Agenda item

To consider the report of the Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support.

The Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support presented the report which sought approval to replace some or all of the Audio Visual equipment at the Civic Centre and the Guildhall, to improve the meeting experience for those attending and watching meeting broadcasts through social media.

He explained that the existing Audio Visual (AV) equipment used in the meeting rooms at the Civic Centre had been installed as part of the Customer First project in 2005, and the previously used equipment was still in use at the Guildhall, making them over 20 years old. There had been several occasions of the AV equipment failing at both the Civic Centre and Guildhall, impacting on participants of the meeting and the public attending. Numerous complaints had been received about the quality of the broadcasts on Facebook Live.

He informed Members that a permanent solution had been looked at, and that technology had progressed significantly since 2005, allowing various options for Members to consider:-

(1)  Replacing the microphones at both the Civic Centre and Guildhall at a cost of approximately £40,000;

(2)  Replacement of the microphone systems as above, with an upgrade to the visual equipment in the main civic centre meeting rooms. This would include replacing the screens and projectors, with up to date LED screens and all the necessary other equipment at a cost of approximately £55,000;

(3)  Both of the options above, along with the following at a cost of approximately £100,000:-

·         Replacement of the speakers in the Rennes and Bad Homburg rooms;

·         Replacement of the repeater screens (used in the Bad Homburg room to replicate the image shown at Committees on the main screen in Rennes) with LED screens;

·         Replacement of the radio microphones used at some committee meetings;

·         The installation of permanent webcasting cameras in both the Civic Centre and Guildhall, to enable better screening of committee meetings.

The Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support provided a breakdown of the costs for the three options, and confirmed that the third option would future proof the facilities within the Civic Centre for a number of years. Although it was the more expensive option, it would save money in the longer term. He advised that any option would require a procurement exercise being undertaken, following the Councils policy guidelines on spending.

The Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support provided responses to questions from a Member, who had submitted questions in advance of the meeting. A copy of the questions and together with the responses from The Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support are appended to the minutes:-

In response to questions from Members, the Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support responded:-

·         Members could choose to split the cost of the available options over a number of years, however the option to buy all the equipment in one purchase would be more cost effective than buying separately;

·         Other Local Authorities in the area, including Plymouth City Council, Teignbridge District Council and Devon County Council, had all invested in top of the range audio and visual equipment for their meeting rooms. However unlike Exeter, they had dedicated Council Chambers, enabling them to have hard wired installed equipment;

·         Currently, livestreaming of meetings was done through Facebook Live, enabling anyone who followed Exeter City Council on Facebook, to be notified of meetings being broadcast. The livestreams had received excellent viewing figures, hit rates and comments from viewers. The Council would continue to look to make the meetings more dynamic for home viewers and improve engagement with the public;

·         A standalone camera was currently used for Facebook streaming in both the Civic Centre and Guildhall. It was operated from a set position with limited scope to be manoeuvred. The audio was picked up through the camera microphone, but there was an option to add a microphone link to camera;

·         Three technical specialists had been consulted on how to achieve the best audio and visual results for meeting.;

·         The Council would comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), ensuring meetings were as inclusive as possible. Regardless of the decision outcome, the existing loop system in the equipment would be managed to ensure it was working correctly for viewers;

·         All replacement options had been researched to suit the requirements of the Council. If approved, the next step would be to follow the procurement process to ensure the most cost effective solution;

·         Training arrangements would be provided as part of the equipment package, to ensure the maximum benefit was achieved from the investment; 

The Chief Finance Officer stated that the Capital Expenditure for replacing the equipment could be provided through revenue, grants and capital receipt money. He had a special reserve fund in place for such investments, and considered that the reported costs would not impact the balance.

The Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee noted the report and requested the Executive to considering approving to Council option 3 as detailed above.