I have admit I had a bit of fun with this one. It had been proposed that, as a money saving measure, Scarborough Council wanted to replace printed reports and councillors would be issued with iPads instead.

After almost two years of austerity and swingeing council cuts residents saw red and vented their fury online. We conducted an online poll and the result was almost unanimous against the move.

However when the issue was debated at full council the leader held up our front page and ridiculed the way in which the poll was conducted. Needless to say I went bright red with embarrassment to the delight of his fellow members.

I did have a word with him after the meeting and tried to explain that we could only work with the tools we were provided with.

In the end it was voted through with only eight out of 50 councillors voting against it. I call this whole episode iPadgate.

THE huge scale of public opposition to the purchase of iPads for Scarborough’s 50 councillors has been revealed in a poll.

The purchase of the smart new Apple iPad devices is due to be decided on Friday.

But a survey on the Evening News website asking whether people were for or against the idea produced more than 67,000 responses – with 99.9 per cent against the idea, and 44 responses in favour.

Two councillors have also broken rank – and said that the members should buy their own.

Councillors already have full computer systems provided for them at public expense. But council chiefs say they can save £10,000 a year by avoiding having to print and post weighty agendas.

Cllr Janet Jefferson, who represents residents in the Castle ward, said she felt it was the wrong move. “I use my own computer, not the council’s,” she said. “If we need iPads I will buy my own.

“I would query the expense of these because of the economic climate.”

And Cllr Nick Brown, who represents residents living in the Ramshill ward, said when he first heard of the proposal he also felt strongly that if iPads were needed then councillors should buy their own.

He bought a cheaper Motorola model which he has found useful at meetings. He added: “I think there are more important things to be talking about than iPads.

“I understand that people get angry because they hear us saying we’ve got to save money then with the next breath they hear that we are spending X on iPads for councillors.”

He added: “I think people who pay their council tax should be made more aware of what’s happening.”

iPads cost about £400 but it is understood that the council would get them for less because they would need to buy so many.

The proposal has attracted many comments from website bloggers, including one from someone known as ‘Baz-n-pat’ who said: “If these freeloaders want iPads then go and buy them and save even more money.”

‘Sportinglife’ wondered what was wrong with simply using pen and paper.

‘Wigbert’ said: “iPads are a desirable toy not a business tool. The headline £10,000 saving is a joke. What is wrong with the laptops, which have a real keyboard, that they already have? Save even more money by using what you already have.”

‘Atilla the Hun’ said: “I have an iPad, and it is a great toy and multi-media device. I also have a laptop which cost half as much which I use for anything work related.

“I cannot think of any reason why I would want an iPad for use in my work unless it was to show people how extravagant I can be.”

‘Fair Deal For Filey’ said: “Many of them would not know an iPad from a Brillo pad. They all have laptops, provided at taxpayers’ expense, broadband access at taxpayers’ expense, which is quite adequate for the simple functions councillors would need to perform, such as storing files, reading files and amending documents.”

He added: “In fact, the screen on an iPad is too small for this sort of work and its keyboard is nonexistent, with fiddly onscreen buttons.

“Scarborough Council would be faced with a raft of claims for deteriorating eyesight and repetitive strain injury. iPads are for playing games primarily.”

‘Bluebird One’ said that council taxpayers should not be asked to fund the move and added: “Who do these people think they are … We are in austerity measures up and down the land.”

‘Scarboroughman’ added: “All the council needs to do is look at ways to utilise the laptops more effectively. Instead of postage use email – after all they all have an email address provided by the council.”

According to minutes from last month’s cabinet meeting, the cost of the paper was low but the postage generated a total annual cost of around £10,000.

A review had been carried out and a small computer tablet device about the size of a computer mouse mat was considered to be the best way to offer the same “functionality” of paper.

The report from the Independent Remuneration Panel proposed that “the present provision of paper and computers be replaced by the one device” because it would reduce costs to a very reasonable level which would produce savings for the council.

It is understood that if the move is approved then all paper and laptops could be replaced by the one device within a year.

STORY extra

• The iPad’s touchscreen display is a 1024 x 768 pixel, 7.75in x 5.82in liquid crystal display, with fingerprint and scratch-resistant glass. The display responds to an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and can switch between portrait and landscape (Wikipedia)

From the Scarborough Evening News on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Councillors ‘yes please’ to new iPads

SCARBOROUGH councillors yesterday voted in favour of buying new iPads, with just eight from 50 councillors rejecting the idea.

The proposal had sparked outrage through letters and internet comments from members of the public who claimed it was the wrong move during times of austerity and cuts to local government services.

Councillors already have computer equipment and access provided by the public. The strength of public sentiment led to an unprecedented 100,000-plus website responses opposed to the principle. Some comments were too strong to publish.

But at the council debate, it was now said that the move would save £53,000 a year – instead of £10,000 previously stated – and that councillors might have a chance to make a donation towards the £160 cost of a new iPad.

Councillors vote in favour of iPads

THE leader of Scarborough Council has hit back at criticism over plans to give councillors state-of-the-art iPads.

Speaking during yesterday afternoon’s debate at the Town Hall, Cllr Tom Fox defended the move, claiming an Evening News online poll, where more than 100,000 responses were registered in opposition to the proposal, had created a “frenzy”.

It was the biggest response ever to any issue of any kind and was supplemented by letters and other views.

Cllr Fox said he did not give such polls, or the views of anonymous bloggers, any credibility.

He added the switch from printed agendas would create considerably higher annual savings than had previously been stated – £53,000 instead of £10,000 – and would be made on a number of areas including salary, printing costs, materials and postage.

And, because the authority is buying 70 iPads in total – including units for council officers – they will work out at £160 each.

He added that members could make a donation to offset the cost but ownership of the individual iPads would remain with the council.

Cllr Brian Watson asked why the existing laptops could not be used for the same purpose, to which Cllr Fox replied that the laptops were slow and it was difficult to make notes on the electronic documents. He added: “The iPad allows you to write on it with a pen and add comments.”

But Cllr Janet Jefferson, who had publicly said she would buy her own iPad before the meeting, said now was not the right time because of the economic climate and programme of cuts.

She said: “I am not opposed to technology and I have got my own computer. But if we are going to have one I don’t think the tax payer should pay for it.”

Cllr Bill Chatt said: “This is not about giving us something to play chess on – that is not what they are intended for.”

Cllr Dilys Cluer said that if councillors wanted iPads they should pay for them themselves, adding: “I personally don’t want one but I can see the savings to the council.”

But Cllr Pat Marsburg asked for a recorded vote. She said, while she did not disagree with it, it was not the right move during the current economic climate.

Cllr Andrew Jenkinson said he had faced a lot of hostility from members of the public.

Cllr Amanda Robinson said that Cllr Fox had finally got his message across at yesterday’s meeting. She said: “He hasn’t got his message across to the borough.

“I feel so sad that an opportunity has been missed and the message hasn’t got through to the general public. I can’t vote for this because of that.”

Cllr Joe Plant asked whether there would have been the same outcry if they were proposing replacing old laptops.

The vote was recorded with the “iPad eight” voting against the move but the vast majority of councillors were in favour of it.

The issue attracted attention from both main TV channels, ITV and BBC.

Within minutes of the vote, public comments poured in.

Darren Trapps wrote: “So most people in the area said they didn’t agree with this and the councillors voted it in. Does this not tell you they do what they want?”

Another said: “Someone at central government must see this as a blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money, despite the democratic issues. The councillors receive an allowance for expenses, why don’t they pay for them out of that?”

Another said: “Yay! These devices are thoroughly deserved by the council …

“Oops, sorry, I am talking rubbish again.”

Eight from 50 say ‘No’:

• Cllr Patricia Marsburg (None, Falsgrave);
• Cllr Mick Cooper (Independent, Newby);
• Cllr Sam Cross (Independent, Filey);
• Cllr Janet Jefferson (Independent, Castle);
• Cllr Norman Murphy (Independent, Northstead);
• Cllr Roxanne Murphy (Independent, Seamer);
• Cllr Peter Popple (Independent, Northstead);
• Cllr Amanda Robinson (Independent, Ramshill).

From the Scarborough Evening News on Saturday, February 25, 2012.