Hampshire County Council

Policy and Resources PRC

4 September 2003

IT and the Calendar of Meetings

Report of the Chief Executive

Contact: David Hinxman, Head of Democratic Services, ext. 7339

e-mail: [email protected]

1 Introduction

1.1 At the meeting of the Committee on 26 June, Members asked for a reprt on the Calendar of Meetings and the use of IT. The matter had been considered as part of the Democratic Services Best Value review. There are two issues: forward planning next year's diary and double booking which has arisen as the current year's diary is revised in the light of changing needs and demands.

2. The Forward Calendar of Meetings

2.1 IT Services were given a detailed briefing of requirements but they found that the Microsoft calendar in Hantsnet would not be suitable for planning the year ahead. They could not offer any alternative which would be quicker or more efficient than the manual system currently operating which, by and large over the years, has been successful in terms of planning for the year ahead.

2.2 The Democratic Services Best Value Review found that no other county councils in the south east, including Hertfordshire, had a system for computerising its future Calendar of Meetings. Each authority experienced the same problems - not all meetings take place on the same day each year due to the quirks of the calendar and Members require certain periods to be excluded, such as Local Government Association and County Councils Network national conferences and the annual political party conferences, and in some cases personal preferences on behalf of Members need to be taken into account. It is also necessary to have regard to the relational issues between the Executive Members and the Policy Review Committees which were highlighted when the County Council reviewed the Constitution in May 2002.

3. The Current Calendar of Meetings

3.1 Even though the dates have been agreed with Executive Members, Chairmen
and Chief Officers, changes often follow as the year progresses for a variety of
reasons such as requests by Executive Members or Chairmen in the light of
subsequent diary commitments, requests by other participating local
authorities, changes in business programmes and so on. From April 2002 to
July 2003 arrangements for some 40 formal member meetings were changed.

3.2 To respond to this issue Democratic Services in Chief Executive's in Chief Executive's have developed their own calendar, managed in the Secretariat, on which, as a pilot, all Member meetings involving Democratic Services have been posted so that dates can be checked against this when asked to rearrange meetings and, as far as possible, clashes with the current diary can be avoided unless there are no alternatives. This has become a valuable resource and has been made available to all Departments over the Summer so that meetings they arrange with Members can be included and they too can consult the diary of commitments before proceeding with their own proposals for meetings, seminars etc.

4. Conclusion

4.1 This arrangement will go a long way to helping to avoid clashes in the current calendar but it cannot plan next year's diary. Until a quicker and more efficient system can be identified then the existing arrangements of careful planning and programming requiring judgement is considered to be the best way forward at the moment. Other IT solutions could, no doubt, be found but what has been initiated by Democratic Services had no set up cost and, therefore, will be less expensive. It will also be less labour intensive in terms of data maintenance allowing more time for other pressing demands on staff time to be met.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report be noted.

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