Issue - meetings

Report of Strategic Director Environment and Community and Head of Customer Service and Information Systems

Summary

This report seeks Executive consideration of the outcomes of the Member and Officer IT Review Group and approval for the way forward.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended to agree:

(1)               Measures to reduce the cost of the Council’s ICT Service through the implementation of an integrated, scalable and flexible staffing structure, selective external hosting of systems and improved procurement;

(2)               By the end of 2012/13, to make savings of a minimum of £300,000 resulting in a minimum 15% reduction to the base budget and which brings the costs of the function to 2.3% total Council spend (based on 2010/11 estimated total spend);

(3)               To continue to explore further cost reductions through shared service and joint opportunities with other Councils; 

(4)               The proposed change to the ICT service desk availability from 8am – 6pm, to 7am – 5.15pm Monday to Friday;

(5)               Not to implement an additional Out Of Hours support service based on an assessed low risk of failure and impact plus additional cost;

(6)               The setting up of an Information Systems Corporate Governance group with a remit to provide a corporate overview to the use of ICT resources, approve projects for delivery and realise targeted savings identified in the project business cases.

Recommendations Approved

The Strategic Director Environment and Community and Head of Customer Service and Information Systems submitted a joint report to seek Executive consideration of the outcomes of the Member and Officer IT Review Group and approval for the way forward. The Executive thanked the ICT team for their support and flexibility with regard to the review.

Resolved

(1)               That measures to reduce the cost of the Council’s ICT Service through the implementation of an integrated, scalable and flexible staffing structure, selective external hosting of systems and improved procurement be agreed

(2)               That by the end of 2012/13, it be agreed to make savings of a minimum of £300,000 resulting in a minimum 15% reduction to the base budget and which brings the costs of the function to 2.3% total Council spend (based on 2010/11 estimated total spend)

(3)               That further cost reductions through shared service and joint opportunities with other Councils continue to be explored 

(4)               That the proposed change to the ICT service desk availability from 8am – 6pm, to 7am – 5.15pm Monday to Friday be agreed

(5)               That it be agreed not to implement an additional Out Of Hours support service based on an assessed low risk of failure and impact plus additional cost

(6)               That the setting up of an Information Systems Corporate Governance group with a remit to provide a corporate overview to the use of ICT resources, approve projects for delivery and realise targeted savings identified in the project business cases be agreed.

Reasons

It is the view of the Member and Officer ICT Review Group that outsourcing the whole of ICT Service Delivery is not a realistic option; the possible benefits do not outweigh the costs, and the national picture, and our local strategy is such that within three years other procurement options for data storage and communications will become available.

Structural changes are needed to reduce the management overhead and recognise the shifting requirements of the ICT team that will both reduce costs and put in place an integrated and scalable Information Systems team.

Establishing an IS Corporate Governance group to oversee ICT decisions with strategic significance including how we procure applications and systems in the future will improve the service overall, tying it more closely to Council objectives and priorities.

The benefits of a comprehensive out of hours monitoring and support service do not yet outweigh the costs; the proposed IS Corporate Governance group will review this as more customer services are delivered through online channels.

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