PAPER
D
RESOURCES SELECT COMMITTEE- 20 MARCH 2003
E GOVERNMENT TASK GROUP
COUNCILLOR
IAN STEPHENS
REASON
FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The
Egov Task Group has considered options how the Council can achieve real savings
in revenue budgets from its investment in ICT.
Over the past year Members have been issued with lap top computers, and
been trained in their application and use.
The Egov Task Group have concluded that consideration into the way that
Members have traditionally worked, using paper based systems and the operation
of a courier service should now be challenged to determine if it provides best
value.
ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
1. The Committee recommends
the Executive re-examine the future use of the courier service when the
existing contract expires.
2. That this Committee >trial= receiving all reports and correspondence through electronic means.
3. That this Committee >trial= suspending the use of the courier home delivery service.
4. That this Committee will
collect their own post from the Post Room pigeon hole as required.
BACKGROUND
At
the present time the Council has a 3 year contract with N-Viro to provide a
courier service to all 48 Members as required.
This service currently costs the Council ,2.25
per delivery, not all Members have the same number of home deliveries, but the
average annual cost of this part of the service is approximately ,17,500. The present contract is due for renewal in
September 2003 and therefore any alterations to the contract could be
accommodated within a new tender document.
Traditionally
Members used to have individual pigeon holes located centrally in County Hall
that Members emptied when they attended meetings or when they were working in
the building. This system was popular
and efficient with most Members but the pigeon holes have now been moved to
within the Council=s
Post Room and this provides greater flexibility and security.
The
Egov Task Group consider that savings in paper handling, storage, printing and
courier services could all be achieved by critically challenging the
traditional way of sending agendas, reports and correspondence to Members,
partner organisations and outside bodies.
The Members believed strongly that delivery of its six corporate
objectives is not something that is taken lightly, furthermore, to prove that
the Members are serious about the delivery of its Egov agenda, they must not
only take a lead but demonstrate their commitment to these objectives by
actions. To this end, the Egov Task
Group would welcome an early opportunity to >pilot= a
scheme whereby the courier service/Royal Mail would no longer be used to
receive incoming postal deliveries from County Hall. All correspondence would be to Members via the email or left in
their pigeon hole for collection when they next visited County Hall.
RELEVANT
PLANS, POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The
Select Committee consider that the recommendations contained within this report
support the Council=s
Corporate Objectives and Egov agenda.
However,
there are currently legal issues surrounding a >Council
Summons=
and the legitimacy of sending council agendas via email only. If the recommendations contained within this
report are adopted, the Council would need to be satisfied that it had
interpreted satisfactorily all the clauses within paragraph 4 of schedule 12 of
the Local Government Act 1972.
FINANCIAL,
LEGAL, CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
Adoption
of these recommendations by all Councillors would result in a saving within the
Council=s
courier contract, presently this would be in the order of ,17,500
pa. Further unquantifiable yet
significant savings would also be realised in paper handling, storage and
printing. However it would be essential
to ensure that meeting rooms had sufficient ICT ports and power sockets to
enable all Members and officers to operate their lap top equipment.
There
are no Crime and Disorder implications contained within this report.
None.
Contact
Point : A R Drain, Head of Select Committee and Best Value Support,
F 823801, e-mail [email protected].