Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Dawn Wright (Chair), Randall Anderson (Deputy Chair), Tijs Broeke, Aaron D’Souza, Alderman & Professor Emma Edhem, Alderman Sir Peter Estlin, Judith Pleasance and James Tumbridge.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 May 2022.

The following amendments were made to the minutes held on 4 May 2022:

·         At page 9 it was noted that the content of Item 13 replicated the content of Item 12. This was amended to reflect the discussion that occurred in relation to Item 13.

RESOLVED,that: the public minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2022 be approved as a correct record with the above amendments.

Item 12: the report from the Chief Operating Officer which summarised the changes implemented as a result of TOM, would be received at the next meeting.

Joint report of the Town Clerk and Chamberlain.

The Committee received the joint report of the Town Clerk and Chamberlain which outlined the plans for reports at future meetings.

RESOLVED,that: the report be noted.

Presentation from the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a presentation from the Chief Operating Officer concerning the Digital Information Technology Service’s ongoing portfolio of projects.

A member observed that the infographic from the City of London Police (CoLP) which depicted their programmes and projects was difficult to interpret, and asked that a clearer format be used in the future.

RESOLVED, that:

i)             the report be noted;

ii)            the CoLP infographic be produced in an alternative format which would be easier to analyse, going forward.

Joint report of the Chief Strategy Officer, the Director of Community and Children’s Services and the Director of Innovation and Growth.

The Committee received a joint report of the Chief Strategy Officer, the Director of Community & Children’s Services and the Director of Innovation & Growth. The report detailed the progress of the Digital Skills Strategy 2018-2023 and outlined a transition pathway over the course of 2022-2023.

In response to a question raised by a member, the Committee was informed that there were not any plans to write a further digital skills strategy at this time, but that the ambitions within the current strategy would be embedded within the aims and objectives of any future strategies.

The Chief Strategy Officer advised that there would be ongoing digital skills work aimed at both internal staff at the Corporation and those at its wider institutions. Members heard that the People Strategy for the Corporation would look at skills; furthermore, as part of the HR TOM, skills had been prioritised in an early phase of the rollout.

The Chief Strategy Officer informed the Committee that a working group, consisting of strategy and digital skills staff, had been convened and that the group would identify actions and KPIs to address any remaining gaps in the final year of the Digital Skills Strategy.

In response to a question raised by a member, the Committee was advised that the appointment of a new Director of I.T, in addition to the existing portfolio of the Chief Operating Officer, would help to develop a clear vision of the core competencies of digital skills.

RESOLVED, that:

i)     the report be noted;

ii)    the Chief Strategy Officer to provide an update on the feedback received from residents in the City of London in response to the digital skills initiatives aimed at supporting them.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer setting out a series of measures to monitor the City of London Corporation’s progress in implementing more methods of digital working and maximising the use of technology.

A member noted that although staff were printing less when in the office, they could also be printing documents when they were working from home.

RESOLVED, that:

i)     the report be noted:

ii)    the Chief Operating Officer to provide an update on the common standards/frameworks adopted by other Local Authorities.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer describing the Shared Services Agreement covering all I.T. services delivered to the City of London Police.

The Committee noted that the report concluded that financial penalties for poor performance against agreed targets were not feasible or practical. The Committee discussed whether other penalties for not meeting KPIs should be considered. The Chief Operating Officer agreed that this would be part of an ongoing conversation.

A member expressed concern at the chart displaying the City of London Corporation and Police P1 and P2 incident trend and suggested the development of a strategy to target each issue. The Chief Operating Officer explained that a number of the incidents related to external platforms outside of the City of London Corporation’s remit.

A member commented that it was important to be clear about the Committee’s responsibilities in relation to the Shared Services Agreement.

RESOLVED, that:

the report be noted.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer recommending a new format for the Service Summary report. The Committee agreed that the report should focus on high level messages and was satisfied with the proposal.

RESOLVED, that:

i)     the report be noted.

ii)    members to contact the Chief Operating Officer with any additional comments on the new format of the report.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer concerning DITS risks.

In response to a query from a member, the Committee was informed that information management in the DITS now sat within the portfolio of the Chief Operating Officer. The aim was to address this corporate risk in the coming weeks.

A member asked that the report include mitigation for the identified risks.

RESOLVED, that:

i)     the report be noted;

ii)    a further update be provided to the Committee at the next meeting.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services

The Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services which updated on the project for an I.T. system to manage the records of the Barbican and Community Libraries.

RESOLVED, that: the report be noted.

There were no questions.

There were no items of urgent business.

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED - that under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2022.

The Committee considered the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2022.

RESOLVED, that:

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 May2022 be agreed as an accurate record.

MATTERS ARISING

There were none.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Operating Officer.

Report of the Chief Information Security Officer.

The Committee received a report of Chief Information Security Officer.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer.

Members received a report from the Chief Operating Officer.

Report of the Commissioner, City of London Police.

Members received a report from the CoLP Commissioner.

There were no non-public questions.

There were no additional items of non-public business.

To agree the confidential minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2022.

RESOLVED, that:

The confidential minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2022 be agreed as an accurate record.