Agenda item

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 Chamberlain’s Department Business Plans; and

(ii)            Approve, subject to the incorporation of any changes sought by this Committee, the departmental Business Plans 2024/25.