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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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LABOUR'S BIG £83 MILLION "IT MYTH" RUBBISHED
October 9, 2007 12:00 AM
City & County of Swansea Administration bosses are struggling to identify where Labour figures for the costs of the new IT System come from, and have challenged the Labour leader to explain where the numbers originate from.
Under the previous Labour Administration £5.3 Million per year, (or £53 Million over 10 years) was spent on the IT services, and £6.5 Million per year is now being spent (or £65 Million over 10 years). A one-off £18 Million is also being spent over 2 years as a capital investment.
The difference is £1.2 Million per year (or £12 Million over 10 years), which has already been budgeted for since 2003 when Labour took the decision to go ahead with this project.
Councillor Mary Jones, the Cabinet Member responsible for eGovernment said "Our IT Systems had not been changed since the Local Government Re-organisation in 1995 when we inherited dozens of IT Systems that didn't work properly and didn't talk to each other"
"This has been fixed in the budget since 2003, when Labour were in control and there is certainly no 'black hole' - That's just Labour Spin!" she added. "The new money being spent is about £30 Million spread over 10 years"
Local Assembly Member Peter Black, who was deputy Cabinet Member for the portfolio said "It is amazing that the Labour Party allowed the Council to limp along with IT Systems that were not fit for purpose"
"It was Leisure Centre Syndrome again and again under Labour, the same treatment as the City's popular Leisure Centre, the Guildhall and our schools" He added "We have seen a 2 decades of under-investment in the IT infrastructure of the Council and this has impacted on the councils ability to deliver services effectively"
"If we had dropped this project we would have spent £53 Million on 'doing nothing'".
ENDS
Notes to editors;
1. The IT budget until 2004/5 under the previous Labour Administration was £5.3 Million per year. Over 10 years this would have cost around £53 Million.
2. The new IT budget is £6.5 Million per year and this includes the costs of the modernisation programme. Over 10 years this will cost around £65 Million.
3. The additional budget is £1.2 Million per year (or £12 Million over 10 years), and this has already been budgeted for in a decision made by the Labour run Cabinet in 2003.
4. The IT systems of the City & County of Swansea comprised of the 3 systems inherited from West Glamorgan County Council, Lliw Valley Borough Council and the Swansea City Council. The 3 different Council's brought with them many legacy IT systems of which 32 systems will be replaced with a new single corporation-wide system.
5. The Council's eGovernment Programme began in 2006 with the objective of a) operating as one organisation and b) Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the
6. Council's services. Within the first year of this 10 year programme, it has;
• replaced of 30 outdated, different IT Systems with a single more efficient system
• created a single HR system within the Council for the first time
and is in the process of;
• implementing a new payroll system
• a new service improvement system
• a new purchasing development system
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