Agenda item

Councillor Andy Hull, Executive Member Finance, Performance and Community Safety was present, together with Jon Cumming, Chief Digital and Information Officer, and made a presentation to the Committee thereon, copy interleaved

During consideration of the presentation the following main points were made –

·         The transition phase was outlined, and it was stated that the transformation programme will be taken forward from 1 June 2019

·         The customer perspective – customers did not feel that they had a voice in the direction or priorities for IT

·         The Plan to build a new service – Strategic Project initiation – technology in the community, digital experience for residents, business transformation, application renewal and consolidation, Core IT services

·         The functions of IT – Business relationship management – enterprise planning, programme delivery, application services, operational services, commercial and performance services and security risk, and cyber risk management

·         The digital services organisation – organisationa change process had taken place between 4 March – 1 June – there were 53 vacancies, 43 posts were advertised, 28 appointments made, 6 are still vacant, recruitment is underway in 9 posts, and 10 posts not advertised

·         People and Organisation – uplifting skills, better processes, culture shift away from hero to embedded, customer orientation, managed activity

·         Approach to the technology challenge – Tier 1 Core IT services – EUC/Laptops, Windows 10, Avaya Telephony switch, WAN, Regional Adoption Agency, PSN Compliance, My e-account, Share Point 2010, SAN backup, iWorld, Microsfoft teams. Tier 2 Business critical applications – Cemeteries, Environment and Highways Systems, Social Care systems, upgrades across many systems, Housing, CCTV, and many more

·         There is the need to move to Windows 10, and the strategy is to ease laptops at a cost of £800k per annum. This purchase has been approved by the Executive, and the plan, and it is planned to roll out replacement of 80% of laptops, and upgrade 20%. There is an aggressive roll out strategy completing in January. Wi-fi will need to move from 2.4GHz to 5 GHz

·         A Member referred to the need for Members to use digital technology to be able to attend fewer meetings at the Town Hall, and there is a need for cultural change to enable the use of digital technology to be fully utilised. It was stated that there is a commitment from CMB to enable training to take place, together with cultural change

·         Reference was made to the introduction of WAN,and it was stated that although this was scheduled to be introduced in Summer 2019, this had been delayed

·         Councillor Hull referred to the fact that there were a number of senior vacancies still to be filled and that if Members could assist, where appropriate, in agreeing market supplements this would assist in recruitment to such posts, which was vital to the introduction of the new strategy

RESOLVED:

That a further report be submitted to the September meeting on contingency planning that is in place to ensure the deadlines for the introduction of the new strategy will be met

The Chair thanked Councillor Hull and Jon Cumming for attending