Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held 26^th June 2018

The notes of the meeting held 26^th June 2018 were received.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no announcements.

The Task and Finish Group received the draft version of the  final report, as prepared by the Chairman.

The Group discussed several aspects in the report.

The Group had been advised that it would not be possible to install an air printer in the Members’ Room at Parkside for technical reasons. The Members were disappointed to hear this and asked that the officer pursue this further, as it was a requirement arising from this review and would support the use of the iPads.

One Member of the Group expressed his concerns regarding the option recommended by the Group to continue with the use of Apple iPads, as he felt that other manufacturers should be considered and he was concerned about the compatibility with the software used in the office.

The Group was advised that all options and manufacturers had been considered, Members showed support for the use of Apple iPads, arising from the results of the questionnaire, as they were already familiar with this product. The Group was advised that once Microsoft Office 365 was installed this would allow the use of Windows 10 and programmes such as Word and Excel to be accessed on the iPads. This was also the most cost efficient option.

Members noted that it was the task of the Group to identify the needs of the Councillors in terms of their technology, and for the technical officers to find a suitable solution.  

The Group had specified in the report and wished to reiterate the need for an ongoing training programme for the use of the iPads. They expressed the need for follow up training sessions.

The Chairman asked for feedback from the Group on the draft report.

Overall the Group supported the report, the concerns were noted.

The Chairman was proposing to add a recommendation to the report to provide an option for Councillors who leave or are not re-elected to buy old equipment, once it had been cleared of Council data. The Group had been advised against this as it was not in line with the Council’s policy. The Chairman would follow this up with the Chief Executive.

The Group agreed some amendments to the wording in the report.

The final version of the report would be circulated to Members before being finalised for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.