Resources Committee

The formal minute of the public items of business will be available at the meeting scheduled for 19 November 2024. 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 here.

Main Items of Business
Financial Monitoring, planning and oversight
• Q1 Financial Monitoring Report
• 2025/26 Budget Strategy
• Police Housing update

Benefits Monitoring
• Q1 Transformational Benefits Tracker

Estates
• National Estates Programme - Declare Surplus Properties Portobello High Street

Business Case Scrutiny & Oversight
• Case Study – COS Phase 2
• Body Worn Video Update
• Change Control Oversight and updates
• Data Force Wide Analytics Change Request
• Master Data Management (MDM) Change Request
• GDPR (Structured and Unstructured Data) Change Request
• National Integrated Communications Control Systems (NICCS) – Update Briefing
• End of Project Report - Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act

Procurement & Contract Awards
• Procurement Annual Report
• Contract Award for Vehicle Purchase

Key Issues Raised

Q1 Financial Monitoring Report
• Members considered the year to date spend and first forecast for this financial year. Break even revenue, capital and reform budgets with risks to delivery were highlighted.
• The Committee heard about the newly established Police Scotland Revenue Investment Group (RIG). The senior attendees and robust approach to scrutiny ensures there is internal consideration and challenge of revenue spending. Members also scrutinised the officer pay forecast and other one-off items in the revenue forecast.
• The previous issues with Scottish Government approval through the Accountable Officer template have now been resolved. Members continued to focus on the profile of capital spending and plans to ensure that the budget is appropriately utilised in year. The Committee has requested more analysis of the timing of spend / pathways for the remainder of the year and an understanding of alternative options available.
• The committee also discussed and approved budget revisions. These were mainly related to adjusting the budgets for staff who left on VR/ VER as well as allocating the overtime contingency.
2025/26 Budget Strategy
• The Committee is clear in the need for the Budget Strategy to reflect the Revised Model of Policing (RMoP) work as well as demonstrating a commitment to Best Value. Members welcomed the commitment to bring forward a three year revenue and five year capital plan.
• Progress will be considered at the joint SPA/ Police Scotland Budget Development Group.
Police Housing Update
• There was an extensive discussion of the proposal which will see the introduction of a housing occupancy charge for police officers who live in a police owned home which has previously been provided at no charge. Officers may be required to pay income tax to HMRC as a taxable benefit in kind dependent on their circumstances but they will not pay both an occupancy charge and be taxed as a benefit in kind at the same time. Members recognised this will be a significant change for a particular small group of officers.
• Police Scotland outlined the rational for the change describing the legal, equalities, equity and financial / taxation implications on the impacted officers. The extensive consultation to date, along with the history of this proposal was outlined. Assurance was provided that the consultation has included all impact officers and Staff Associations. Members considered views on the implications on the sustainability of the service as well as recruitment and retention. Police Scotland will continue to provide affordable housing options.
• Following some robust challenge across a number of areas, Members were assured that appropriate mitigations and arrangements have been put in place to support those impacted. The Committee welcomed the additional assurance that Divisional Commanders in impacted locations will carefully monitor any recruitment and retention issues that may be caused by this change.
Benefits Monitoring
• The Committee considered how benefits are being measured, what Police Scotland is doing with the savings and the impact on outcomes.
• Committee scrutiny focused on the large variations from forecast and it was explained that most variations are due to time and have been influenced by a lack of change staff.
• Police Scotland told the Committee there is recognition that benefits have not been tracked in the way they should have been. Through the work to develop a Revised Model of Policing, Police Scotland intends to ensure that benefits tracking is improved and can meet Members’ expectations.
Estates
• Members heard the Portobello Police Station is no longer used and remains in very poor condition with no future role for the division in the estates plans.
• Scrutiny focused on ensuring that Police Scotland responds to community concerns not just for this building but going forward during other consultations.
• Members welcomed the new initiative to roll out the use of mobile Police Stations, similar to mobile banks which will support local visibility within communities and provide access to local police.
Business Cases
Body Worn Video Update
• A progress update on the roll out of body worn video was provided. Scrutiny focused on the challenges with upgrading the IT infrastructure. Police Scotland reported they are currently developing a detailed roll out plan which will be brought back to the Committee when finalised.
• The Training Plan was discussed, and assurance was received that training will be cognisant of lessons learned from the recent training roll out for Digital Evidence Sharing Capability and Core Operating Systems.
Change Control Requests
• Three data related change control requests were submitted which Police Scotland recognised should have been provided at an earlier stage to the Committee. Members asked that Police Scotland focus on fully resourcing projects to consider what can be realistically delivered with limited resources.
• The project, to develop a new integrated communication control system has been delayed due a failure of the same software in another UK police force. Police Scotland are ready to go live but a risk-based decision has been taken to delay the implementation until assurances can be provided that there would be no system failures and no risk to officer safety.
• Members are keen to understand the challenges being faced by Police Scotland across change projects that particularly impact on IT. The Committee will seek to support Police Scotland to overcome challenges across staff resources, organisational bandwidth, complexity and competing priorities.

End Project Review
• The Committee was assured that lessons have been learned following the project to implement Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. Although the focus of the report was the Business Case, the committee welcomed assurance that communication and guidance will be taken on board for other legislative change projects.

Conclusions/ Actions Reached
Approvals
• Budget revisions.
• Annual Procurement Report.
• Occupancy charges on officers occupying police houses and to increase the occupancy fees for HMO/shared accommodation.
• Declaring Portobello Police Station surplus to requirements and approve marketing for sale.
• Award of call off contracts for vehicle purchases up to £45m over a four-year period subject to capital funding being available.

Conclusions
• Existing actions in respect of improvements to benefits and change reporting to be consolidated to ensure a clear and shared understanding of what the Committee expects to see going forward.
• Police Scotland to provide a report which gives oversight of the agreed priorities across the Change Portfolio and to highlight any risks to delivery timelines.
• Assurance is required that the remaining cashable and non-cashable benefits for 2023/24 will be validated and a timeline for this.