Agenda item

This report provides an update on the performance of the Shared ICT Service.

 Fabio Negro (Managing Director of Shared Service) introduced the report to the Joint Committee updating Members on Key Performance areas in relation to the Shared ICT Service.

Members noted the summary of Key Performance management indicators for the service across all three Councils, which had been included within Appendix A of the update report. In terms of detailed service performance, the Joint Committee were advised that since the last meeting in October 2020:

 During the four-month monitoring period, October and November had seen similar call volumes of just over 8,000 each month in the Shared Technology Service (STS) queue. Whilst there had been an anticipated drop in call volumes during December, levels had risen again in January.

 There had been a reduction achieved in the number of open and on-hold tickets during the Christmas period. Whilst numbers had subsequently increased (approx. 2,400) due to higher call volumes this still represented a significant reduction on the original total with the upcoming STS restructure, improved call handling and management processes expected to assist in a further reduction in numbers.

 There had been 45,407 tickets logged in relation to the Shared Service between 1st October 2020 and 31st January 2021 an average of 11,350 per month (compared to 12,200 for the previous period) with a detailed breakdown provided in section 3.9 of the report.

 Of the 14 Priority 1 (P1) incidents logged with STS during the current monitoring period, 7 had been resolved within the service level agreement. There were also 3 non-STS related P1s. This reflected an increase over the previous monitoring period, although members noted seven of the calls had related to the public web sites of Lewisham and Southwark councils. Three were related to main infrastructure-related failures centred on ageing components. Members were assured of the Shared Services continued focus on infrastructure and process improvements in this area to assist in reducing numbers these numbers.

 Priority 2 (P2) and Priority 3 (P3) issues had seen an average of 72% and 71% compliance with the service level agreements (against 57% and 64% reported for the previous period). STS had placed considerable emphasis on improved call management, which could be seen in the improved Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance with ongoing efforts being made to further improve service levels.

 As requested by the Joint Committee, a breakdown of the top six categories for P2s and P3s had been provided in section 3.15 - 3.16 of the report. Priority 4 service requests during the same period had achieved 80% compliance with the SLA, compared with 78% for the previous reporting period.

 A pilot of the new Hornbill customer portal had been undertaken with the system having been developed to provide a more user-centric experience, which in turn would lead to better categorisation of calls and the introduction of more automated workflows. Members noted that feedback to date had been positive.

 The proposed extension of the out of hours telephone support service as part of the new Target Operating Model to provide a 24/7 service through a third party supplier, as detailed within section 3.22 and 3.23 of the report. The new service was expected to be operational from 1 April 21, with the STS also

continuing to operate an out of hours P1 escalation service in order to manage any major incidents outside of core hours.

Fabio Negro then moved on to provide an update on the progress being made in relation to cyber security across the Shared Service. In noting the update provided within sections 3.24 – 3.33 the following issues were highlighted:

 The STS had continued to see a reduction in security incidents, as work continued to harden the infrastructure and work alongside a third party recommended by the National Cyber Security Centre in order to proactively monitor the environment. Members noted the work undertaken in response to several high profile cyber attacks involving other organisations and whilst vulnerability scans performed across all three Council had identified no significant areas of concern, the Shared Service had focussed attention on the importance of offline backups. This had led to a decision being made to bring forward the procurement and installation of a new backup system, which safeguarded the security and integrity of backup data as well as enhanced recovery capability in the event of an attack such as Ransomware.

 The development of the STS Cyber Strategy 2021-24, set out within Appendix D of the report, which members noted had detailed the approach towards protecting each Council’s as well as residents data.

Fabio Negro then provided an update on progress being made against the Continuous Service Improvement Plan, with members noting the update provided within section 3.34 – 3.39 of the report including the close down of a further 10 activities.

Focussing then on audits relating to the Shared Service, members noted that since the last meeting in October 2020, a process had now been introduced to ensure that all audits were managed centrally by the Head of Service and reviewed by the STS Senior Leadership Team monthly in order to ensure recommendations and management actions were tracked through to completion. Progress in terms of the current audits had been detailed within section 3.40 – 3.42 of the report, with the STS working collaboratively with each authority to agree the 2021-22 audit plans.

Fabio Negro then moved on to provide an update on progress with the STS Technology Roadmap, with members noting the detailed update provided in section 3.43 - 3.47 of the report. The Roadmap had been set out in Appendix C of the report, which outlined the five key technology themes identified across the Shared Service along with top-level capital investment projections, which each authority was being asked to review and approve. The Roadmap also included estimated timescales for the production of detailed Business Cases in order to manage planned spend on an annual basis.

Noting the importance of the Roadmap to the design and implementation of the Target Operating Model (TMO) for the Shared Service, the Joint Committee then noted the update provided by Fabio Negro on the TMO, which they were reminded had been approved at their last meeting January 2021. The Shared Service was undertaking a 30-day consultation period with members of staff on the proposed restructure enabling the structure to be finalised and recruitment to commence once this process had been completed. The target implementation date for the new

structure was identified as 10th May 2021, but it was noted this would be subject to the successful recruitment, selection and on boarding of new colleagues.

In terms of other updates, the Joint Committee also noted:

 The update on the proposed model for delivery of IT infrastructure support services to Lewisham Homes, as detailed with sections 3.53 – 3.56 of the report, which had now been approved by the Shared Service Joint Management Board. Members noted that it had been agreed to continue with the current model of apportionment involving Lewisham Homes being added to the Lewisham council contribution to the Shared Service and governance arrangements continuing to operate as present.

 The project and procurements updates provided within section 3.57 – 3.72 of the report.

 The forecast underspend for the Shared Service, identified within the Financial Implications in section 4 of the report, which was currently projected at £2,418 for 2020-21 against a total budget of £14,477,314 (excluding the £120k accrued income from 2019/20). Members were advised the underspend was primarily due to investment cases covering identified revenue pressures.

Following the Service Performance update provided Fabio Negro invited questions from members, with the Committee discussing the points highlighted below:

 In relation to the easing of lockdown restrictions and impact on service demand as a result of staff returning to the office, Fabio Negro informed the Joint Committee that this had not been anticipated to create any significant change in service delivery requirements or demand. Whilst some changes and support would be required in adapting facilities within office space, the IT requirements and level of demand in relation to patterns of work were expected to remain broadly similar.

 In response to a query regarding Public Service Network (PSN) compliance, Fabio Negro confirmed that Brent and Southwark were currently compliant with Lewisham awaiting feedback from their final assessment, which it was anticipated would be confirmed by the start of April 21.

 Further details were sought on the progress being made in relation to the audit on Brent’s IT Disaster Recovery, which it was noted was showing as in progress. Fabio Negro advised this was as a result of the specific type of audit undertaken in Brent, which was expected to be completed by the end of March 21.

 In noting the working being undertaken to complete the migration of the required business and infrastructure applications remaining in Southwark’s Capita Data Centres along with the secure decommissioning of the server estate, further details were sought on the timescale for completing these tasks in order to complete the exit from the Data Centre. Members were advised that the aim was to have this work completed by September 21. Whilst recognising the challenging nature of the delivery timescale, extended support

had been provided with the Technology Roadmap reprioritised accordingly to provide contingency should any delays be experienced which would involve migration to an interim platform.

 In terms of a query on the financial update provided, Fabio Negro highlighted the challenging financial circumstances and tough decisions which had needed to be taken, supported by all three authorities, in order to deliver a balanced budget for the Shared Service given various contractual issues (as previously reported) which had needed to be resolved. It was not anticipated that any further surplus would be achieved in 2020-21, with the exception of the underspend already identified.

 In response to a query raised relating to the timescale for competing the replacement programme of any obsolete Windows 2008 legacy server infrastructure and associated support requirements, Fabio Negro advised the Joint Committee of the establishment of a joint infrastructure team across the Shared Service. Having noted concerns raised in relation to this issue at a recent Lewisham Audit Panel meeting, as part of their consideration of the Cyber Security Strategy and associated risks, members were assured of the systems and extended support in place to monitor and ensure the necessary protection was maintained for the legacy servers pending their programme of replacement being completed as part of the transition towards a cloud based service. This process included regular four weekly reviews of the legacy infrastructure in order to monitor and identify any potential issues or risks. In response to the concerns raised it was agreed that further details would be provided for members following the meeting on the timetable included as part of the STS Technical Roadmap for replacing the obsolete Windows 2008 legacy server infrastructure.

 In response to further details requested on the P1 performance issues relating to the public websites at Lewisham and Southwark, Fabio Negro advised that these had been centred on infrastructure related failures involving components that were due to be decommissioned, replaced or upgraded. Performance had now been stabilised with the Shared Service now looking at infrastructure migration and replacement of specific components alongside process improvements to ensure this was maintained.

 Having noted the update on the Technology Roadmap and investment programme due to be presented to each authority for consideration, members highlighted the need to ensure that they were provided with a more detailed overview of the associated project plans and investment business cases. Fabio Negro advised that these details were available and reviewed by the Shared Service Joint Management Board but recognised the need identified to ensure members on the Joint Committee received the necessary detail in advance of any investment decisions being presented to each authority for final consideration and approval. As a result, it agreed that further details would be provided for members on the investment project options being presented to the Joint Management Board and specific information available in support of these. As part of this process, Members also requested the inclusion, as part of the regular service updates provided for the Joint IT Committee, of a focus at future meetings on specific areas within the STS

Technical Roadmap investment programme as they were reviewed by the Joint Management Board.

 In noting the Shared Service Risk Management register within the Performance Pack a query was raised on the timescales for delivery of actions identified in relation to addressing the risks identified. Members were advised that these had been incorporated as part of the delivery plan for the Technology Roadmap detailed within Appendix C of the report. Whilst the risk management plan was subject to regular review, members also recognised the challenges created as a result of interdependency between many of the actions identified and implementation of the roadmap.

 As a final issue raised, clarification was sought on the relationship between the Cyber Security Strategy produced by the Shared Service and those adopted within each authority. In response Fabio Negro advised that whilst Lewisham had adopted the Shared Service Strategy, both Southwark and Brent had their own strategies. As a result the Shared Service Strategy had been designed in consultation with each member authority in order to reflect, support and compliment delivery of their adopted strategies.

As no further matters were raised, the Joint Committee completed their consideration of the update report. The Chair thanked Fabio Negro for the updates provided and it was RESOLVED:

(1) To note the update provided and actions being taken in relation to the ongoing performance and delivery of the shared service, as detailed within Section 3 of the report.

(2) To note the contents of the Performance Pack as detailed in Appendix A of the report along with the Cloud Programme Update (as detailed in Appendix B of the report); Shared Technology Service Technical Roadmap – Executive Summary (as detailed in Appendix C of the report) & Shared Technology Service Cyber Strategy (as detailed in Appendix D of the report).

As specific actions arising from the update, it was agreed:

(a) To provide further details for members following the meeting on the timetable included as part of the STS Technical Roadmap for replacing the obsolete Windows 2008 legacy server infrastructure. As a result of the concerns raised at the meeting it was agreed that details on the specific timescales within Lewisham would also be provided for Councillor Paschoud.

(b) To provide the members on the Joint Committee with details of the STS Technical Roadmap investment programme and project options being presented to the Joint Management Board. In response to a request at the meeting it was agreed to provide Councillor Bonavia with a specific example of the type of supporting information available, for further review.

(c) To include as part of the regular service updates provided for the Joint IT Committee a focus at future meetings on specific areas within the STS Technical Roadmap investment programme as they were reviewed by the Joint Management Board.