Issue - meetings

To note the recommendation made to Cabinet by the Service Development and Delivery Committee following a presentation made from the Council’s Head of IT & Corporate Resilience (John Higgins) on the impact on the Council of the £1.5 million, three year strategic investment strategy.

That the Enforcement and Community Safety Portfolio Holder’s response was endorsed.

Cabinet was informed that, at its meeting held on 24 October 2016, the Service Development and Delivery Committee had received a presentation from the Council’s Head of IT & Corporate Resilience (John Higgins) on the impact on the Council of the £1.5 million, three year strategic investment strategy.

The presentation had covered the following areas:

New computer storage area network (SAN) investment;

Replacement Cisco based Council network (Voice & Data);

Strategic Operational Investments;

Strategic Communications Investments; and

Strategic IT Investment Programme Financial Analysis.

There then had followed a general question and answer session and it had become clear that not all Members were aware of the resources available to them i.e. a council managed laptop, how to go about accessing these resources, and further support available to facilitate the most efficient use of these resources i.e. laptops, tablets, software programmes, access to the Council network.

The Head of IT & Corporate Resilience had therefore undertaken to email all Members with regard to the availability of Council laptops etc. together with the Council’s conditions of use of the Council’s IT hardware.

The Service Development and Delivery Committee had decided that the Head of IT & Corporate Resilience be required to attend a further meeting of the Committee in twelve months’ time to give a practical demonstration of the Council’s new IT systems in operation such as Microsoft Skype for Business.

The Service Development and Delivery Committee had also agreed to make a recommendation to Cabinet as follows:

“That the Head of IT & Corporate Resilience arrange an IT Surgery for Members over the course of an afternoon and evening together with an ongoing schedule of IT training for Members.”

The Enforcement and Community Safety Portfolio Holder had considered the Service Development and Delivery Committee’s recommendation and had responded as follows:-

“Arrangements will certainly be put in hand for another IT surgery for Members as the Committee has suggested and consideration will be given to the provision of further IT training for Members.”

Having considered the recommendation of the Service Development and Delivery Committee and the Portfolio Holder’s response thereto:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, duly seconded and:

RESOLVED that the Enforcement and Community Safety Portfolio Holder’s response be endorsed.