Technology worries amid move to ‘paperless’ council

A LACK of training on how to use electronic devices to their “full potential” and unreliable technology were two issues raised by councillors on Monday as Shetland Islands Council continues to look at reducing the amount of paper it uses.

Westside member Theo Smith told the policy and resources committee that he felt more guidance could be offered for councillors looking to access digital meeting papers.

The council is looking to go ‘paperless’ as part of its ongoing business transformation programme in a bid to save money and help the environment.

This includes encouraging councillors to view digital papers on devices in the Town Hall chamber instead of taking chunky print-outs with them.

Council officials also want more information to be shared digitally, which should be easier to circulate, access and edit.

Smith asked for an update on whether councillors will receive training to get them up to speed with the latest technology.

Advertisement4 of 10

“We have IT equipment, state of the art equipment, which we don’t know how to use to its full potential,” he admitted.

Director of corporate services Christine Ferguson said drop-in sessions with IT staff could be a solution for councillors who were struggling with technology.

South end member George Smith was one of those using an SIC tablet device at the meeting, but he said he could only view the papers on it properly after getting help from some of his younger colleagues.

And he claimed a poor internet connection meant that he often struggled to access documents at home in Sandwick.

Smith added that he was disappointed that the devices were introduced “without any consultation with councillors”.

North Isles councillor Ryan Thomson said that he has had problems logging into the private council network at home, while he said that there have been occasions where emails had not come through on certain devices.

“The more we go paperless, the more these issues need to be addressed,” he said.