Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held 1^st May 2018

The notes of the meeting held on 1^st May 2018 were received.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no announcements.

Since the last meeting of the task and finish group, questionnaires on the use of technology had been issued to all Councillors and 29 out of 44 had been returned. The results had been collated and analysed by the officer along with the Chairman and a summary was sent to the Group ahead of the meeting.

The main highlights from the results were:

·         83% of Councillors were using their Council issued iPads for emails and reading documents etc.

·         76% were also using a home PC or laptop

·         Common concerns included the inability to access Word on the iPads and the need for further training on the use of iPads.

The officer also looked at neighbouring Councils as a comparative exercise.

The officer concluded, from the results, the following points:

·         Councillors required a portable device to access emails, ModernGov, read and annotate Council papers and agendas

·         They needed to be able to access, edit an create new documents and edit more complex documents

·         To be able to save documents, compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDRP)

·         Members needed access to a WiFi printer

·         Further training was also required

The officer proposed the following solution, that the Council would continue to provide a newer version of the iPad to all Councillors but would also enable Councillors to use their own personal devices, should they choose by enabling them to access HDC data in a secure way. The HDC issued iPads would include Office 365, which would enable all Councillors to access emails and ‘One Drive’ where all data would be stored in a secure cloud.

If Members opted to use their own devices, Councillors would be able to log on to a corporate ‘container’ which would allow them to access HDC emails and files from either a mobile phone or personal device. This would store HDC data separate to personal data and could be wiped in the event of an emergency.

Other options considered helpful for the Members included a Bluetooth keypad, a stylus/pencil and a lightning digital AV adaptor – so that larger screens could be connected.

With the proposed solution Members would be able to access the corporate container from home devices provided that they were using software no older than Windows 10. Members suggested a minimum specification should be set to ensure that home PCs were compatible for HDC use.

A cost comparison exercise was also used and iPads proved to be the most cost effective solution for the requirements specified.

Councillors would need to identify their training needs and then relevant training would be provided by the officers. Members were keen for an on going training programme to be put in place.

A FAQ or Help app or icon was also suggested for the iPads.

A suggestion was made that if a Councillor wished to ‘upgrade’ their HDC issued iPad to a larger device, mainly for ease of use, whether an arrangement could be put in place so that those individuals could contribute to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The next meeting would be held on Tuesday 7^th August 2018 at 4.00pm, to discuss the draft report.