Issue - meetings

That the progress in implementing the 21^st Century Council programme be noted.

The Executive considered a report relating to the progress of the 21^st Century Council Programme which was the change programme the aim of which was to transform the way that services were delivered and offer more options for residents to take up these services.

The Deputy Executive Member for Finance went through the report and highlighted a number of areas that had been delivered or were due to be delivered shortly including: online applications for school admissions and blue badges; a new planning search and planning map search facility which would give residents the opportunity to review an area and see related planning applications; an improved customer account facility which around 30k residents had already signed up for; and various online payment systems.

With regard to the Members’ intranet site, which was currently at prototype stage, this was designed to place all the information Councillors might require in one area which should make Members more responsive and give a better service to residents.

Councillor Dolinski raised concerns about those residents who did not have access to or were uncomfortable using IT facilities and wanted to ensure that they wouldn’t be disadvantaged.  Councillor Margetts confirmed that the programme was not just about improving digital services but also about reviewing all the processes within the Council and streamlining them as much as possible.  Residents were not obliged to use electronic facilities and there would still be a Customer Services Team to help people who required Council services.  Councillor Margetts advised that from data he had recently seen call centre demand remained static but IT demand was increasing and with an increase in customer services staff this meant that the Council had more capability to deal with more enquiries and respond quicker.

RESOLVED that the progress in implementing the 21^st Century Council programme be noted.