1

Minutes of the previous meeting

1.1

The minutes were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

2

Matters arising

2.1

Interviews for the Chief Executive’s post had been held. Five candidates had been called for interview but one had withdrawn prior to the day. The panel had selected Ruth Shaw who had accepted the post. She was welcomed to the meeting.

3

Chief Executive’s Report (FLA10)27 & 28)

3.1

The Chief Executive summarised the two papers.

3.2

The FLA had received a letter of from DCMS which set out an understanding of how the FLA could continue its involvement with JLARS (the Joint Local Authority Regulatory Services Licensing Group) until a formal secondment could be finalised.  The Chairman considered the interim arrangements to be a stop gap and urged that a formal secondment be put in place as soon as possible.

3.3

The Board agreed the meeting dates for 2011 set out in paragraph 7 of FLA(10)28.

4

Follow up to the joint meeting

4.1

The Chairman opened the discussion. He identified 4 topics for immediate discussion:

• Balance between risk matrix and need to be visible.
• Strategic resource plan.
• Process for considering issue of cost cutting.
• Innovative ways of cost cutting.

Longer term issues for discussion at a later date:

• Review of standing plus impact on licensing.
• Charging for advice.
• Identify higher level forum for liaison with local authorities/football authorities.

4.2

In discussion of these issues the following points were made:

The Board remained committed to the risk-based approach.  It noted the concerns of the Inspectorate that less match visits could be to the detriment of the FLA.  However the Board felt the debate was focusing too narrowly on the number of match visits and that more consideration should be given to other means of maintaining contact with local authorities and clubs.  It acknowledged that there would be occasions when additional visits may be necessary for strategic reasons and these would be determined by the Chief Executive and Board. The Board were assured that systems were in place to monitor Inspectors’ activity.

In these challenging/changing times a 3 year strategic plan was vital. The plan should consider various scenarios and develop a range of outcomes.  The Board tasked the new Chief Executive to produce an observation paper for the January meeting.

It was suggested that Board members would benefit from a detailed description of the FLA powers/remit to enable them to be able to focus on current issues when in the field. 

A paper outlining the consequences of the October budget review would be presented at the November meeting.

The Board invited Mr Longhorn to reflect upon possible efficiency savings within the FLA.

5

Any other business

5.1

No items were raised.

6

Date the next meeting

6.1

Due to the reorganisation of the new office, the next meeting would be held on Tuesday 9 November 2010 in Oceanic House.