Decision details

Purpose of Report

To consider proposals for ICT provision and approve budget allocations in the General and Housing Investment Programmes for implementation.

Decision

The inclusion of the budget allocations of £300,000 in the General Investment Programme and £125,000 in the Housing Investment Programme (funded through capital receipts and Direct Revenue Funding) for investment in the Council’s ICT provision be approved.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

To do nothing – delaying replacing devices was not recommended at this time given the regular challenges the workforce was experiencing in connecting and operating their devices and systems and in turn undertaking their roles.

To replace all devices at once - this was not recommended, as although further existing laptops would need replacing in future years, they had not yet reached end of life and had value.

Reasons for the Decision

A number of interdependent workstreams needed addressing to support the ongoing provision of ICT at the Council. This included, replacement or alternative delivery of core infrastructure, review of applications and investment in desktop equipment.

When workstyles were introduced, different job roles were assigned different types of desktop equipment suited to the requirements of their work. Some roles were issued laptops and others retained fixed terminals at their workspace. For those issued laptops in the initial roll out, these devices were now ageing which was affecting how well they currently operated. For officers using the remaining terminals, these were no longer fit for purpose causing significant operating challenges.

The platform that terminals currently needed to operate relied heavily on core infrastructure processing power (over 50%) and with the current infrastructure close to capacity, users were receiving a poor experience. Additionally, the desktop on terminals was slow to refresh as it was not carried with an individual and terminals could not be taken into meetings which was inefficient for the user when needing to access information to contribute, thus being reliant on taking notes by hand and then typing up or adding into the system.

The age of devices used by the Housing Repairs Service (HRS), alongside the need for devices that were compatible with applications and ways of working meant that these devices were also in need of replacement.

An assessment across services reviewing device models, options and docking stations needed over the coming year had been undertaken. 269 terminals need replacing with laptop devices and 99 laptops need replacing. The cost of this investment was £345,000. This included docking stations and monitors that were important for workplace health and safety requirements.

The HRS team were currently trialling device options to determine the most suitable rugged tablet device for the workforce. A budget of up to £60,000 would be needed, subject to final selection on the preferred device following the trial.

Members may find a laptop device more practical to undertake their roles, being able to view and annotate papers and to easily navigate the hub and other online directories, enabling them to find information to signpost and support residents, make online reports and access guidance. A budget of up to £20,000 to replace member devices following further engagement was needed.

Training and support would be given at roll out for those receiving new devices to make sure that they had the tools and skills to maximise the use of their device.