Issue - meetings

The ICT Transformation Manager presented the Members’ ICT Policy for Cabinet’s consideration.  Members were advised that the policy had been updated, following changes in 2020 to the IT equipment and software provided to Members to discharge their roles as elected Councillors.

During 2020/21, Members had been provided with an opportunity to replace the ipads that had previously been used for Council business with alternative equipment.  This had been necessary to ensure that Members could participate in virtual meetings effectively during the pandemic, initially on Skype for Business and later on Microsoft Teams.  Some Members had opted to receive a Council laptop or Surface Pro device whilst other Councillors were using their own equipment, in accordance with the Bring Your Own Device policy, and these two choices were reflected in the updated policy. 

Reference to the Blackberry software that had previously been used for Members’ ipads had been removed from the policy as this was no longer required.  The policy had also been updated to reflect the fact that Members’ emails would be deleted automatically after two years.

The local authority would cover the insurance costs of the Council equipment in the event of loss or damage.  There would be an excess charge of £100 which would need to be covered from within existing budgets.  When the equipment that Members were using started to be considered no longer fit for purpose, a capital bid would be submitted to pay for Members to receive new, replacement equipment.

The equipment and software that had been provided to Members would enable them to continue to participate in virtual meeting and potentially in hybrid meetings in the future.  The Chairman noted that virtual and hybrid meetings were not currently permitted under the legislation for formal Committee meetings, though Members would welcome the opportunity to participate in hybrid meetings should legislative changes occur.

RESOLVED that the proposed Members’ ICT Policy be agreed and implemented for all Members and that the options within it be made available to Members.