Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Policy, Performance and Reform

To consider draft recommendations for the review.

The Panel is invited to comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Steve Skelton on 0161 474 31374 or email: steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk

The Head of Policy, Performance and Reform submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out draft recommendations for the review.

The Panel considered the draft recommendations set out in paragraph 4 of the report, made the following comments and raised the following issues:-

Stockport Council to hold an Annual Digital Accessibility Seminar

·         The Panel was keen that Councillors, representatives from the Job Centre Plus, Work Clubs, local businesses, Disability Stockport, Citizens Advice Bureau and other partner organisations be invited to the Annual Digital Accessibility Seminar to consider the accessibility of digital services. The seminar should concentrate on all the reasons why people did not access digital services from the perspectives of age, socio-economic reasons, business, the third sector and disability.

·         A Member suggested holding a series of roadshows, with a mixture of old and young people. The roadshow could maybe form part of the Digital Festival.

·         The distinction between providers and enablers of services was an important one.

·         The seminar would need to be extensively advertised.

Stockport Council to help signpost residents to providers of digital training

·         The signposting and promotion of availability of support for digital access would use Stockport Homes’ resources in particular.

·         The ‘Stockport Review’ would be used as a means of signposting residents to the providers of digital training.

·         It was acknowledged that ‘The Stockport Review’ was published infrequently and that other means of signposting residents needed to be used such as libraries, community groups, posters, leaflets, advertisements on buses etc.

·         There needed to be targeted communication for vulnerable people and those most in need of support to complement the wider communications via ‘The Stockport Review’. Council Officers, for example social workers, could display leaflets when they travelled around the borough and Councillors could display leaflets in the buildings where they held their surgeries. Posters could also be displayed in schools. Staff from Borough Care could maybe assist with training in residential homes.

·         The Council needed to replicate the digital training being carried out by Stockport Homes for its tenants.

·         The Council needed to adopt a comprehensive, holistic strategic plan to proactively signpost residents to providers of digital training and also a communications strategy.

Break down data relating to access to digital services by age into smaller age groups

·         It was important to break down data relating to access to digital services by age, for example the over 55’s – there was a big difference, for example, between the digital accessibility of a 55 year old person and a very elderly person.

·         There were also socio-economic factors which need to be considered with regard to digital accessibility.

Develop a Digital Charter that sets out the Council’s aims around Digital Inclusion

·         A working group may need to be formed to develop the charter.

·         It was important that the aims contained in the charter were achievable.

Stockport Councillors to ‘lead by example’ on the use and promotion of Digital

·         The Panel debated the development of a Councillors’ portal on the website. This should be ‘rolled out’ in the same incremental manner as the I Pads were for Councillors, with training provided as necessary. It was important that Councillors led by example and acknowledged that the way the Council operated was changing ie Councillors should not always approach one particular Officer with an issue as they had in the past.

·         Councillors use of I Pads demonstrated that they were ‘leading by example’.

·         The support offered to Councillors was debated. A case management system could be introduced and integrated into a Councillors’ portal and the Area Flexibility Funding application was an example of a document which could be included in the Councillors’ portal. The feasibility of providing Councillors with improved digital tools such as a Councillors’ portal and a Councillor Case Work system would be investigated.

·         Residents required improved feedback with regard to progress on their enquiries submitted to the Council. Feedback on, for example, faulty street lights could be reported by the workmen who were in a Council vehicle on a particular road in the borough.

·         Councillors would lead in the electronic searches for ‘who is the right contact person’ within the Council.

·         The improvements to the Council’s website had assisted to a significant extent.

Ensure that key user groups are represented on the Design Authority

·         The Panel agreed that it was important that key user groups (not their representatives), were represented on the Design Authority.

Updating the Investing in Stockport Digital Principles to include references to the skills and capabilities of residents.

·         The Investing in Stockport Digital Principles should include a reference to the skills of residents, as well as the skills of the workforce.

Stockport Council to host a Digital Festival

·         The hosting of a Digital Festival by the Council was supported by the Panel with the proviso that it was promoted without the word ‘digital’ in the title. This could be linked to the roadshow referred to earlier in order to promote digital take-up, access and skills.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The Panel also considered the following issues:-

·         Cheap broadband was provided by Stockport Homes in some of its blocks of flats. The Council could investigate the feasibility of sourcing cheap broadband for Stockport residents.

·         The re-purposing of end of life IT equipment owned by the Council or the use by the Council of its bulk purchasing powers to offer cheaper IT hardware to residents in Stockport could be investigated.

·         A fairer distribution of IT hardware amongst the libraries of Stockport could be put in place.

·         The blackspots in the borough for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Stockport could be ‘mapped’.

·         A survey needed to be undertaken of SME’s access to digital services in Stockport. A question was required on the number of computers in each enterprise as it needed to be addressed how to move residents up the ‘ladder’ of digital competence, not just how much connectivity they had.

·         The funds available to assist small and medium-sized firms in improving their broadband were considered.

·         The problem that complex need may present to the Council under the guise of simple need needed to be investigated. People who presented themselves with simple needs which became more complex as cases were investigated and when serviced through a digital channel were in danger of not being identified as readily as would be the case in face to face contact.

·         Running a cash support scheme to support the cost of purchasing equipment or the running costs of broadband connections could be investigated.

·         Reference should be made in the final report to a councillor and employee volunteering scheme to help support the community in accessing digital services.

RESOLVED – (1) That the draft final report be submitted to the next meeting of the Panel.

(2) That an on-line survey be sent out to local businesses.

(2) That an item on addressing digital accessibility for people with complex needs be considered at the next meeting of the Panel.