For Cabinet to recommend to Council to approve an amendment to the capital programme to utilise underspends to fund two new projects, at a total of £368,000 for delivery of IT projects within this financial year.

That: the following be recommended to Council

a)    To approve the addition of £368,000 in this year’s capital programme, to deliver Wide Area Network (WAN) replacement project and Telephony Contact Centre project, funded from underspends in the capital programme.

That: Cabinet

b)    Delegates to the Director of Strategy and Transformation the spend, subject to Council approval, up to £368,000 to deliver the projects as part of the IT Capital Programme.

1. Do not request Telephony Contact Centre and Wide Area Network Replacement projects funding is reallocated within the 2024/25 capital programme, instead progress for approval in the 2025/26 capital programme. Not recommended. This would delay implementation and in turn delay opportunities to modernise our services and implement transformational change to customer services delivery. In addition, delaying implementation will incur additional licencing and supplier costs to the organisation for only a short period, which does not present a cost-effective solution