Agenda item - Review of the CYC ITT Strategy 2002-2007

This report asks Members to review the Council’s progress in delivering its ITT Strategy for 2002-2007 and to identify the broad direction for the development of a future 5 year ITT Strategy.

Note: Annex A to this item is not attached to the printed papers but has been made available on the Council’s website. Printed copies may be obtained on request by contacting Democratic Services – see contact details at the foot of this agenda.

RESOLVED: (i) That the excellent progress made during the lifetime of the present IT Strategy for 2002-2007, as set out in paragraphs 2-22 of the report, be noted.

REASON: To recognise the achievements of the past five years.

(ii) That the Strategy for 2007 to 2012 be developed, including the following six key themes:

1 A rigorous cost benefit analysis to be presented for each change to the system or addition of service.

2 Continuation of the present high standards of service achieved by the ITT infrastructure, by continuing to update the system as required throughout the lifetime of the strategy.

3 Proposals for the implementation of new technology to be supported by a review of the business process involved to ensure that efficiency gains are maximised.

4 Partnership working with other agencies to be high on the agenda. Links between the Council’s IT strategy and its partners’ IT strategies will need to be developed to ensure effective service delivery.

5 The government’s new t-government agenda (transforming government) to be addressed through the application of the council’s ITT systems to support the new Admin. Accommodation Project, the easy@york project, the Corporate Effectiveness programme and the efficiency agenda, and as a result transform all aspects of service delivery.

6 Making full use of viable emerging technologies and systems to improve service delivery, e.g. mobile working, home working, wireless networks.

REASON: In order to build upon the success of the previous Strategy and address the key requirements of t-government and partnership working.

(iii) That the Executive confirms that projects promoting greater efficiency, and demonstrable expenditure savings, must have the highest priority in the use of resources in the future and looks forward to the development of a system which allows the success of projects to be monitored in these terms.

REASON: In view of the Council’s current financial situation.

Members considered a report which outlined the Council’s progress in delivering its ITT Strategy for the period 2002-2007 and identified the broad direction for development of a future 5-year Strategy.

Details of the review carried out on the Strategy had been made available to view on the Council’s website, as Annex A to the report. The review had indicated significant progress. Of the 129 objectives set out under the four key themes in the Strategy, 63% had been fully achieved and 26 % partly achieved. Most of the objectives had focused on the first two themes, which involved stablilising and improving core ITT infrastructure and delivering e-government. Of these, 71% had been fully achieved. On the fourth theme – establish effective links with Partners – progress had been slower, with 47% of objectives fully achieved.

Work had now started on a new Strategy for the next five years and would be continued in the new year, following the implementation of easy@york. The new Strategy would need to support delivery of the Council’s Corporate Strategy, Organisational Effectiveness Programme and Community Strategy. Its development would require an understanding of the developing t-government agenda set out in the recently published Cabinet Officer e-Government Unit strategy document. It must also strike a balance between delivering corporate priorities and providing adequate investment and operational support. A list of questions to be considered in shaping the new Strategy was set out in paragraph 31 of the report.

Having considered the comments of the Shadow Executive, it was