Ramsgate town council agenda Monday 2 November 2009

A meeting of the Ramsgate Town Council will be held at 7.00 pm on Monday 2 November 2009 in the Council Chamber, Albion House, Albion Place, Ramsgate.

Councillor Green (Chairman); Councillors Byne, Carr, Dark, Doyle, Fenner, Hoult, Kirby, Landi, Moore, Nicholson, O'Donnell, Poole, Rogers, Todd and Ward.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of Council.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 5 October 2009. Copy attached Appendix A.

To receive the reports of the Town Mayor, Councillor David Green and Deputy Town Mayor, Councillor Ralph Hoult.

Thanet District Council is preparing a planning strategy (known as the Local Development Framework) for the District. The key document within this strategy will be the "Core Strategy". They are inviting comments on the Draft Core Strategy.

It is proposed that Ramsgate Town Council forms a Working Party of three Members to develop a draft response to the Draft Core Strategy reporting back to Full Council. A special meeting of RamsgateTown Council be held on Monday 7th December 2009.

The agreed minutes of the meeting of the following committees are attached to this agenda at Appendix B;

Members are advised that the only minutes which may be included are those which have been formerly agreed by the relevant committees.

To consider the report of Councillor Carr regarding the provision of technology for the Mayor's office and Town Clerk. Copy attached Appendix C.

It is proposed that the report be referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee for implementation.

To consider passing the following motion to exclude the press and public:-

Pursuant to Sections 1(2) of The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 to exclude the press and public during the consideration of the following items of business on the ground that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.

To receive a verbal report from Councillor Nicholson, Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009

Regarding the provision of Technology for Mayor's Office and Town Clerk

The author was tasked, by the Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee of Ramsgate

Town Council, to assess the current state of the Computing and associated Technology provision in

The author of this document attended the Mayor's Office on 12th September, 2009, to examine the

current Technology provision for the Mayor's secretary and what provision there was, if any, in

There was ADSL provision via a modem/router which gave Internet access to a PC.

The PC was found to have a single 1.8GHz Intel processor with 256Mb of RAM and a 20Gb hard disk.

There appeared to be no way of creating daily back-ups on a routine basis to prevent data loss.

The Operating System was XP Home with Service Pack 3 and was using a version of Microsoft Office

AVG anti-virus was installed and appeared to be out-of-date potentially exposing the PC to external

The printer/copier/fax (Multi-Functional Device or MFD) was a Brother monochrome inkjet A4 MFC-

The specification of the above would indicate that the PC was approximately 6-years old and in

desperate need of upgrading, both in terms of installed software and hardware and to be more

energy efficient. The MFD was inappropriate, being monochrome, inkjet and single-sided and

therefore wasteful in terms of media, supplies and energy consumption.

The LCD display, however, was wholly appropriate and energy efficient.

Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009

In order to maximise the longevity of the PC's life and reduce its carbon footprint a PC with the

highest possible specification should be purchased. Latest PC power supplies are built to reduce

A PC having a dual or quad-core Intel processor (e.g. Intel Xeon Dual-Core Processor E5502) and 4 Gb

of 1066MHz Registered DDR3 RAM would “future-proof” the PC for the next 4 - 5 years. Fitted with

a 160GB Serial ATA2 Hard Drive This would allow plenty of local storage for files and programmes

alike. A SATA DVD-RW should be fitted allowing back-ups to be made of all files on a regular basis.

The PC should have a Microsoft optical mouse fitted which has fast tracking times and eliminates the

problem of clogging of the ball and can be used on any surface and does not need a mouse mat. A

Microsoft ergonomic keyboard will reduce operator wrist strain and prevent the onset of RSI and

Two such PCs should be purchased and a local Workgroup created to simplify data exchange. I do

not believe a full domain should be created at this time, which would incur significant ongoing

maintenance. Instead a 10/100/1000Mb multi-port switch should be purchased which would allow

Whilst there is one satisfactory LCD monitor a second will need to be purchased in order to allow the

display of the second PC. I would suggest that this be a 19” Iiyama capable of resolutions of at least

Both PCs should have the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Operating System and have Microsoft

Office 2007 for business applications (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.)

Careful consideration should be given to the Anti-Virus software to be installed. In view of the

sensitive nature of some of the work and the likelihood of incursion by viruses I recommend Sophos

Anti-Virus and Sophos Firewall. These are expensive; however they are able to update automatically

every hour and are leaders in Anti-Virus protection in the Public Sector.

Finally I would recommend that a medium-sized Multi-Functional Device be leased and not

purchased as there are significant tax advantages to this as well as the reduction in capital outlay

and negated disposal implications. A leased MFD can also be “refreshed” every 3 - 5 years;

dependant upon contract type. My recommendation for this would be a Ricoh Aficio MP-C2050. This

allows full-colour, duplex printing, scanning and copying at up to 20 pages per minute and has a fax

option together with document finishing options from A5 up to full A3. This will allow a single office

machine to carry out all the necessary functions in one for all office users and reduce wastage. They

are energy efficient, going into standby mode if unused for a period of time and reduce paper usage

Posters and collated and stapled papers could be produced from the desktop.

Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009

The author would be happy to further investigate costs following acceptance in principle of this

proposal by Ramsgate Town Council and its Finance and General Purposes Committee.

The author has been involved with Computing and Network installation and support since 1996 and

has worked for Rank, GEC, Racal, Guardian and Royal Insurance and is currently Head of User

Technology at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is responsible for strategic implementation of

over 2,500 PCs and Apple Macs, Printing Strategy, Software deployment across 5 sites in Kent and


	Title 1 \| home Ramsgate town council agenda Monday 2 November 2009 Date: 29 October 2009 Our ref: ER/RTC/agendas Ask for: Eileen Richford Direct Dial: (01843) 577199 RAMSGATE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING OF COUNCIL 2 November 2009 A meeting of the Ramsgate Town Council will be held at 7.00 pm on Monday 2 November 2009 in the Council Chamber, Albion House, Albion Place, Ramsgate. Membership: Councillor Green (Chairman); Councillors Byne, Carr, Dark, Doyle, Fenner, Hoult, Kirby, Landi, Moore, Nicholson, O'Donnell, Poole, Rogers, Todd and Ward. A G E N D A Item Subject No 1. APOLOGIES To receive any apologies from Members of Council. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST To receive any declarations of interest from Members of Council. 3. MINUTES To approve the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 5 October 2009. Copy attached Appendix A. 4. POLICING RAMSGATE Sergeant Rhiannan Simpson, Kent Police, will address Council. 5. TOWN MAYOR'S AND DEPUTY MAYOR'S REPORT To receive the reports of the Town Mayor, Councillor David Green and Deputy Town Mayor, Councillor Ralph Hoult. 6. QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC To receive any questions from members of the public. 7. THANET LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CONSULTATION Thanet District Council is preparing a planning strategy (known as the Local Development Framework) for the District. The key document within this strategy will be the "Core Strategy". They are inviting comments on the Draft Core Strategy. It is proposed that Ramsgate Town Council forms a Working Party of three Members to develop a draft response to the Draft Core Strategy reporting back to Full Council. A special meeting of RamsgateTown Council be held on Monday 7th December 2009. 8. COMMITTEE MINUTES AND MATTERS ARISING The agreed minutes of the meeting of the following committees are attached to this agenda at Appendix B; Town Improvement Committee - 21 September 2009. Planning and Conservation Committee - 28 September 2009. Members are advised that the only minutes which may be included are those which have been formerly agreed by the relevant committees. 9. APPLICATIONS TO THE RAMSGATE FUND To consider applications received. 10. OFFICE EQUIPMENT To consider the report of Councillor Carr regarding the provision of technology for the Mayor's office and Town Clerk. Copy attached Appendix C. It is proposed that the report be referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee for implementation. 11. EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC To consider passing the following motion to exclude the press and public:- Pursuant to Sections 1(2) of The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 to exclude the press and public during the consideration of the following items of business on the ground that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted. 12. APPOINTMENT OF TOWN CLERK - PROGRESS REPORT To receive a verbal report from Councillor Nicholson, Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009 REPORT Prepared for Ramsgate Town Council Regarding the provision of Technology for Mayor's Office and Town Clerk By Councillor David Carr October 2009 Preamble The author was tasked, by the Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee of Ramsgate Town Council, to assess the current state of the Computing and associated Technology provision in the Mayor's Office and to make recommendations as necessary. Findings The author of this document attended the Mayor's Office on 12th September, 2009, to examine the current Technology provision for the Mayor's secretary and what provision there was, if any, in preparation for the employment of a Town Clerk. There was ADSL provision via a modem/router which gave Internet access to a PC. The PC was found to have a single 1.8GHz Intel processor with 256Mb of RAM and a 20Gb hard disk. There appeared to be no way of creating daily back-ups on a routine basis to prevent data loss. The Operating System was XP Home with Service Pack 3 and was using a version of Microsoft Office 2000 as the basis of its routine office support applications. AVG anti-virus was installed and appeared to be out-of-date potentially exposing the PC to external attack from computer viruses. The printer/copier/fax (Multi-Functional Device or MFD) was a Brother monochrome inkjet A4 MFC- 7420. The specification of the above would indicate that the PC was approximately 6-years old and in desperate need of upgrading, both in terms of installed software and hardware and to be more energy efficient. The MFD was inappropriate, being monochrome, inkjet and single-sided and therefore wasteful in terms of media, supplies and energy consumption. The LCD display, however, was wholly appropriate and energy efficient. 2 Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009 Recommendations In order to maximise the longevity of the PC's life and reduce its carbon footprint a PC with the highest possible specification should be purchased. Latest PC power supplies are built to reduce energy consumption and have a long lifecycle. A PC having a dual or quad-core Intel processor (e.g. Intel Xeon Dual-Core Processor E5502) and 4 Gb of 1066MHz Registered DDR3 RAM would “future-proof” the PC for the next 4 - 5 years. Fitted with a 160GB Serial ATA2 Hard Drive This would allow plenty of local storage for files and programmes alike. A SATA DVD-RW should be fitted allowing back-ups to be made of all files on a regular basis. The PC should have a Microsoft optical mouse fitted which has fast tracking times and eliminates the problem of clogging of the ball and can be used on any surface and does not need a mouse mat. A Microsoft ergonomic keyboard will reduce operator wrist strain and prevent the onset of RSI and similar injury caused by repetitive typing action. Two such PCs should be purchased and a local Workgroup created to simplify data exchange. I do not believe a full domain should be created at this time, which would incur significant ongoing maintenance. Instead a 10/100/1000Mb multi-port switch should be purchased which would allow the interconnection of ADSL router, PCs and MFD. Whilst there is one satisfactory LCD monitor a second will need to be purchased in order to allow the display of the second PC. I would suggest that this be a 19” Iiyama capable of resolutions of at least 1600 x 1200 pixels. Both PCs should have the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Operating System and have Microsoft Office 2007 for business applications (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.) Careful consideration should be given to the Anti-Virus software to be installed. In view of the sensitive nature of some of the work and the likelihood of incursion by viruses I recommend Sophos Anti-Virus and Sophos Firewall. These are expensive; however they are able to update automatically every hour and are leaders in Anti-Virus protection in the Public Sector. Finally I would recommend that a medium-sized Multi-Functional Device be leased and not purchased as there are significant tax advantages to this as well as the reduction in capital outlay and negated disposal implications. A leased MFD can also be “refreshed” every 3 - 5 years; dependant upon contract type. My recommendation for this would be a Ricoh Aficio MP-C2050. This allows full-colour, duplex printing, scanning and copying at up to 20 pages per minute and has a fax option together with document finishing options from A5 up to full A3. This will allow a single office machine to carry out all the necessary functions in one for all office users and reduce wastage. They are energy efficient, going into standby mode if unused for a period of time and reduce paper usage by defaulting to double-sided printing. Posters and collated and stapled papers could be produced from the desktop. 3 Prepared for: Ramsgate Town Council Author: David Carr Date: 26 October 2009 Post Script The author would be happy to further investigate costs following acceptance in principle of this proposal by Ramsgate Town Council and its Finance and General Purposes Committee. About the Author The author has been involved with Computing and Network installation and support since 1996 and has worked for Rank, GEC, Racal, Guardian and Royal Insurance and is currently Head of User Technology at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is responsible for strategic implementation of over 2,500 PCs and Apple Macs, Printing Strategy, Software deployment across 5 sites in Kent and several others spread across England and Scotland. David Carr October 2009