford.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

MEMBERS' DECLARATIONS UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN RESPECT OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

Minutes:

There were no declarations.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 221 KB

To agree the public minutes of the last meeting, held on 30 November 2017.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 3.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered the minutes from the previous meeting, held on 30 November 2017.

 

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Outstanding References pdf icon PDF 228 KB

Report of the town Clerk

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 4.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that outlined the outstanding actions from previous meetings.

 

OR4 – Recommendations Checklist

The Chairman explained that, given the information that was now contained within Appendix 4 of the Internal Audit Update Report, he was satisfied that the changes were sufficient and asked that this Outstanding Reference be marked as complete.

 

OR5 –Sub-Committee Budgetary Scrutiny Meeting

The Chairman explained to Members that the Deputy Chamberlain, the Assistant Commissioner and the City of London Police Authority met prior to this meeting, on 1 February 2018, to discuss proposed changes to the scrutiny direction of the Sub-Committee.

 

The Chairman explained that at this meeting it was proposed that, with a sight to more robust financial scrutiny of the City of London Police in accordance with its Terms of Reference, this Sub-Committee would receive all reports of the Commissioner relating to:

 

                              i.        Financial Performance & Budgets

                             ii.        Demand and Value for Money

                            iii.        Major Programmes/Projects

 

It was agreed that a reporting schedule be decided by the Chamberlain, Town Clerk and Commissioner.  This would ensure that the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee is well positioned to inform its Grand Committee on all the above areas, and that sufficient time is available to facilitate a more detailed discussion in each case. (1)

 

OR10 – Public Order Resilience

The Chairman asked that the Commissioner please circulate to Members the date of the Public Order Open Day taking place at Gravesend when it has been confirmed. (2)

 

OR15 – Licensee Responsibility for CCTV

The Assistant Commissioner explained that he was satisfied that the links between the CoLP and the Licensing Committee were sufficient, and that there are no problems with applications for CCTV currently. The Chairman confirmed that an additional note had been circulated to Members and that they had

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Internal Audit Update Report pdf icon PDF 184 KB

Report of the Chamberlain

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 5.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain that provided Members with an update of the work of Internal Audit that has been undertaken for the City of London Police since the last report in November 2017.

 

The Head of Audit and Risk Management explained to Members that the draft report on the 2016-17 planned internal audit programme was currently a work in progress.

 

The Head of Audit and Risk Management explained that considerations were being given to an audit of the Police Accommodation Strategy, though this was not mentioned within the report.  The Chairman asked whether this would create duplication of the programme management audit recommendations in this area.  The Head of Audit and Risk Management explained that the programme management audit was slightly different, and that this particular audit would be looking into the Police Accommodation Strategy in greater detail.

 

A Member conveyed their approval of the inclusion of the 3-Year City Police Audit Plan Strategy 2018-19 to 2020-21 at Appendix 3 to the report.  The Member explained that they were surprised not to see audit areas revisited cyclically over a 3-4 year period to monitor continuous improvement.  The Head of Audit and Risk Management explained that they were limited by a set number of audit days to complete their plan, but noted that the plan was flexible.  He explained that there was a desire to repeat particular areas, but also a desire to visit new areas that required focus.

 

A Member asked what the protocol was that assured the implementation of “RED” recommendations.  The Head of Audit and Risk Management explained that RED recommendations often involve suggestions that cannot practically be implemented in retrospect, though the aim is for these to act as guidance for future reference. Any actions made in response to these is then

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

COLP Programme Management Report pdf icon PDF 462 KB

Report of the Chamberlain

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain that detailed the findings of an audit of the programme management of the City of London Police.

 

The Chairman illustrated his surprise that such a significant number of recommendations had come out of the report, and asked for confirmation that all of them were now being tracked.  The Head of Audit and Risk Management confirmed that they were.  The Chairman noted that there were plenty of lessons to be learned from the outcome of the audit, and that it was critical to action these.  The Head of Change Portfolio Office agreed, noting that the Police Accommodation Strategy was managed by the City Surveyor and therefore required joint working.  The Head of Change Portfolio Office explained that the City of London Police were working with an external party on the management of benefits (Recommendation 10 of the report) and would be able to report on this at the end of April.

 

The Chairman explained that, as referred to earlier, an additional audit taking place to focus on the Police Accommodation Strategy (PAS) should hopefully resolve the associated issues.  He also remarked that PAS reports going forward would go to the newly established Capital Buildings Committee.  The Chairman confirmed that, in reference to the discussion prior to the Sub-Committee, any major Police project reports should come to the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee.

 

A Member explained that they were very surprised by the contents of the report, noting the significant sums quoted.  The Deputy Chamberlain explained that high-level estimates given were for early gateway project reports which then evolved significantly over time following more comprehensive scoping.  The Deputy Chamberlain noted that perhaps initial planning needed to be improved to allow for a more realistic or ambitious project scope.  The Assistant Commissioner agreed, stating a

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Projects and Programmes Presentation

Head of the Change Portfolio Office to be heard

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 7.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee heard a presentation from the Head of Change Portfolio Office and the Assistant Commissioner that provided Members with an overview of the City of London Police Projects and Programmes portfolio.

 

The Head of Change Portfolio Office explained that a Digital Programme Board had been set up.  She continued to summarise the main areas of work, including the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) and the Secure City Programme.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that a lot of work had been done to scope the Joint Command Control Room (JCCR), but that technology was advancing so quickly in this area that accurate estimates were very challenging.  The Chairman noted that at the recent meeting of the Police Committee estimates presented ranged from £10-20m for the suite of projects included in the Secure City Programme, and stated that these were very important projects.

 

The Head of Change Portfolio Office explained that dependencies for the Ring-of-Steel Project were a crucial element governing strategy that could not be understated.  The Chairman noted that the audit report found that project management of this project required improvement in a number of areas and he asked for assurance that these issues were now being addressed.  The Head of Change Portfolio Office confirmed that they were part of the action plan.

 

The Head of Change Portfolio Office explained that the Police Accommodation Programme had suffered with challenges centring primarily around timing.  The Assistant Commissioner noted that the JCCR was reliant on other areas in order to progress.  A Member noted that a Corporate policy was to “buy rather than to build”, and asked if this was a feasible option for the JCCR.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that there was some ability to source technology with bespoke designs.  He explained that some other forces had taken the option

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

City of London Approach to Project Management pdf icon PDF 158 KB

Report of the Town Clerk

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee heard a report of the Town Clerk that provided Members with an update on the work done to improve project management procedures and practice across the City of London Corporation.

 

The Town Clerk explained that small projects contained within a single department were perceived to be effectively run, whilst larger projects requiring cross-departmental working containing multiple dependencies suffered due to a siloed working culture.  These larger projects also tended to be carried out over longer terms, and as such suffered from confusion over gateway progression.  He explained that work was being done to update dashboards in order to improve clarity in this regard.  The Town Clerk explained that the presentation of figures to Members in Committee was also an area of focus. The Town Clerk also noted that activity was underway to update the training resources and courses available to Project Managers within the City of London.

 

RESOLVED – That the Town Clerk be heard.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Q3 Performance vs Measures pdf icon PDF 318 KB

Report of the Commissioner of Police

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report that summarised the performance of the City of London Police against the measures set out in the Policing Plan 2017-20 for the period 1 April 2017 – 31 December 2017.

 

The Assistant Commissioner explained that the number of crimes in the City of London had been rising, and that this rise was attributable largely to theft, particularly with the use of mopeds.  The significant rise of these crimes has offset any improvements seen in other areas.

 

Head of Strategic Development explained that the figures presented to the Force Performance Management Group (PMG) differed from the figures brought to this Sub Committee owing to teething problems with Niche, the new Crime and Intelligence reporting system, and clarified that the figures in this report were more accurate.

 

The Assistant Commissioner updated Members on the developments taking place for each Measure mentioned within the report.  The Head of Strategic Development explained that in the case of Measure 11 - The Percentage of people surveyed who believe the police and the City of London are doing a good or excellent job, this would remain the same until the next survey is carried out.

 

The Chairman queried missing data within Measures 6,7,8 and 9.  The Head of Strategic Development explained that the CoLP had implemented the new reporting system, Niche, in October 2017, and found that reports were being counted erroneously.  This led to crime figures changing from one day to the next.  As a result, the decision was made to omit the numbers through a lack of confidence in their accuracy.  He assured Members that this issue had now been resolved.

 

The Chairman asked when Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) figures would be available.  The Head of Strategic Development explained that ASB was not a force priority, though a new

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

HMICFRS Update pdf icon PDF 205 KB

Report of the Commissioner of Police

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that provided Members with an overview of activity undertaken since the last meeting, on 30 November 2017.

 

The Chairman noted that the overall assessment of the PEEL report had been omitted.  The Head of Strategic Development apologised for this error.

 

The Head of Strategic Development explained that there had been no further reports since the last meeting of the Sub-Committee on 30 November 2017.  He explained that the report on effectiveness was due to be published in the week commencing 5 February 2018, and that it was hoped that the outcomes would be positive.

 

The Head of Strategic Development explained that unfortunately the PEEL legitimacy report had been downgraded from “good” to “requires improvement”.  The Assistant Commissioner added that he was not overly concerned with the areas that had been identified and was confident the Force was addressing these.

 

The Chairman noted that not all recommendations coming out of HMICFRS inspection reports seemed to be meeting target dates for action.  He stated that increased focus needed to be given to stop-and-search training.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that the HMICFRS had high standards in this area and good collaborative work was being undertaken currently.  A Member noted that Stop-and-Search was a very sensitive issue, and as such, officers should be expected to be highly responsive to developments in this regard.  She explained that it was key that the officers approached this with the appropriate attitude.  The Chairman requested that a note on what was being actioned with regards to improvements in Stop-and-Search be provided to Members. (7)

The Chairman stated that all the workforce planning observations should be checked off by the CoLP HR department.

 

A Member asked whether the evolution of HMIC into HMICFRS had affected their capacity to carry

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

HMICFRS 2017 Value for Money Profile pdf icon PDF 451 KB

Report of the Commissioner of Police

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that provided a comparison of relative costs between forces.

 

The Chairman noted that the staff cost ratio seemed to be acceptable.

 

The Chairman enquired about the force mapping collaborative work, and the Assistant Commissioner explained that a recent MOPAC meeting had agreed that mapping this out was necessary.  He explained that this will now be done as part of the CoLP Transform Programme.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Deep Dive: CR 23 Police Funding Risk pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Report of the Chamberlain

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain that highlighted funding issues relating to the City of London Police.

 

The Deputy Chamberlain explained that an underlying funding deficit of £4-5m p.a. needed to be resolved.  She explained that the Audit & Risk Management Committee had asked for this to be reassessed in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).  The Deputy Chamberlain explained that there were three resolutions available:

 

                                                      i.        Home Office Funding

                                                     ii.        Decision on which services to maintain

                                                    iii.        Increase in Premium Rates

 

The Deputy Chamberlain explained that this risk needed to be framed accurately in order to be resolved.  The Assistant Commissioner noted that significant work had been done to balance the budget, and £17m in funding had been supplied by the City Corporation for Capital Projects.

 

The Chairman explained that the funding challenge has now been recognised and there had been improved collaboration between the Chamberlain’s Department and the City of London Police.  He also noted that the option to raise the Premium Rate had been raised at Police Committee.

 

A Member asked how the Demand and Value for Money review had been received.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that it had been well received, but noted that some figures were perhaps overly ambitious.  He explained that the review had validated many of the findings of the STRA process, but that he did not agree with the high-end savings figures.

 

A Member noted that the Review’s total savings figure resembled that of a “Gateway Zero” inaccurate initial projection, and suggested that the sooner this headline figure was abandoned the sooner progress could be made with honesty and pragmatism.  Members illustrated their agreement with this statement.

 

A Member asked when these decisions would be made, and the Deputy Chamberlain confirmed that there would be a probe into the savings at

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no further questions.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

There was no further business.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Exclusion of the Public

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 15.

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

16.

Non-Public Minutes

To agree the non-public minutes of the last meeting, held on 30 November 2017

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 16.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered the non-public minutes from the previous meeting, held on 30 November 2017.

 

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

17.

Value for Money Update

Report of the Commissioner of Police

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 17.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on the progress made since the Demand and Value for Money Review since the last update to Police Committee in September 2017.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

18.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no questions.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent and which the Sub-Committee agree should be considered whilst the public are excluded

Minutes:

There was no further business.

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.