Agenda item

To receive a presentation by the IMD Service Manager on IT for Members and proposed changes to the current arrangements.

(All Members of the Council have been invited to attend and partake in the discussion on this item).

(Councillor B S Chapman, Executive Councillor for Customer Services, was in attendance for this item).

The Panel received a presentation from the IMD Service Manager on proposed changes to IT provision for elected Members. As part of the presentation, the Panel was advised of current issues surrounding Members IT and that the Council intended to cease providing them with IT equipment and to promote alternative ways of working. Details of the benefits to elected Members, the risks associated with the proposal and the next steps pending approval by the Cabinet were provided. A demonstration then took place of the use of an iPad to access and annotate committee papers.

The Executive Councillor for Customer Services informed Members that withdrawing Council funded equipment would achieve savings in the region of £50k and that there would be further savings through a reduction in printing of paper reports. He explained that the Wi-Fi capabilities within Pathfinder House had been substantially improved and reported on the positive experience of Members at South Cambridgeshire District Council in moving to this type of approach. He also referred to the ‘ease of use' benefits to elected Members in being able to use up-to-date technology and connectivity.

A Member queried whether it would be essential for all Councillors to purchase an iPad or would other similar devices suffice. In response the IMD Service Manager explained that the iPad was recommended because it was more secure; however Members would be able to use their own Android-based tablets if they wished to do so. Reasonable levels of support would be provided for these.

The Panel considered a range of issues relating to the Modern.gov application for accessing and annotating committee papers. Members were informed that it would function on Android and Apple devices and operated on Windows 8. In terms of the practical arrangements associated with using tablets in place of printed Agendas and reports, Members queried whether there would be sufficient memory to access large agendas such as those for the Development Management Panel, whether there was an indexing facility and whether downloading large documents at home might cause them to exceed their personal data limits, which would result in additional costs. In response, the IMD Service Manager agreed to undertake further testing of file sizes. Members also commented on the need to stress test the Wi-Fi facility within the Civic Suite and were assured that Officers would monitor Wi-Fi usage and increase capacity if required.

Having noted that Members would have to provide their own email addresses for Council business, the Panel was advised of the proposed security and encryption arrangements for sending confidential emails and documents to these addresses. Further research and investigation was required. Additional work would also be needed to enable Members to receive confidential committee papers and reports through the Modern.Gov committee management system.

The Panel then discussed the assistance the Council might provide to enable Members to purchase a device. The option of paying through Members allowances over their term of office was being considered. Members discussed how this scheme would work, particularly if it commenced part way through a term of office. The Accountancy Manager explained that it would not be possible to offer an interest free loan as this would constitute a ‘benefit in kind' and that options which were similar to a ‘Salary Sacrifice’ had already been investigated and discounted. Having noted that only limited discounts would be achieved if the Council were to purchase devices on behalf of individuals, it was suggested that Members would need to make their own decisions based upon their tax position. Those Members wishing to purchase a device that had a higher specification than required by the Council’s systems would need to ‘top up’ any loan that was provided.

The Panel discussed whether the requirement for Members to purchase IT equipment could act as a deterrent to candidates who were considering standing for election to the District Council. As the basic allowance was currently in the region of £4k, the Panel was of view that it would be reasonable to expect Members to purchased their own equipment at a cost of approximately £400 over their term of office. However, it was suggested that candidates should be made aware of the IT requirements for elected Members and the potential availability of a loan from the Council to enable them to purchase their own equipment.

Members discussed whether the proposed transition arrangements were realistic and emphasised the need for appropriate training and support to be in place for Members before the proposed change in arrangements was implemented. They were of the opinion that further consideration needed to be given to the details of the new arrangements, specifically the mechanisms for accessing Council information such as that contained in the address book from Members own equipment. Some Members were of the view that MS-Office should be provided by the Council.

Concern was expressed that Members might incur increased costs for paper and toner when printing documents at home. In response, it was explained that there would be flexibility in the arrangements so, for example, printed copies of large Development Management Panel Agenda could still be produced. Having expressed support in principle for the proposals, it was

RESOLVED

that the Panel’s comments be conveyed to the Cabinet for consideration as part of their deliberations on this matter.