Resources Committee

The formal minute of the public items of business will be available at the meeting scheduled for 19 December 2023. This will also be published on the SPA’s website.
A full recording of the public items of business taken at this meeting can be accessed at https://youtu.be/j71K-H6D_JY

MAIN ITEMS OF BUSINESS
- Financial Monitoring and planning
o Financial Monitoring Report Q2 2023/24
o 2024/25 Financial Planning
o Workforce Scenario Planning
o VR/VER Scheme 2024/25
- Transformational Benefits
o Q2 Monitoring Report
- Estates Improvement Programme verbal update
- Contract awards x 6
- Business Cases Scrutiny
o Full Business Case – Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021
o Change request - Unified Communications and Contract Platform (UCCP) Change Request
o Change request - National Integrated Communication Control Systems (NICCS) Change Request

KEY ISSUES RAISED
Members of the People Committee attended and contributed to the discussions, specifically to allow a joint Resources and People Committee consideration of the VR/VER Scheme for 2024/24.

FINANCIAL MONITORING AND PLANNING
• The Committee discussed at length, the Q2 Financial Monitoring Report and were informed that, while an overall balanced position in line with funding was being forecast, the significant effort required across the organisation to deliver efficiencies was not to be underestimated and risks remained in this regard. Members agreed that service redesign was required at pace, to address future budget challenges more strategically and welcomed the assurance this was being planned. The Committee reinforced the importance of delivering policing going forward in an operationally and financially sustainable way.
• The effort to front load capital spend was recognised by the Committee and it was highlighted no further capital commitments would be made in year. The overall position will be robustly managed across the remainder of the financial year.
• A budget revision was approved for the pay award uplift in line with additional funding for 2023-24.
• A budget proposal to support Police Scotland’s journey to a new and affordable operating model was considered and discussed at length. Workforce scenario planning was considered by Members who were content to recommend the proposal to the Authority for approval.

TRANSFORMATIONAL BENEFITS
• Discussion focused on the effort required to ensure oversight by this Committee of a move to robust management of headcount across the organisation and for this to link to financial planning. Members will be focused, going forward, on evidence that the effort to transform policing has delivered an improved policing service for the people of Scotland.

ESTATES IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME UPDATE
• Members were updated on the planned improvement activity and work to cleanse the available estates data. Future updates will be presented to this Committee and a more developed plan with timescales and milestones will be presented to Members early 2024.

BUSINESS CASES
• Members were supportive of the strategic intent of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 Full Business Case. Assurance was sought and received the IT solution for this project would support collaborative working if it was required at a future stage. It was also confirmed there was no plan to establish a dedicated Hate Crime Unit and this area of work would sit as BAU.
• Two change control requests were considered. Although a lessons learned exercise will be completed the end of these projects, Members urged colleagues to ensure some of the lessons that will likely already have been identified be considered as these projects progress to completion.

PROCUREMENT
• Members considered six contract award proposals and welcomed the assurances from the Head of Strategic Procurement that wherever possible, the Procurement Team were using insights and data to inform the tender process and drive efficiencies wherever possible. In every case, procurement confirm budget and affordability prior to commencing procurement.
• In considering the Occupational Health Contract Award, Members were assured this contract will be managed very closely by a dedicated team to ensure quality delivery of a service that is required across all areas of the workforce.

VR/VER TERMS 2024-25
Members agreed to recommend the VR/VER Scheme for 2024-25 to the Authority for approval noting the proposed Scheme is the same as has been used in previous years.

CONCLUSIONS/ACTIONS REACHED

- Request to be reinforced the Committee’s request for senior operational colleagues be available to attended future Resources Committee meetings to provided invaluable operational insight in support of Committee scrutiny and oversight of financial planning.
- Work required to refresh the benefits reporting to give clear line of sight to this Committee on how the delivery of benefits are being captured and managed organisationally.