Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Audiovisual Equipment for Hybrid Meetings in Committee / Member Rooms CR 5
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Executive Decision Notice – 20 August 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE DECISION NOTICE
PUBLISHED BY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
Notice is hereby given that the following decision(s) have been made today by
Cabinet Members at the London Borough of Hillingdon:
Title of decision CAPITAL RELEASE REPORT (August 2024)
DEPARTMENT: TECHNOLOGY
SERVICE AREA/ PROGRAMME: DIGITAL & INTELLIGENCE
- Hybrid Meeting/ Committee Rooms Equipment
RELEASE No: 5
Reference No. 1196
Date of decision Tuesday 20 August 2024
Call-in expiry date Wednesday 28 August 2024
Relevant Select
Committee
Corporate Resources & Infrastructure Select Committee
Relevant Wards Uxbridge
Decision made
Cabinet Members
making the decision
Councillor Martin Goddard – Cabinet Member for Finance
Councillor Do uglas Mills – Cabinet Member for Corporate
Services
Decision Approved
That the Cabinet Member for Finance and the Cabinet
Member for Corporate Services:
1. Agreed to award the direct contract to the value of
£161k to Cisilion Group LTD to supply the equipment
that will be installed in the Committee Rooms and
associated professional services linked to
installation, configuration, project management and
consultancy; and
2. Agreed to the capital release request of £185k from
the Corporate Technology & Innovation Programme
budget for the funding of meeting room equipment,
including desktop control units, cameras, speakers,
microphones and displays for Committee Rooms 2-7
and 2 x Member offices.
Reason for decision The Digital & Intelligence Service plays a crucial role in ensuring
that Hillingdon Council aligns itself with the latest technological
advancements. It acts as the eyes and ears for the Council,
providing valuable insights and intelligence on emerging
technologies and trends.
Executive Decision Notice – 20 August 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
The project will supply meeting room equipment including
desktop control units, cameras, speakers, microphones and
displays for the following rooms:
• Committee Room 2
• Committee Room 3
• Committee Room 3a
• Committee Room 4
• Committee Room 4a
• Committee Room 5
• Committee Room 6
• Committee Room 7
• 2 x Member Offices
The equipment will run Microsoft Teams Rooms software to
participate in Microsoft Teams hybrid meetings.
The equipment and associated software enable ease of booking
and joining meetings between participants in the committee
room and remotely.
Participants in the room will see and hear remote participants on
the screen, and remote participants will see and hear the activity
in the committee room. PowerPoint presentations and screen
sharing can be conducted by those in the committee room and
those remotely, with all participants able to view the content.
Hybrid meetings, which combine in- person and remote
participation, have become increasingly important in today’s
modern workplace.
The requirement to combine in person meetings with remote
participation is increasing, and there are many advantages,
which include:
• Flexibility: Being able to quickly meet with a group of
people wherever they are.
• Collaboration: By including both in- person and remote
participants, hybrid meetings foster collaboration and
communication among co-workers.
• Productivity: Hybrid meetings can be more efficient than
traditional in -person meetings.
They allow for dynamic
engagement while minimizing disadvantages for remote
participants.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Businesses benefit from cost savings
by bringing together employees from different locations
without the need for travel.
• Engagement: Hybrid meetings provide opportunities for
shared emotion and idea
generation among local
participants. This engagement can enhance overall
meeting effectiveness.
Executive Decision Notice – 20 August 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
• Environmental Impact: Reduced travel for hybrid
meetings contributes to a smaller carbon footprint.
• Improved Work-Life Balance: Employees can participate
in meetings without being physically present, allowing for
better work-life integration.
• Efficiency: When used with Copilot, meetings can be
automatically transcribed to assist with minute taking.
This proposal links to the Council Strategy theme: a digital -
enabled, modern, well-run Council.
Alternative options
considered and
rejected
Do Nothing
Currently, the committee rooms have a minimal setup of screen
(or projectors) and a cable to connect for presentations. These
can be used to connect the laptop of a meeting participant, who
would run Teams to connect the room to remote attendees, but
use of the laptop’s built-in camera, microphone and speakers is
sub-optimal for remote attendees and prevents the person who
is
“driving” the meeting from using their laptop effectively for
notetaking and reference.
Some meeting rooms in other areas of the building have a
slightly better setup with a conferencing webcam, but these are
still dependent on a laptop being connected to drive the
functionality of Teams which prevents the laptop owner from
fully using their computer for notetaking and reference.
These ad hoc solutions are not reliable and have many points of
failure, which lead to a poor
meeting experience and lack of
participation.
Without the opportunity to convene meetings at short notice with
participants wherever they are, there will be lost opportunities
and a lack of efficiency and timeliness to Council business.
Classification Part II – Members Only and Not for Publication
Link to associated
report
That this report be declared as exempt from publication as it
involves the disclosure of information in accordance with
Section 100(A) and paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) to
the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in that the report
contains information relating to the financial or business
affairs of any particular person (including the authority
holding that information) and that the public interest in
withholding the information outweighs the public interest in
disclosing it.
Relevant Officer
contact & Directorate
Dale Gordon/ Darren Everden – Digital & Intelligence
Any interest declared
by the Cabinet
N/A
Executive Decision Notice – 20 August 2024
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Member(s) /
dispensation granted
Implementation of decision & scrutiny call-in
[Internal Use only]
When can this
decision be
implemented by
officers?
Officers can implement Cabinet Member decision in this notice only
from the expiry of the scrutiny call-in period which is:
5pm on Wednesday 28 August 2024
However, this is subject to the decision not being called in by
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee. Upon receipt of a
valid call-in request, Democratic Services will immediately advise
the relevant officer(s) and the decision must then be put on hold.
Councillor scrutiny
call-in of this
decision
Councillors on the relevant Select Committee shown in this notice
may request to call-in this decision. The request must be before the
expiry of the scrutiny call-in period above.
Councillors should use the Scrutiny Call-in App (link below) on their
devices to initiate any call-in request. Further advice can be sought
from Democratic Services if required:
Scrutiny Call-In - Power Apps (secure)
Further information These decisions, where applicable, have been taken under The
Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access
to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.
This is the formal notice by the Council of the above executive
decision, including links to the reports where applicable.
If you would like more information on this decision, please contact
Democratic Services on 01895 250636 or email:
democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk.
Circulation of this decision notice is to a variety of people including
Members of the Council, Corporate Directors, Officers, Group
Secretariats and the Public. Copies are also placed on the
Council’s website.
Democratic Services
London Borough of Hillingdon
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