Minutes:
The Committee scrutinised the
following matters:
Cabinet Board Proposals
5.1 Welsh language Standards
Members received an update on the Welsh language
Commissioner’s response to the Council’s submission, in February 2017, in
relation to its challenge to a number of standards.
It was noted that as a result of an ongoing
dialogue with the Commissioners representatives a number of the issues
identified in the Council’s challenge to several standards had now been
resolved. However, Members were asked to seek authorisation to submit a
response as a consequence of the correspondence from the Welsh Language
Commissioner, in regards to the 29 standards that continue to be challenged as
detailed in Appendix 2 to the circulated report.
Members queried whether it would be more cost
effective to create a translating post to translate all Minutes and Agendas in
regards to standard 41 rather than using an external translating unit. Officers
highlighted that it would not be feasible to have one post that would translate
all agendas and minutes as there would not be enough capacity.
Members highlighted to officers that Standard 62
which requests that any new street signs which conveys the same information in
Welsh and in English, that the Welsh language text must be positioned so that
it is likely to read first could cause road accidents in future.
Members asked officers that Standard 41 that
requests that agendas, minutes and other papers that are available to the
public which relate to management board of Cabinet meetings, be where the
original source was through the medium of welsh should be treated as the
official record for legal or other purposes.
Members requested that the next monitoring report
to come to a future meeting include the evaluation of the impact of adhering to
the standards in relation to cost and impacts.
Following scrutiny, it was
agreed that Cabinet Board be asked to consider the following recommendations:
a)
Standard 41- that
where the original source was through the medium of Welsh this should be
treated as the official record for legal or other purposes.
b)
Standard 61 –
that Officer’s take advice from the Environment Directorate regarding
translation of Street Signs
c)
The next
monitoring report include the evaluation of the impact
of adhering to the standards in relation to cost and other impacts.
5.3 Replacement of the Council’s Telephony System with Unified
Communications Solution
Members received information and a presentation on a
replacement Telephony System.
Members asked what the impact on cost would be for the
authority. Officers confirmed that the system could have a potential impact
cost of £200k-£250k, which includes a budget for training.
Members asked Officers if the iPad that they currently use
could have more functionality on it that could replace the laptops that they
currently utilise. Officers informed members that an iPad’s functionality is
not used to replace a laptop, it is to be used as a
portable device that allows Members to access their emails and Council Business
while on the go. However, Officers mentioned that Members would be transferred
on to a different device in the future that would replace an iPad and Laptop
and have both functionalities in one device.
Following
scrutiny, the Committee was supportive of the proposal to be considered by the
Cabinet Board.