£250 Blackberries for 72 councillors
Monday 27th April 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Councillors in a Black Country borough are set to be offered Blackberry mobile phones free in a move which could cost taxpayers £18,000.
An independent panel is recommending a £250 Blackberry for any of the 72 Dudley councillors who requests one. The council has alreadyshelled out £16,000 on 64 Blackberries for housing managers.
The recommendation is published in a report on councillors’ allowances to be considered on Thursday.
A three-man panel, made up of Michael Beardsmore, the Rev Mike Mason and president of Dudley Chamber of Commerce Mike Dell, says members should be able to request Blackberry phones for council business.
The report, drawn up following a survey of councillors, states: “Members generally felt that the arrangement for providing personal computers, secretarial support and, where necessary, other support worked well, but some thought the provision of a Blackberry mobile communication device would help.”
Council leader Councillor David Caunt said: “It is modern technology which could be used for the benefit of the council, meaning everyone is in permanent contact and always available.”
Labour leader Councillor David Sparks said: “I got a Blackberry from the council and I gave up my laptop.
“It is fantastically useful. At a recent area committee I was able to tell people in my ward of a decision within seconds of it being made.
“To keep costs down if you have a Blackberry you should not have a PC or a laptop from the council.”
Councillor Caunt agreed with the “either or” position.
Lib Dem leader Councillor Dave Tyler said: “I can see taxpayers’ point of view if they want money to be saved. This is an easy way to save money and I think this needs to be looked at very carefully.”
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I got offered one at work but turned it down, who wants to be constantly contactable!!
Fair play to the councillors who take it up!!
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who would want one? They are rubbish anyway!
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Are these lot brain dead? Or is it that they think the taxpayers are? Statements like “I was able to tell people in my ward of a decision within seconds of it being made” just go to show how far removed these people are from the real world! Whats wrong with a £20 Nokia from ASDA? It doesn’t cost enough, thats whats wrong! As for improving communications, try giving the Blackberries to people like the emergency call out departments, because you can’t get through on a normal phone! These loony left wingers won’t learn what they are doing is wrong until the penny finally drops, and they are voted out of office!
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Who appoints the independent panel? What is the criteria for being independent? Does accepting council grants or relying on council decisions, exclude you? I don’t know anything about these independent panels, are they open to everybody? Are you allowed to sit on any other public bodies as well?
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Is doesn’t bother these councillors at all. They are answerable to nobody and don’t care about anyone but themselves.
They know you will moan about it on sites like this and in a couple of weeks it will be forgotten about.
They know they can walk all over you and what will your response be.
See comments above and below, that all.
I am now awaiting the report that says the council is paying for a 3 week training course to teach these people how to use them……
You get what you deserve over there . Sorry
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Half of em would not now how to work them so that would be a waste of money as per.
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“Cost effective” (in Dudley) is a phrase that frightens me.Some people have everything (and more).And the others lose what they have (swimming pools,libraries etc).What was that new book my friends said was being written ? Oh yes : “Dudley on a pound a day”.
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From my experience of Councillors, more than half of them (much like my nan who’s in the same age bracket) can’t even text on a normal mobile.
A Blackberry will just make their heads explode… unless that is they have to employ an assistant; perhaps a close relative or immidiate family member to help them with their new technology.
Next they’ll be “twittering” their twaddle!
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NO 6 EXACTLY RIGHT. WHO CAN WORK A BLACKBERRY FROM DUDLEY. THEY HAVE TROUBLE WITH AN ABACUS
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Why is the E & S so selective when it comes to ‘Have your Say’ ?
Whenever there is a story about local councils – mostly Labour – they invite people to have a moan !
Just goes to show what a right wing paper the E & S is – don’t know why I’m writing this blog – it won’t get past their right wing moderator !
How many journo hacks have got a Blackberry ?
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3 – isn’t Dudley controlled by the Conservatives?
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Stourbridge Steve..a Blackberry uses email through a dedicated council mail server…your £20 Nokia wouldn’t cut the mustard.
It’s a great way to communicate, is pretty much standard for mobile business worldwide, they’re very easy to use and make you much more efficient at your job.
The ignorance on here is astounding.
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THE ONLY GOOD BLACKBERRY IS IN A PIE YUM YUM !!!
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This is a typical Express & Star non-story being blogged about by the usual selection of Mr Angries who have absolutely no idea about how a modern council (or indeed any other large organisation) works.
If you read the story, you see that the option of a Blackberry is just that: an option. Councillors can either have a PC or a Blackberry according to which best suits their needs. I dare say some busier members, such as the Leader or a senior Cabinet member, may have both in order to be able to be in constant touch with officers so that decisions and meetings can be sorted equally promptly. So while it ‘could’ cost £18,000, in all likelihood it probably won’t.
Failing that, are the clowns whinging on this site seriously suggesting that councils use pigeons instead to communicate vital information backwards and forwards across the organisation?
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Well if Councillor Caunt made sure Council staff in the ICT department had access to such good equipment, instead of the decrepit old equipment they have to maintain the Council’s systems with, then may be the idea would be palatable.
Most Councillor’s tend to waste their time on provided equipment running their personal lives anyway, so I would say teach them to use carrier pigeon and smoke signals first. It appears as though most of them still have experience of semaphor from the decks of the Titanic, and deckchair arranging is the first past time of Dudley’s Chiefs and Councillors.
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Ohh so the council are embracing a modern technology, which should enable them to keep in touch and work flexibly and people are up in arms. I can see it now!! A crowd gathers. A woman pipes up. “He’s receiving words and pictograms on that little black tablet. Are they the word of god?” Another cries “No, He’s a witch, Burn Him”.
Seriously people, its not exactly bleeding edge technology. My only comment is £250 for a blackberry? Their mobile provider is ripping them off – Id love to see what monthly tariff they’re being charged.
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Whats this eh? The tories wasting tax payers money now? Thought it was just Sandwell council that wasted peoples money. Where are the Labour party moaners now then? Yep they have gone all quiet!!!!
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Why on earth are people complaining about something that makes the councillors easier to get hold of? A blackberry means someone is obtainable wherever they are, not just if they are in the office. But, if you’d prefer to whinge about councillors not being contactable then I guess this is a terrible idea.
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As a hard pressed small business owner I have used a blackberry for 5 years so I am not against the technology …… my first cost £150 but I got a new one much improved one last year for around less than £50 plus a £12.77+VAT monthly contract from O2.
Why do councillors need top of the range £250 blackberry? …..possibly because in the public sector there is very little consideration for keeping costs low.
Chances are there is going to be a big change in public sector expenditure over the next few years as the country can no longer afford to pay for a bloated public sector.
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If you elect a tory council you get what you voted for and to them £250 is petty cash.As for being able to instantly tell his constuents of a decision should he not have been there and involved in the decision making?
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