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A drive to improve the use of technology has revolutionised democratic services at Teignbridge District Council. Members froze allowances to fund the work, and a full-time post was created to help members get the most from new innovations. With top-quality democratic services support, the scheme has helped members work more effectively, putting democracy first while cutting costs, and supporting Teignbridge's green agenda. The project has increased the capacity of members to undertake their duties; directly improved communication channels internally, and with the public; made committee meetings clearer and easier for the public to participate in; and assisted in the delivery of corporate goals. The first step saw members starting to use new laptop computers in meetings and at home, helping them keep in touch with constituents, stay up-to-date with committee papers and news, and reduce the need for paper agendas in meetings. Full training was provided, along with trouble-shooting via a remote link. The council also developed unique, custom-made software to help support members in committee meetings. A totally bespoke in-house application, ‘Agenda-Notes' pulls together agenda, reports and note-taking on a single, split-screen. It keeps track of all meetings and is colour-coded to indicate when meetings are imminent, helping members stay organised and enabling them to work more efficiently. Together with new members' blogs, a ‘Members-Connect' Google-based application was developed to provide a place where members can work individually or together, with tools at their fingertips to help them run their busy lives. Members have access to it from any Internet-enabled machine, anywhere in the world. Along with providing access to their calendar, e-mail, contacts and documents, instant messaging and collaborative working on shared documents gives members new capabilities to work together, even when they're apart. Work was also undertaken to modernise Teignbridge's council chamber with a view to making committee meetings more accessible and engaging for members of the public. An £80,000 tender included: l a visualiser for viewing documents, newspapers, slides and objects with magnification fifty wi-fi microphones controlled through laptops two projectors with plasma screens situated on the floor of the council chamber and a central larger plasma screen one projector and two plasma screens in the public gallery three CCTV-style cameras. The overhaul means that everyone is better able to see, hear, and participate in meetings. Whoever is speaking can be seen on-screen and heard through the audio system. Every member has their own wireless microphone unit, which also controls the cameras in the council chamber, so when anyone presses a microphone button to speak, the camera cuts to the speaker automatically. Members can give presentations from their wi-fi-enabled laptops without having to leave their seats, and the system also has facilities for remote meetings, saving travelling time and expense. Crucially, the entire project has not solely relied on technology, but on the support, guidance and expertise of a committed democratic services team to help members and local people get the most from it, with impressive results. n

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WHITEHALL

The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2010 Category: Excellence in Democratic Services

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