Highland Council looks to save up to £1 million a year by taking the massive spend on IT in-house
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A SHAKE-UP of the management of Highland Council’s computer system could create dozens of local jobs and save around £1 million a year.
The Courier can exclusively reveal the plan – dubbed project Dochas – was agreed at a confidential meeting in July after years of complaints about the quality of the service.
It would mean overhauling its £40 million IT contract with Indian firm Wipro, which has just over a year to run.
Phasing out the contract will see it use council staff, supported by local or Scottish sub-contractors.
The change was prompted by innovations such as cloud computing, where staff simply need an internet connection to access the council’s system instead of having to be physically in the same building as the server.
For many after lockdown, working from home will become the norm in future.
The Wipro contract has been dogged by problems including major delays in installing new equipment and software, with councillors complaining of connection problems.
In 2018, less than two years into the contract, the company was forced to fund a full-blown recovery plan after a major system crash left IT services in tatters in schools, leisure centres and offices and with people unable to pay council tax through PayPoint systems.
The council’s depute leader, Alasdair Christie, said the moves to bring services in-house would give the local authority more control.
“We believe that to future proof the council for the next 10 years, we would be better placed if we were in control and overseeing that development,” he said.
“The time of outsourcing has passed. By being in direct control of our destiny, we can address Highland needs.
“We are looking to have jobs in the Highlands that are well-paid, well-skilled and offer good career prospects for local people to actually stay in the Highlands and not to have to move away to get the experience of work in their chosen discipline or career.
“That is another reason we are keen on this in-house option; we can spread the jobs throughout the Highlands, they will not just be in Inverness.
“We have seen as part of the pandemic that people can do a lot of good work from home.”
Budget leader Alister Mackinnon believes there are economic upsides to the move.
“We have already taken that approach in the housing department by taking more services in-house such as plumbing, electrical and joiners,” he said.
“We have taken the stance that we want to maintain our workforce.
“There is a place for local Wipro staff in the council, we absolutely want them to be working in the council in due course and we value them and their skills.”
One council insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, hoped the Wipro contract would end because of delays and problems throughout following similar issues with previous contractors Fujitsu.
“I don’t think the IT contract should have been outsourced again in 2016,” they said. “It has lumbered us with ineffective IT that has frequent periods of not working, and it has been like that almost since the contract was signed.
“During lockdown, staff working from home had to be given set times to work and limited to three to four hours working a day depending on department, so as not to overload the system – and that was a period when staff were needed most.”
Among those ordered to log off in the early days of lockdown were teachers working from home, providing education remotely for their pupils.
The council blamed “unprecedented demand” on the network for the problems on that occasion.
