Agenda item

The Committee received a report, presented by the Executive Board Member – Deputy Leader, on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the ICT and Corporate Policy Division and the work that had taken place to support the Authority and the residents of Carmarthenshire.

Amongst the issues raised on the report were the following:-

·       Reference was made to the positive public feedback following the introduction of the on-line appointment system for visits to the household waste depots as a result of the pandemic. Due to its success it was possible that the system could be made permanent;

·       Members were reminded of the Authority’s ‘Cloud First Approach’ referred to in the Digital Transformation Strategy launched in 2017 which had enabled it to cope with the challenges presented by the covid pandemic. A significant number of the Authority’s back-office IT systems were already ‘cloud-hosted’ which made them more sustainable and resilient moving forward. The Authority was keen to ensure that the public could access as many services and data on-line as was possible such as the appointment system for household waste referred to above;

·       It was anticipated that the Bring-your-own-device policy would be extended to Members in due course;

·       Reference was made to the 80 ipads provided to care homes at the start of the pandemic and members were informed that it was proposed to increase this number, improve wi-fi for residents where possible, and provide smart TVs. The Authority continued to work closely with Delta Wellbeing;

·       It was reiterated that there remained a need to address those areas of Carmarthenshire where connectivity to the internet was poor. Reference was made to the Welsh Government initiative whereby rural residents and businesses in Wales with broadband speeds of less than 30 Mbps could be eligible for additional funding towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to their premises when part of a group project;

·       Reference was made to the importance of the town centre Hubs, particularly for people who had no access to online services. The view was expressed that similar facilities should be extended to the rural areas;

·       Members were advised to contact the ICT division if they were aware of any instances where schoolchildren did not have access to a computer for the purpose of working from home;

·       It was anticipated that the significant increase in the number of people signing up to council services online via ‘My Account’ would lead to an evaluation of the efficiencies which could be achieved as a consequence along with working patters;

·       In response to a question it was not considered that the Council’s partners such as the Health Board and Police had invested in IT infrastructure to the same degree and many of their staff had been unable to work from home during the pandemic;

·       Members were advised that navigation of the Council’s website was continually monitored with a view to improving the customer experience and the introduction of a ‘Favourites’ facility was being considered.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.