Agenda and minutes

Resolved:-   That Councillor Loades be appointed as Chair and Councillor Richards as Vice-Chair.

Apologies were received from Councillor Boden

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting of this Working Group

Resolved:-   That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 September 2011 be agreed as a correct record.

To receive a presentation on Elected Members ICT from the Council’s Head of Customer and ICT Services

Members received a presentation from the Council’s Customer Development and GIS Manager on the systems available to Members for remotely accessing the Council’s website.

Members could either have a PC or a becrypt stick which would give secure access by storing all information within the Civic Offices and not on the actual device.  These devices would compliment the existing system and not replace it.

Members requested that the possibility of issuing all Members with the becrypt stick be investigated and costings brought back to a future meeting.

Members stated that they had been experiencing difficulties with their passwords and could not change them themselves.  A request was made to have a booklet prepared on how to construct and change passwords.

Printing facilities were available at the Civic Offices through the Multi-Functional Devices (MFD’s).  If Members wished to print items at home, they would need to purchase their own printer.  The issue of letters being printed was raised, either going out unsigned or with an electronic signature.  The Chair requested that either the Transformation and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee or the Audit and Risk Committee assess the risk of sending out unsigned or scanned signatured letters.

A request was made that all ICT training courses being rolled out to Members should do so via this Committee.

The Council’s Customer Development and GIS Manager would survey all Members on what ICT equipment they had and the level of knowledge which they had.  This information would be brought back to the next meeting of this Committee.  The Chair and Vice-Chair would assess the questions before they were put to the Members.

Resolved:-   (a)       That the information be received.

                        (b)       That a note be sent to Members on how to construct passwords.

                        (c)        That costings for the issuing of becrypt sticks to all Members be brought to the next meeting.

                        (d)       That the Audit and Risk Committee or Transformation and Resources do a risk assessment on sending out letters with a scanned signature or unsigned.

                        (e)       That a survey be carried out with all Members on their level of IT knowledge and what equipment they own.

To receive a verbal update from the Member Services Officer on actions carried out since the last meeting

Since the last meeting, the Member Development Working Group had become the Member Development Panel and a new structure, remit and Terms of Reference had been agreed by Full Council.

Personal Development Plans would be examined next week and a more suitable form would be brought back to this Committee for consideration.

Before next May, training dates would be planned into the calendar of meetings.  In addition, the induction day would be re-examined to include a tour of the Borough and information packs would be given to Members who would serve on the quasi-judicial committees.

Prior to this meeting, a training session had been held on the Modern Councillor system ‘SteP’ (the Staffordshire e-learning Portal) which gave Members a brief introduction into certain topics.  The Chair requested that before the next meeting, all Members of this panel should try the system.

Members also requested the following:-

·        The Members handbook be made into A5 size and to include the internal phone book.

·        Protocols of meetings, how to chair etc.

·        What do the sections of the Local Government Act i.e. Section 100B(4) mean?

·        What is needed to be taken into meetings?

Resolved:-   (a)       That a revised PDP be brought to the next meeting.

                        (b)       That training dates be planned into the calendar of meetings.

                        (c)        That the induction day be re-examined.

                        (d)       That information packs be distributed to members of quasi judicial committees.

                        (e)       That members of this Committee go into the Modern Councillor SteP system before the next meeting of this Committee.

                        (f)         That the size of the Members’ Handbook be reduced.

                        (g)       That Members be advised of the protocols of meetings.

                        (h)        That a note to explain the ‘Sections’ of the Local Government Act 1972 be forwarded to Members.

                        (i)         That Members be advised of what to take into meetings.

To receive an update on training courses undertaken

Members were advised of the training courses undertaken and those which were still to be given.

Members suggested that a list of training courses and attendees be brought to Members’ attention.

Resolved:-   That the information be received and the comments noted.