Questions asked over IT problems

A SERIES of technical glitches have prompted councillors to demand answers about ongoing computer and telephone issues.

Work to maintain and improve Redditch Borough Council has seen services such as e-mails and the switchboard number go down for periods of time over the past few weeks.

Now Coun Phil Mould, whose corporate management portfolio includes IT, will face questions from councillors on the overview and scrutiny committee at their September meeting about why the improvements are interrupting the service for customers.

Deb Poole, head of business transformation, said essential work to maintain and improve the systems meant the authority was constantly finding and fixing problems, often working with third parties.

“Our main objective is to ensure customers continue to receive the services they want and need, and the vast majority of the time we are able to work unnoticed. However sometimes we come across an unavoidable problem or pressure and have to grasp the nettle and work to restore service as soon as possible.

“It’s like taking your car for a service to keep it running properly, sometimes it throws up real issues that need work.

“But our ‘car’ is a huge and a complicated network of interconnected data and service systems, phone lines and systems, servers, computers, mobile services, websites, many across separate premises. Unfortunately there is no courtesy car for the times it has to be in the garage but most times there is uninterrupted service.”

She added work was often carried out overnight and at weekends to reduce the risk of affecting customers, but sometimes it was simply not possible.

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