Decision - Housing ICT Business Plan

29.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director  Environment, Development and Housing which introduced the Housing ICT business plan which set out the individual ICT projects that had been identified as necessary in the short, medium and long term, following the recent Tenant and Resident Scrutiny Panel report on the Housing Customer Service Team.  The plan reflected the importance of ICT in providing quality services to residents and in giving the right tools to staff to carry out their work.  The report also updated Housing Committee on the actions taken in response to recommendations about ICT make by the Tenant and Resident Scrutiny Panel in their report. The report was presented by the Housing Service Operations Manager who was accompanied by Chief Blackbear, Chair of the Tenant and Resident Scrutiny Panel on the Housing Customer Service Team.   

29.2    Councillor Mears thanked the tenants for the scrutiny panel report.  However she did not support the current report.   She considered that the council was in a terrible state with its ICT programmes and this was not the time to look at other ideas.  The council needed to resolve its current ICT problems. 

29.3    Councillor Wilson disagreed.  Tenants needed ICT systems that worked.  She stressed the need to ensure that whatever systems were chosen should link in with other packages.  

29.4    Councillor Peltzer Dunn quoted the Business Planning template on page 193.  The risk description stated ‘lack of knowledge and ICT experience in current workforce to deliver projects.’  ‘Scale and pace of change exceeds staff ICT skill base’.  He asked if these comments were in relation to the council as a whole or just housing staff. 

29.5    The Chair stressed these were descriptions of possible risks.  There were actions to mitigate the risks. The Housing Service Operations Manager explained that potential risks related to housing.  She was confident the product already implemented in City Clean would work in Housing.   

29.6    Councillor Daniel understood the concerns about ICT but considered the risk was low.  The project involved software in one package used in one area of the council.  She liked the approach of the report and was happy to support it.    

29.7    Chief Blackbear thanked the Council for the thorough ICT Business Plan and asked if there would be a report back to Housing Committee and the Scrutiny Panel.  The Housing Service Operations Manager replied that officers could come back with another report.  She would let Chief Blackbear know the outcome of the Programme Board.

29.8    RESOLVED - That the attached Housing ICT business plan and the individual projects set out within it be noted.