Agenda and draft minutes

Based on the existing annual rotation for the position of Chair, the Chair is to be appointed from the East Devon District Council Members.

Previous Chairs were: Cllr Clarance - Teignbridge District Council 2021/22;

Cllr Atkinson - Exeter City Council 2020/21.

In accordance with the existing annual rotation for the position of Chair, Councillor Millar proposed that Councillor Hookway, representing East Devon District Council, be elected Chair for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.  This was seconded by Councillor Oliver and was resolved.

RESOLVED

Councillor Hookway be elected Chair for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

To approve the minutes of 12 July 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2021 were approved as a correct record, and signed by the chair.

Councillors are reminded of the need to declare any disclosable pecuniary

interests that relate to business on the agenda.

None.

A period of up to 15 minutes will be set aside to deal with questions to the

Committee from members of the public.

Each individual will be restricted to speaking for a total of 3 minutes.

Where a question does not relate to an agenda item details of questions should

be notified to the Proper Officer of the Relevant Council at least two working days

prior to the meeting.

None.

To receive questions from Members of the Councils.

Where a question does not relate to an agenda item details of questions should be notified to the Proper Officer of the Relevant Council at least two working days prior to the meeting.

None.

The Strata IT Director attended the meeting remotely via Zoom.  The report had been circulated with the agenda and noted that the existing IT Director had left in April.  Mark Davies had taken over as interim Director of IT and Digital Transformation and had been in post for five months.

Overall Strata had performed well during the past twelve months, with a good staff culture and level of retention.  The Agilisys report had highlighted various issues, including stagnation around technology.  It was noted that, due to the primary focus being on saving money, Strata had not invested in upgrading and maintaining technology.  Over the past few months Strata had started to upgrade some key technology such as a new resilient storage system and new servers, although there is still much to do.

Strata is looking to engage a technology architect in order to set a clear strategy for technology solutions and systems life-cycles.  The report also highlighted the need for the three Councils to work more closely together which would enable greater savings on delivery.

Regarding staff, the role of Head of Infrastructure has now been filled, with the post holder taking up the role on 1 November.  Vacancies on the Service Desk have now been filled and this is now at full complement.

The report outlined various projects which have been or are being delivered during the period.  These include:

·         Financial Management System replacement

·         Migration to Microsoft 365

·         Storage Area Network (SAN) upgrade

·         Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN – copper phone lines) in Exeter

·         Street cleaning app

·         St Sidwells Point leisure complex

·         Trade waste system

Over the next few weeks, the project engagement and delivery process will change and Strata will be adopting a more Agile method of project delivery where that approach is suitable.

The report also highlighted the incidents and performance data since 1 January 2022 showing the work Strata has done or is doing in the Service Desk, Business Systems and Projects.

Strata now needs to go through an improvement plan and ensure that all staff operate within that governance and that everyone is aware of protocols.

In response to questions from Councillors, the following points were made:

·         Mr Davies does not consider that Strata is top heavy in terms of staff or costs.  Mr Davies would try to find comparable data from other authorities to ensure that Strata is delivering value for money.

·         Mr Davies outlined his background in IT and advised that he is working on a consultancy basis with a contract in place to February/March 2023.  The vacancy for a replacement would be advertised in the next 6 to 8 weeks.

·         Regarding possible future working with other Councils’ leisure services, it was noted that there is a need for more resources before looking to add value by working elsewhere.

·         An example of software not allowing a certain type of parking permit was discussed.  Mr Davies would look into this and follow up with Councillor Oliver.

·         With regard to using different methodologies such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

The report was presented by the Director of Finance.

There were no questions from Councillors.

The report was accepted and noted.

The report was presented by the Director of Finance.

There were no questions from Councillors.

The report was accepted and noted.