Agenda and minutes

None.

The Portfolio Holder is asked to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2015 as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2015 were agreed as a correct record.

The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder has requested an update on IT security and its compatibility between the three councils. The Council’s ICT policy is attached.

The Senior Information Management Officer introduced this item on the Council’s ICT security policy and guidelines by explaining that a meeting would be held subsequent to transition to 3C ICT with representatives of Cambridge City and Huntingdon District Councils to discuss the aim of having one joint security policy. The Portfolio Holder supported the need for consistency, especially with regard to responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.

Concerns were expressed regarding the need to share data with other authorities, who might not keep it secure. The Senior Information Management Officer explained that the three councils remained three separate local authorities, with their own responsibilities for complying with the law, and that all were signatories to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Information Sharing Framework. The Executive Director explained that there was an opportunity for all three authorities to share best practice and learn from each other.

The Executive Director reported that in December the Council had passed an ICT audit health check, which was an external validation of the Council’s policies and practices. This was an annual check and the Council would be assessed again in December 2016. The Executive Director expressed his thanks to the ICT Support Services Manager.

It was noted that the increased sensitivity regarding the quarantining of e-mails was in direct response to a virus being received by the Council. The ICT Support Services Manager explained that having multiple full stops in a document’s filename increased its chances of being quarantined.

The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder requested a progress report on the aim of producing a joint ICT security policy at his next meeting in April.

Documents were regarding both the Shared Services project for IT and the Shared Services for Legal were circulated at the meeting.

Shared Services for IT

A structure chart was distributed at the meeting. Following the retirement of the Head of ICT on 31 January 2016 a new joint Head of ICT would need to be employed. The Executive Director explained that there were more vacant positions than existing staff within the structure and so it was hoped that there would be no redundancies.

It was suggested that the Council should host the back-up server as it was located some distance from the other councils’ servers, making it more likely to survive some external disaster that could affect both of the other servers due to their proximity.

Discussions were being held regarding service desk consolidation between this authority and Huntingdon District Council. Cambridge City Council were contracted to Northgate for the next 18 months.

Shared Services for Legal

The departure of this Council’s Head of Legal Services and the current vacancy at Huntingdonshire District Council meant that the Joint Head of Legal position would be ring-fenced for the current post holder at Cambridge City Council. The Employment Committee had recommended Shirley Tracey as the new Monitoring Officer to full Council.

All cases would have to be migrated onto one case management system called iKen.

Disappointment was expressed at the fact that e-mails were likely to finish “.org” instead of “gov.uk”.

Councillor Lynda Harford stated that it was vital that councillors had access to legal advice and expressed concern regarding the capacity of the new arrangements. The Executive Director explained that the shared services arrangements ensured that desks were occupied in the office and resources were well managed.

The Senior Web and Graphics Officer explained that the report under discussion had been discussed by Executive Management Team on 13 January 2016.

It was noted that the Council’s website was not part of the shared service, although officers had been liaising with Cambridge City Council in an effective example of cross council co-operation.

The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder expressed his satisfaction with the new website, which was a visual improvement and easier to navigate. External feedback on the new website had also been positive.

The Senior Web and Graphics Officer explained that the aim was to encourage more service users to go online to reduce the number of phone calls, which would then make it easier for those residents who were unable to go online to contact the authority by phone.

The Senior Web and Graphics Officer agreed to liaise with Councillor Hales regarding an application designed by a resident of Sawston, which automatically informed residents when they needed to put out their wheeled bins.

The Community and Customer Services Portfolio Holder thanked officers for responding positively to concerns raised by Councillor Douglas de Lacey. The responses were circulated at the meeting.

Consultation has concluded on priority themes to inform the new Corporate Plan: Living Well, Homes for our Future, Connectivity and an Entrepreneurial Council. At the time of publication, 72 completed consultation surveys had been received. The consultation document, containing further information and background, is attached. The draft plan, informed by consultation responses, will be published with the Scrutiny and Overview Committee Agenda on Wednesday 27 January. The Portfolio Holder, Opposition Spokespersons and Scrutiny, Overview Committee monitors and other attendees are invited to submit feedback on the draft priorities and plan, which will be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee at its meeting on Thursday 4 February.

The Customer and Services Portfolio Holder expressed his support for the new simplified format for the Corporate Plan, which still required full Council’s approval. He agreed to discuss with Councillor Francis Burkitt, the Greater Cambridge City Deal Portfolio Holder, whether “strategic transport improvements” should be moved up to first on the list of “what we will do to achieve objectives”. It was noted that Cabinet were responsible for achieving the objectives in the Plan.

Councillor Hales suggested that increasing the funding of warden controlled schemes would be cost effective, especially in terms of keeping residents out of hospital and residential care. It would also be consistent with Corporate Plan’s intention to “support our residents to stay in good health as they grow older, with access to the services they need.”

The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder NOTED the Corporate Plan 2016-21.

The Portfolio Holder is invited to maintain a Forward Plan, focussing on future decisions to be taken at his Portfolio Holder meetings.

The Corporate and Customers Services Portfolio Holder stated that he would keep the Forward Plan under review.

Members are asked to bring their diaries.

It was noted that future meetings would be held if there was sufficient business.