Cllr Price took the Chair

Cllr Turner left the meeting

Cllr Brown arrived at the meeting

The Head of Business Improvement presented the Digital Strategy report which sought approval for a Digital Strategy and its implementation. She said that since the re-development of the Council’s website, 32% of customers now contact the council online.

Cllr Hollingsworth said that in regards to Scrutiny recommendation3 – improving the use of the online planning service:  The recommendation is included in the action plan of the Statement of Community Involvement 2015.

Cllr Price said it was never good to have actions listed as “ongoing” he asked that officers review the action plan and put a specific date next to the actions that were listed as “on-going”.

Cllr Price said the strategy did not clearly deal with the ways to encourage people who are not confident IT users to use online services. He felt this was what Scrutiny’s recommendation 4 – Access to Council’s Website in community centres was all about. Cllr Price recommended that recommendation 4 be agreed and that the Council’s Communities’ team explore what IT services could be provided in community centres.

Cllr Simm felt that recommendation 4 was not helpful as the community centre strategy had been agreed and there had been no mention during the consultation that IT access at community centres was desired. There was a distinction between the large community centre hub type and smaller centres managed by volunteers.  She recommended that the Board ask the Communities team to scope what IT services were already available in different communities. The Communities Team could report their findings to CEB if needed.

Cllr Hollingsworth said that the work should expand to include wherever there is a public assessable computer– not just community centres but shops and libraries.

Cllr Brown said online access is not just about our buildings, but whether people access online services in their homes.

The Chief Executive said the work needed to be a multi organisational study. It’s not just about having access to a computer but being able to use and navigate online systems.  Libraries provide computer training sessions and public computer.  He suggested that the Council audit what is available in different communities and work out where the gaps are.

The City Executive Board resolved to

1.    Adopt the Digital Strategy and associated action plan as set out at Appendices 1 and 2.

2.    Delegate authority to the Head of Business Improvement in consultation with the Board Member for Customer and Corporate Services the annual review of the action plan

Agree that a scoping exercise be commissioned to determine what publicly accessible computer services are available in different communities of the city; and work out where the gaps are.