Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2006 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

[Note:  The 7 November 2006 minutes are published on the Council's intranet and website].

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2006 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at this meeting under the provisions of the Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

Verbal report of the Director of Business Development.

The Panel received a presentation on Channel Migration and the Web Refresh project.

The Panel was informed that currently the website enabled only a limited amount of transactions to take place.  The project would increase the number and variety of transactions.  It was explained that transactions were being prioritised for Channel Migration, and that there would be a focused campaign to encourage customers to switch to conducting transactions through the website.  This would result in significant efficiency savings as the cost of a website transaction was much lower than a face?to?face or telephone transaction.

Officers reported that, in order for the Channel Migration campaign to take place, the Web Refresh project needed to be completed, as the current website had outdated technology and inconsistent content, which would not support the requirements of the campaign.  Research had taken place and the websites of the other London boroughs had been reviewed.  Four focus groups were currently providing feedback on the design of the new Harrow website, carrying out user testing and reviewing the content.  Comprehensive testing would be conducted during April and May 2007 and the website would be launched at the end of June 2007.  It was confirmed that a campaign team would promote the use of the website and that Channel Migration was a long-term process which would be reviewed during its lifecycle.

Members raised the following concerns about the project:

·                     the effectiveness of the search facility;

·                     that payment by ‘Paypal’ would not be accepted;

·                     that accessibility to the Harrow website and the content of the homepage needed to be considered;

·                     that Members had not been provided with a detailed timeline of the stages in the Web Refresh and Channel Migration project.

An officer informed Members that the search facility would prioritise keywords generated from integrated public sector vocabulary and council officers’ local experience.  It was anticipated that the intranet search engine would be effective.  Members were also advised that a professional graphic designer had been used to design the website.  The concerns and suggestions raised by Members were noted by officers.

Members commented that background information circulated by officers prior to the meeting had not been sent in an accessible format to all Members and Reserve Members of the Panel.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the presentation be noted;

(2)  officers provide Members with a detailed timeline of the stages in the Web Refresh and Channel Migration project;

(3)  officers resend background information to Members and Members confirm it had been received.

Report of the Group Manager of Communications.

The Panel received a report which considered the feasibility of replacing the existing Harrow People magazine with a four page, monthly magazine produced by the Council and its partners.  The officer informed the Panel that the Council’s partners were enthusiastic about the magazine but that their financial commitment was required.  It was anticipated that a decision on whether to produce a magazine would be made in June 2007.

In response to questions from Members, the officer explained that Members of the Panel would be consulted on the title of the proposed magazine and that Members would be provided with detailed figures of the financial commitments made by the Council’s partners once available.  A Member expressed the view that it was not appropriate for the Council to compete with local businesses.

Members commented that the Harrow Strategic Partnership Board should be informed of the proposal, that the distribution methods and readership figures for the current Harrow People needed careful consideration as part of the business case and that a decision on whether the Council should have editorial control needed to be made.

An officer informed the Panel that the next edition of Harrow People would be distributed in April and, prior to this, would be circulated to Members, allowing sufficient time for comments to be made.

Members discussed the options outlined in the report and

RESOLVED:  That (1) a magazine launch be postponed until September 2007;

(2)  a sales representative be employed on a commission basis to reach an income target, the initial costs being met from the existing approved Communications budget;

(3)  the Panel receive a further report on the results of the commission and an in?depth business case including detailed figures and uptake of the magazine;

(4)  officers report to the Harrow Strategic Partnership Board on the proposal.

Verbal update by the Group Manager of Communications.

The Panel received a verbal update on Community Notice Boards.  The officer confirmed that a contract had recently been signed for JC Decaux to provide twenty self-standing advertising displays and fifteen new Community Notice Boards which would be placed across the Borough.  Ward Members would be consulted on the most effective places for the boards to be situated.

In response to questions from Members, the officer confirmed that charities could place notices on the boards free of charge and that there was a small charge for commercial use.  A Member suggested that the notice boards should provide information on how to place a notice on the board as it could generate additional revenue and increase community involvement.  An officer confirmed that a leaflet was available from the Council reception advising of the costs for having information displayed for a two-week period.  

RESOLVED:  That the verbal report be noted.