Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, Civic Offices, Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 2AG. View directions

Contact: Geoff Durham ext 2222 

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interest

To receive Declarations of Interest from Members on items included in this agenda

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest stated

2.

Minutes of a previous meeting pdf icon PDF 31 KB

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting of this Panel held on 24 April, 2014

Minutes:

Resolved:-                        That the minutes of the meeting of this Panel held on 24 April, 2014 be agreed as a correct record.

3.

Tablet Trial Update

·       To receive comments from the Tablet Trial participants

·       To discuss how Planning Application details are viewed on the device

·       To discuss supplementary agendas (merging into the main agenda)

Minutes:

The Council’s ICT Operations and Development Manager briefed the new Members of the Panel on the tablet trial.

 

Trial Members gave mostly positive feedback with regard to the tablets except for issues relating to larger documents requiring better structuring; confidential items not being shown and that Supplementary Agendas needed to be incorporated into the main document.

 

Members were advised that the whole document could be reissued which could be Version 2 as opposed to Supplementary.  This would ensure that any notes made on the original document by Members would not be lost.

 

To enable the viewing of confidential items would incur further costs and it was agreed that for the time left on the trial, this would not be feasible.  However, if the tablets were available to all Members, this matter would need to be addressed.

 

The viewing of Planning items on the device was discussed and Members were informed that links could be put into agenda items that would go straight to photographs to make viewing easier.

 

 

Resolved:-              That the information be received.

 

4.

Electronic Equipment Provided by the County Council pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Newcastle’s County Council representatives are invited to advise the Panel on their IT equipment.

Minutes:

Members were handed a copy of a document which is issued to County Members to assess what devices are best for them to use during their term of office.

 

It was reported that the County Council offer a laptop or pc. In addition, printers, ink and paper are provided and all Members have either a mobile phone or a proportion of the line rental for their home phone. Tablets were also provided with £200 being given toward broadband provision.

 

Resolved:-              That the information be received.

5.

Local Member involvement in Enforcement issues

To discuss enforcement issues with Officers of the Council.

Minutes:

Enforcement Policies were agreed at Annual Council in June and the Chair had previously raised concerns about Members’ involvement in enforcement issues.  A motion on this would be put to Full Council.

 

It was suggested that a training session on enforcement be arranged for Members and how they could get involved with such matters.

 

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

 

(ii)       That a training session on enforcement issues be arranged.

6.

Licensing Service - Update for Members

To receive an update from the Democratic Services Manager or ICT Operations and Development Manager.

Minutes:

Members were advised that a link for licensing had been put onto the council’s web page under a ‘Licensing Online Register’.

 

It was suggested that Members required a weekly email directing them to all new applications received each week and requested that instructions on how to achieve this be sent to all Members.  The Council’s ICT Operations and Development Manager would liaise with the Democratic Services Manager on this issue.

 

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

 

(ii)       That instructions be forwarded to all Members on how to view new licensing applications.

7.

Update on ICT

Minutes:

The projectors had been replaced in the Council Chamber which would make viewing them easier.

 

The Members’ website would soon be available for the Member Training and Development Officer to update.  An email would be sent to Members when the Website was up to date.

 

Members requested that some training on emails and on ICO Data Registration be arranged.

 

Resolved:-              (i)       That the information be received

 

(ii)       That an email be sent to Members once the Council’s web page was updated.

 

(iii)      That training on emails and ICO Data Registration be arranged.

 

8.

Update on Member Development

Minutes:

Only twenty four responses had been received from Professional Development Plans (PDP’s) and Members agreed that a further chase up be made prior to a programme being agreed to commence in September.

 

Resolved:-              That a further reminder be sent to Members regarding completion of their PDP’s.