Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from James Tumbridge.

Alderman Professor Emma Edhem, Caroline Haines, and Judith Pleasance observed the meeting virtually.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 22 November 2023.

RESOLVED- That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 22 November 2023 be approved as an accurate record.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain concerning the revised revenue budgets for 2023/24 and original estimates for 2024/25.

Members of the Committee raised queries on whether there were opportunities to reduce costs by sharing services to other nearby Local Authorities. The response heard that this could be possible, but there was a want for alignment across the City of London Corporation and its institutions first before considering further afield. Members raised the difficulties faced with some London Local Authorities with sharing the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). In response to suggestions on selling services, the Committee heard that this was an oversaturated market. However, there could be future opportunities with cyber security.

On open-source software, the Committee noted that it had recently received a report to reduce open software. A model for the future would be produced in relation to software.

The uplift in the budget for the Enterprise Resource Programme (ERP) that had been approved by the Committee would be received at the Projects and Procurement Sub-Committee and had been scrutinised by the Finance Committee. It would be incorporated as part of the budget-setting process.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

(i)             Note the approved revised revenue budget for 2023/24;

(ii)            Approve the proposed 2024/25 draft revenue budget to ensure that it reflects the Committee’s objectives and, approve the budget for onward submission to the Finance Committee;

(iii)           Note the committee’s capital budgets and the IT bids for 2024/25, set out in Appendix 2; and

(iv)           Agree that any minor amendments for 2023/24 and 2024/25 budgets arising during the corporate budget setting period be delegated to the Chamberlain.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning the Chamberlain’s Department, Digital, Information and Technology Service Business Plan 2024/2025, and Commercial, Change and Portfolio Delivery Business Plan 2024/2025.

A Member of the Committee raised questions on the surplus property and assets footprint. The response was that there were recommendations to improve utilisation, including moving locations of staff, such as at Walbrook Wharf and the Barbican. Space had been cleared in the basement of the Guildhall and the spare equipment had been donated to charity.

It was questioned why the network refresh appeared unfunded. The response was that this often related to timings, and the request exceeded the current budget envelope.

Members of the Committee raised to aim for synergies and combatting silos, and how this could be scaled up and be achievable across the Corporation and its institutions. The Committee heard that there had been work undertaken to rationalise BI gateways and create a single set of standards and format for data. There would be a report received at a future meeting on duplication and rationalisation of data. There needed to be work across the Corporation and its institutions for a single data platform that had the correct level of governance. There had been a data maturity assessment with Hitachi and were progressing through recommendations that had included joining up and sharing data. Further detail of this work would be provided at a future meeting. Members of the Committee raised that the Policy & Resources Committee had commissioned a paper for a central and functional database, especially for client data. It was commented that officers needed to ensure that there was a joined-up approach and that the groundwork had been completed for a single data platform.

RESOLVED – That Members

(i)             Note the factors taken into consideration in compiling the

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning a proposal to move the existing network to a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution, and to enable Commercial engagement with a supplier to help implement the solution.

The Committee were sighted on a presentation detailing the Future Network Strategy. This included information on the background and current challenges with the network, the execution flow for procuring the network, and the aims for delivery being under a single supplier.

The Committee heard that due to the value, the contract would be received at the Projects and Procurement Sub-Committee, the Finance Committee, and finally the Court of Common Council. The future gateway papers would outline and provide the business cases. The capital bids had already been submitted for 2024/25, and the business case had not yet been defined. However, there was funding for the work in the immediate future. The capital bid funding would be determined within the next year, and it would be aligned with the budget programme.

The Committee heard that the aim was for a device would be able to connect across multiple sites, and for the Corporation and its institutions to adopt a single solution. It was clarified that the network would not be a single service provider, but in the event of the network not working, there would be a single point of contact to work toward a solution.

The network was now mostly within the cloud. There were some legacies which, due to their current format, had to remain as on-premises infrastructure. These legacies were known, and the number small and therefore a conscious decision had been made for those to remain on-premises.

The Committee heard that the City of London Police were supportive of the strategy and were mindful of the impacts upon the future

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning procurement for the managed print services.

The Committee heard that the successful tender would have to be aligned and compliant with the Future Network Strategy.

It was raised whether there were opportunities to reduce paper considering the climate crisis, and to also reduce spend. The Committee heard that reducing in paper had historically been from the view of cost reduction. During the Covid-19 period, there was a high level of digitalisation. However, there were still services that required the use of paper and therefore it needed to be clearly demonstrated when and why paper copies were needed. The Committee heard that it could be a potential financial incentivisation to the supplier to advice on ways to reduce paper use. The Committee heard that under the current contract, there has been reduction in printers and printing, but there had been recent increases.

It was suggested that the managed print services have Key Performance Indicators. The response was that there were figures on use and KPIs for the current contract.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Digital Services Committee approve the Managed Print Services Delivery model.  

The Chamberlain to be heard.

The Committee received a verbal update from the Chamberlain, concerning an update on the co-creation sessions. The Committee heard that sessions had been held with workers across the Corporation and its institutions for engagement for the future Digital Strategy. This was being aligned with the new Corporate Plan and People Strategy. Opinions were sought on what workers felt was important, likes, and dislikes in connection with DITS. Positive comments had been received on on-site service desk and field team, and therefore bringing the service in-house was being considered. There had been negative comments on the connectivity. There had also been a focus on data, which had been a popular session with workers. Once the Digital Strategy had been drafted, it would be received at the Extended Leadership Board (ELB).

It was suggested that the sessions be extended to elected Members, which was agreed to be arranged.

Following questions on learning and training, the Committee heard that there had been a strong focus within the sessions to upskill the workforce ahead of the arrival of new technology. This could be achieved by holding sessions with external speakers, or having bitesize or on-demand training that could be undertaken more often and being able to fit in within officer’s working schedules.

The Chamberlain to be heard.

The Committee heard a verbal update from the Chamberlain regarding a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) update.

The Committee heard that BT had announced that it would be ceasing copper connections in 2025. There were 8,500 locations across 120 sites that needed to be investigated across the Corporation and City of London Police. These included those that required PSTN’s as part of an emergency, such as barriers, lifts, and fire alarms. This was a widespread issue across London. The next steps were for engineers to visit the potential affected sites to determine an upgrade pathway or other mitigations, which would then influence timelines, costs, and discussions on if the connection was required in the future. Officers had met with BT and other vendors to discuss initial identification. It was aimed that discovery work would be completed by June 2024.

Following the verbal update, the Committee asked questions. Following a query on the cost of the work, the Committee heard it was a significant cost across London, but that only an indicative cost could be provided until it was known where the changes would be required. It was considered a corporate risk. The Committee heard that PSTN’s were used frequently within Adult Social Care, but that these would not be switched off in the current timetable.

The Committee heard that officers were confident that the locations of the connections could be identified, but until an engineer could verify what work would be required, there were a lot of uncertainties, which was reflected in the budget being indicative.

Report of the Chamberlain.

Note: Appendix 2 is non-public and can be found under Agenda Item 15.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning the service delivery summary for the Digital, Information, and Technology Service (DITS).

RESOLVED – That the report be received and its contents 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 22 November 2023.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2023 be approved as an accurate record.

Report of the Chamberlain (non-public Appendix 2 – to be read in conjunction with agenda item 9).

The Committee received Appendix 2 of the report of the Chamberlain, concerning the Digital Information Technology Service (DITS) Service Delivery Summary.

Report of the Chief Information Security Officer.

The Committee received a report of the Chief Information Security Officer, concerning an update on cyber security.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning a budget update on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain, concerning the Digital, Information, and Technology Service risk update.

The Chamberlain to be heard.

The Committee heard a verbal update on the wi-fi at the Guildhall.

The Chief Information Security Officer to be heard.

The Committee heard a verbal report of the Chief Information Security Officer, concerning a cross-corporation cyber security update.

There were no non-public questions.

There was no other non-public business.

The Committee received a confidential verbal report of the Chamberlain concerning an update on the Digital, Information, & Technology Service.