To outline the content of the Independent Review into ICT Services carried out by Mr Ian Crookall, who was nominated by the Chief Executive of the Local Government Association, and the proposed actions in response to the recommendations made.

Mr Crookall advised that he would give a short overview of his report for those Members that had been unable to attend either the Cabinet or Audit and Corporate Governance Committee meetings.  He stated the key point of his report was the modernisation of the ICT network, which had commenced four years previously.  The main issues were around the two major contracts, the Back Office Project (BOP) providing admin support estimated at over £500,000 and the Community Network Upgrade (CNU) providing ICT links for the community estimated at £5.9 million.  He added that financial and contractual arrangements were set out in the Council’s standing orders and had they been followed it would have ensured the processes were followed correctly. The BOP was approved by the Cabinet Member on 23 December 2004 and the CNU was approved by Cabinet in March 2005. 

Mr Crookall referred to paragraph 22 of his report with regard to the substantial costs incurred for consultancy advice and assistance.  He then referred to paragraph 23 stating how benchmark data commissioned from independent consultants suggested value for money was being obtained, but there were concerns about services to schools, the clarity of the costs and the level of service which ICT provided.

Mr Crookall referred to paragraphs 25 – 28 of his report regarding the appointment of the Head of ICT, who was appointed from the private sector in August 2003 and who subsequently became the Change Manager for the Herefordshire Connects Programme.  He went on to refer to paragraph 30, which summaries the concerns of the Section 151 officer and paragraph 32 which outlined the reasons why it was not appropriate for the Chief Executive to report to Members.  He stated that there had developed a consensual style of working within the political groups and that processes and procedures were not embedded within the authority.  He added that communication had not always taken place with regard to important issues and referred Members to paragraphs 36 and 37 of his report.  He believed the actions of the Section 151 Officer were of a last resort and that the Director had regarded them as a necessary and only step to take after careful consideration.  Although the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council were open to address issues, Mr Crookall believed there had been a breakdown in communication and that the Director of Resources was not confident that the matters would be addressed.  He stated that the recommendations of the Section 151 report were appropriate and the issues raised on the financial and contractual issues, addressed in paragraphs 15 – 17, would be best addressed by the new Chief Executive.  Mr Crookall added that he had identified 10 additional recommendations which were at paragraph 43 of his report.

With regard to management capacity and the management of contracts Mr Crookall did not see this as a problem, but procedures were not fully followed or embedded in the authority.  He emphasised that Standing Orders were there for officers to follow  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57