Agenda and draft minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 11^th October 2016.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 11^th October 2016 were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To advise the Commission of the actions arising from the previous meeting 11 October 2016.

The report was noted.

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To receive new items and agree and prioritise the work programme of the Committee for the remainder of 2016/2017.

David Lowe advised Members that they would be required to consider future topics for scrutiny in order that an 18 month programme could be developed. The Committee agreed that it would be useful to invite all Members to suggest future topics for scrutiny.

Resolved that:

1.    Officers would email all Members requesting that they suggest future topics for scrutiny.

To consider any items which an Urgent Decision is required to be taken by the Executive, in exception to the requirements of the Local Authorities ( Executive arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

There were no Urgent Items for consideration.

To introduce to the Select Committee the Council’s ICT and Digital Services Strategy for the next 3-years (2017-2020).

Kevin Griffin introduced the report to the Committee and delivered a presentation to provide a high level overview of the ICT and Digital Services Strategy.

Kevin Griffin highlighted the opportunities which would help deliver the Strategy:

•      100% broadband coverage by end 2017

•      4 out of 5 adults owned a smartphone

•      People were used to transacting online with public bodies (Mod.Gov services)

•      Things were getting ‘smarter’ (Internet of things)

However, there were a number of constraints which could affect deliverability such as reduced budgets and cyber security. In addition, meeting technological demand could be challenging if vendors did not move at a suitable pace to deliver new solutions/systems.

Members suggested that there could be similar applications in the market readily available which the Council could amend, according to the Council’s specific needs, to help meet demand. Kevin Griffin advised that current systems were sufficient for performing tasks which meant that the ICT solutions were not required at this present moment. However, the potential limitation should be noted.

The key principles, set within the Strategy, focused around: cost effectiveness and cost saving; safety and security; customer centricity; and innovation and agility. It was important that innovative solutions were encouraged and explored.

Members heard that the Strategy detailed ways in which the Council could harness opportunities to partner with providers in order to maximise community benefit. The Committee heard that the provision of free WIFI (for an introductory period) was seemingly well received in other towns and this offered financial opportunities to the Council. Councillor Ian Morrin suggested that Members should be mindful of the footfall in West Berkshire versus other areas where the scheme had been introduced.

Kevin Griffin explained that a cloud based infrastructure would offer increased resilience within the Council; if core office applications resided within the internet based solution staff would have access to essential systems irrespective of whether the on-premise business systems were compromised. It was estimated that approximately 80% of staff would benefit from this proposal. Through discussions with the vendor the Council could ensure that the solution offered a suitable level of security – which would be essential considering that some of the Council’s core applications could contain sensitive information.

The cloud based solution would also offer an alternative Critical System Disaster Recovery (CSDR) process. The proposal considered that the cloud would enable systems to be made available within a quicker timeframe (compared to the existing arrangement). The solution would cost more than the current process however it would be more responsive to the Council’s needs.

In response to questions asked by Members, Kevin Griffin stated that the cloud project could not use capital funding on the basis that the Council would not own the cloud based solution.  He also advised that Microsoft Office could not be replaced because it integrated with existing systems used within the Council.

Members heard that the Strategy considered improving communication through options such as: increased use of audio and video conferencing; increased use of social media;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To present to the Select Committee a picture of commercial activities being undertaken by Local Authorities.

Councillor Emma Webster introduced the report to the Committee and advised that it detailed examples of income generation avenues utilised by other local authorities. 

The report provided two recommendations which the Committee would be requested to consider: To note the report; establish a small task and finish group to understand how West Berkshire Council could implement proposals for income generation.

Andy Walker noticed that the examples in the report provided some ideas for future consideration but some schemes were not quite as successful as they appeared. He suggested that comments by return would help to highlight the output from those examples attached.

Councillor Webster considered that the Community Lottery introduced in Aylesbury Vale District Council was successful and offered a potential scheme to consider in West Berkshire. Andy Walker stated that the scheme had been raised but not fully investigated. In terms of strategy, he suggested that it would not deliver against saving demands but the income could be redirected towards the community/other organisations.

Councillor Lee Dillon supported the topic and recommendation to conduct further investigatory work. He encouraged the Committee to take action promptly so that the review would not be delayed any further. He stated that alternative means to generate income must be considered to avoid increasing Council Tax. David Lowe suggested that the Committee might want to invite Officers to comment on the list of examples provided within the report – to state whether they had been considered, the outcome of this consideration and what obstacles/ outcome was identified.

Councillor Ian Morrin believed that small things could be done to offset costs. He considered that the challenge was within the process of identifying opportunities and then bringing them to fruition. He explained that a review of the current mechanism to identify opportunities would be beneficial. He supported the establishment of a task and finish group but stressed that action must take place within the next six months. In response to questions asked, David Lowe advised that decisions were subject to a democratic process and staff were often subject to increased workload – both of which contributed towards the lack of forthcoming ideas. Councillor Morrin suggested that the Council should review this mechanism to encourage innovative thinking and enable small changes to take place without delay.

Councillor Dillon requested that the task group reviewed the current decision making process and worked alongside political will and staff culture.

Resolved that:

1.    Officers would be emailed the examples of income generation streams and asked to comment on whether they had been considered.

2.    A task and finish group would be established to consider income generation opportunities and review the decision making process. Councillors Webster, Dillon and Morrin volunteered to form the task group.

3.    The report be noted