CLAIMS by a Labour councillor at Warrington that iPads are “expensive gadgets” and “toys for the boys” have been dismissed as rubbish by council leader Ian Marks.
He says the claims by Cllr Hitesh Patel are typical of a “dinosaur tendency” that some Labour members have.
Cllr Marks (right) said: “Such negative attitudes are sadly only too common from the Labour Party in Warrington.
“It shows a frightening lack of understanding of how modern organisations work and is typical of the dinosaur tendency that some Labour members have.”
Cllr Patel (left) attacked the council for spending £14,000 on 24 iPads at a time of financial cut-backs.
But Cllr Marks said the council, like any large, complex, forward-looking organisation, was investing in information technology and computers to improve its service to customers and reduce costs.
Not all the iPads had been issued yet. Some were being trialled by senior officers, two by councillors and others by IT support staff.
“The sexist statement that they are ‘toys for the boys’ is wrong because a third of the people testing the devices are female!”
Cllr Marks said use of the iPads was already leading to substantial savings in not having to print out papers for meetings.
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There are other benefits in terms of more efficient working and better communications.
“A full evaluation is being carried out across the range of users and preliminary findings are that there will be a payback within a year. The business case comparing iPads with laptops and Blackberries takes account of purchase, software, set-up, support and connection costs. There will be additional savings because it is likely that currently issued laptops or Blackberries will be handed back if the ipad trials prove successful.
“Cllr Patel may be interested to learn that one of the ipads is being used in street lighting, another in the youth service and we are exploring the possibility for using them in frontline social care to enable social services to deliver better services.
“When I was at university in the late sixties, all my calculations were carried out without the benefit of a calculator let alone a computer. These “new-fangled gadgets” were not then available for everyday use. I suspect if Cllr Patel had been around, he would have said there was nothing wrong in using in using a slide rule and log tables and there was no need to have a calculator!
“I think the Labour councillor has been issued with his own ‘toys’ at council tax payers expense – a laptop and a blackberry. If he surrenders these ‘gadgets’ back to the Council he can choose the cause to which he would like the savings to be allocated.”
Dinosaurs jibe over iPad row
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
16 Comments
I for one am really glad that this topic is being discussed and has raised so much discussion on the Warrington Worldwide Forum and elsewhere.
I just hope that after 30 years in IT I am privy to the evaluation study.
Interesting comments by Cllr Marks, and as the leader of the council I would have expected him to refrain from such childish, rude and insulting comments. I believe Cllr Patell only requested the info after a member of the public questioned the iPads. Interesting too that Cllr Marks says the iPads are being TRIALLED and a “A full evaluation is BEING carried out across the range of users and PRELIMINARY findings are that there will be a payback within a year”….. shouldn’t they have been trialled and evaluated BEFORE 24 were purchased or does that mean they will be buying even more !
I appologise for my negative attitude too although I am not a labour bod but I have also worked in IT for over 25 years …. am I now a dinasaur ROAR 🙂
I wonder what species of Dinosaur Ian thinks I am and why Dizzy?
Methinks, Marks does protest too much!!!!
If the trials prove unsuccessful can I suggest that the purchaser is sacked. Perhaps he/she should be sacked anyway because ,as Diz stated above , 24 on trial is a complete nonsense. “One is being used by street lighting”, as what a switch?
Why is it that irrespective of who is in power the councillors take great delight in looking after themselves before any savings or made. Their opponents always take what is offered then complain because it is their duty.
Which one would you liken yourself to ha ha 🙂
I for one love my BlackBerry. I’m able to log problems whilst I’m out and about.
Review correspondence whilst travelling.I am currently on the 23 bus having just got off the Chester train
It sends me reminders from my diary and I can follow up issues raised by constituents who have used text and email
ai can also keep an eye on this site.
LibDem leader, Ian Mark’s petty, immature, bully-boy comments are exactly why I’m really struggling to bring myself to vote for the LibDems again! iPads are expensive, and as other Warrington Worldwide viewers have said “THERE ARE CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES ! ! ! “. I read Cllr Patel’s comments…I don’t think he’s complaining about the use of technology per se…I think he’s just legitimately asking why iPads when there are cheaper alternatives and there are so many council services (like Great Sankey and Grappenhall libraries) that Ian Marks’ LibDems are cutting? I’d be interested to know which two councillors have been given iPads…Ian Marks & Tory leader Keith Bland themselves maybe???
Sums Marks up when he says “Toys for the boys” is a sexist remark.
That saying is as old as he is. Do we really want people like this spending our Council Tax? Clueless? Not arf.
Certainly starting the year with a laugh!!!……..Ian Marks says……………..”When I was at university in the late sixties, all my calculations were carried out without the benefit of a calculator let alone a computer. These “new-fangled gadgets” were not then available for everyday use. I suspect if Cllr Patel had been around, he would have said there was nothing wrong in using in using a slide rule and log tables and there was no need to have a calculator!”
Considering the cock-up accounts given of Walton Hall. Initially said to cost £650,00 per year to maintain….now stated as approx £250,000 (well off mark by £400,000) one might wonder if Ian Marks could manage to use a slide rule let alone a calculator!
MANNnnnnn you can tell there is an election due. It is the only time these people spout THIS much tosh in public
Ball point pen (£0.10) X 24 = £2.40
Notepad (£0.50) X 24 = £12.00
iPad (£583.33) X 24 = £14,000
People in charge of your council who think this is a saving = priceless
Stay true to one’s that care for all of Warrington.
Business needs is the answer – remember those Labour spending MILLIONS on the Skittles – The designer was not even from the UK never mind Warrington
I’d like to know why Cllr Terry (I’ve lived in Warrington all my life) O’neil has claimed from the tax payer in warrington over the last two years £12K in expenses????????? WHY WHY WHY
Spend to save – unless your Labour and its SPEND SPEND AND SPEND something we don’t have. Blair and Brown with alittle bit of Darling have almost killed our Country and thats a fact.
I’d like you to tell me why your Leader has claimed over £12K in expenses over the past two years and also how much has he had this year???
I understand the distance from Huyton to Burtonwood enables an overnight stay in a Hotel??
and thats age discrimination
“”The sexist statement that they are ‘toys for the boys’ is wrong because a third of the people testing the devices are female!”
Unbelievable! how can somone be so moronic as to interpret this common saying into a litteral sexist sense. its laughable that marks is that stupid.can marks site which technologies will benefit the council? I doubt it, he hasnt a clue. want to save on paper..amazon kindle £100. an ipad cannot do anything that a £150 webbook canot do. (ex lib dem member 27 years IT consultant)