Agenda item

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain which provided an update on the performance of the Information Technology Division over the previous quarter.

The Chamberlain provided Members with further information regarding the power outage which had affected IT service provision on the 23 November and the interruption to internet connectivity, caused by a fibre break, which had occurred on the 11 December. The Chamberlain advised that following on from the power outage, further planned maintenance had been required to rectify faults with both Fire Control System and the Uninterruptable Power Supply. This maintenance had successfully completed overnight on the 11/12 December. The Chamberlain noted that this highlighted the need for greater resiliency within the IT infrastructure of the Corporation.

Members expressed concern that the outages had led to significant periods of staff being unable to operate, and also expressed dissatisfaction about how Members were notified of the outages. The Assistant Town Clerk suggested that it may be beneficial for Members, in their roles on Service Committees, to ask Directors for clarification about their business continuity plans in the event of similar outages in future.

The Chamberlain advised that the number of defects within the Oracle Programme had been reduced from 15 to five, and the remaining defects were expected to be resolved by the end of December.

A Member asked whether the Superfast City work was expected to improve Broadband access for all residential properties within the City, or whether the benefit would be focused in the more concentrated residential areas. The Chamberlain explained that the increase in the number of BT Cabinets was expected to improve access to Broadband across the City, although it was anticipated that access may remain challenging for some residents. However, he explained that it was difficult to estimate the exact areas which might still have access difficulties due to the nature of the works.

RESOLVED – That the Sub-Committee notes the report.