Issue - meetings

To bring forward a shared Digital Strategy and ICT Roadmap for the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership that provides direction of travel for future Digital/ICT developments (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate, which brought forward a shared Digital Strategy and ICT Roadmap for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, that provided direction of travel for future Digital/ICT developments.

The Portfolio Holder – Corporate and Communications presented the report.

The following points were raised:

·       Although increased use of ICT and digital methods was welcome and inevitable, members commented that this should not disadvantage residents who could not or did not want to access the Authority in this way.

o   It was confirmed that there were no plans to remove non-digital contact methods.  Digital access would improve and move forward however, it was also important to retain a choice of contact methods. 

DECISION:

1)    That the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership Digital Strategy and ICT Roadmap at Appendix A be approved; and

2)    That the findings of the Joint Scrutiny Task Group and PMP/PDP Joint Meeting (Appendices B and C) be noted.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – each Council continuing to have its own approach to Digital/ICT was possible but would not be in line with the approved Partnership Business Case.  Digital/ICT was a key ‘enabler’ to achieve much of the ambition set out in the Business Case and was identified as an action in both the Work Programme and Annual Delivery Plan (both of which had been approved by Council);

Reasons for decision:

For the Councils to maximise the benefits of Digital/ICT in driving efficiency and better serving residents, a shared Digital Strategy for the Partnership, supported by an ICT Roadmap, was required to set out the approach to be taken to future system alignment, investment and development.  The Partnership was in a fortunate position in that Public Sector Partnership Services (PSPS) was the Digital/ICT provider to each of the three Councils.  A shared Strategy for the Partnership (and PSPS) would benefit PSPS by enabling the company to better plan and deploy resources to focus on common Digital/ICT priorities that supported the Partnership’s ambition rather than there being competing priorities from individual Councils).