Jobs under threat as part of Nottinghamshire County Council ICT changes

Twelve full-time posts could be lost under new proposals by Nottinghamshire County Council to change the way they deliver online services to residents.

The council’s existing ICT team manages a network of more than 10,000 devices used by more than 100,000 users everyday at the county’s schools, libraries and Nottinghamshire County Council offices.

Council chiefs say the ambitious changes to how ICT is delivered at Nottinghamshire County Council will create a ‘best in breed’ service to open up new opportunities for delivering more online services for local residents.

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The new proposals, part of a package of changes to deliver savings worth £650,000, mark a significant shift in the way the County Council’s ICT is provided.

For the first time the council will have a dedicated team to focus on business transformation opportunities by using new technology to provide more online services to help improve customer service and offer taxpayers better value for money services.

The changes also include a mix and match approach of in-house expertise working with external service providers like Capita, SCC and Vodafone to develop and manage specific areas of the Council’s ICT systems and network.

Coun David Kirkham, Chairman of the Finance and Property Committee, said: “We need the right technology and ICT support to deliver the online services our customers expect.

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“Our workforce is also becoming more mobile as we reduce the number of offices we own to save money, requiring new flexible working solutions for people to work at home and across other public sector partners buildings.

“By focussing on the business change opportunities ICT can provide, we are acknowledging the importance of harnessing new technology to open up more opportunities for our customers to do business with us online, improving the service we offer at a value for money cost.”

Online services also offer opportunities to save money at a time when the Council is looking at ways to save £154 million from its running costs.

The average cost to the Council of carrying out an online transaction is just 9p, compared with £9.14 for a face-to-face transaction and £4.20 over the telephone.

The report will be considered by the Finance and Property Committee on Monday 20 January.