Council plans to spend £40,000 on iPads
Discussion
If I was a council tax payer in this region I'd be fuming.
Their excuse? Well it will save on printing costs, uses less power than a laptop and increases productivity.
Yes we believe you.
Telegraph said:
A cash-strapped council has been criticised after it announced plans to spend nearly £40,000 of taxpayers' money on iPads for every councillor.
Leicester City Council is preparing to issue all 54 councillors with the Apple tablet computers from next May.
Four councillors have already been given iPads, each costing around £700, as a trial.
One councillor justified the move claiming her laptop was ''heavy'' making it difficult to take to several meetings a day.
Council chiefs, who are expected to axe 1,000 jobs, claim the iPads will save money.
Labour councillor Sarah Russell, who is awaiting delivery of the highest-spec 64 gigabyte model, said: ''We're trying out the iPad to see whether it improves the way we work as councillors.
''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
Conservative group leader Ross Grant, who has one on trial, claimed the iPad made him ''more productive''.
He said: ''The iPad has made me even more productive as a councillor.
''Whenever a constituent stops me in the street I can write down and begin researching their problem immediately on the iPad, because I'm connected to the internet right around the city.
''Also when I'm in key meetings I've asked for council agendas to be e-mailed as PDF files to the iPad so I no longer need printed documents. This could save the council money in the long term.''
But one senior councillor said: ''As soon as we all heard that three councillors were getting iPads everyone started asking for one.
''I suppose it'll be handy to have, but the expense is a little bit awkward at a time of cuts.''
Matthew Sinclair, Research Director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is right that the council should try to avoid wasting paper where they can.
"But incredible that they think that means providing councillors with flash new iPads at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.
"A small, affordable laptop would do the same job, though it certainly wouldn't be as exciting a perk for the councillors.
"With ordinary taxpayers struggling after a decade in which council tax has nearly doubled and with grants from central government likely to be under pressure more needs to be done to ensure spending is focused on priority services and these kinds of wasteful projects are cut out. If councillors want an iPad they can buy one themselves."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/792250...
Leicester City Council is preparing to issue all 54 councillors with the Apple tablet computers from next May.
Four councillors have already been given iPads, each costing around £700, as a trial.
One councillor justified the move claiming her laptop was ''heavy'' making it difficult to take to several meetings a day.
Council chiefs, who are expected to axe 1,000 jobs, claim the iPads will save money.
Labour councillor Sarah Russell, who is awaiting delivery of the highest-spec 64 gigabyte model, said: ''We're trying out the iPad to see whether it improves the way we work as councillors.
''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
Conservative group leader Ross Grant, who has one on trial, claimed the iPad made him ''more productive''.
He said: ''The iPad has made me even more productive as a councillor.
''Whenever a constituent stops me in the street I can write down and begin researching their problem immediately on the iPad, because I'm connected to the internet right around the city.
''Also when I'm in key meetings I've asked for council agendas to be e-mailed as PDF files to the iPad so I no longer need printed documents. This could save the council money in the long term.''
But one senior councillor said: ''As soon as we all heard that three councillors were getting iPads everyone started asking for one.
''I suppose it'll be handy to have, but the expense is a little bit awkward at a time of cuts.''
Matthew Sinclair, Research Director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is right that the council should try to avoid wasting paper where they can.
"But incredible that they think that means providing councillors with flash new iPads at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.
"A small, affordable laptop would do the same job, though it certainly wouldn't be as exciting a perk for the councillors.
"With ordinary taxpayers struggling after a decade in which council tax has nearly doubled and with grants from central government likely to be under pressure more needs to be done to ensure spending is focused on priority services and these kinds of wasteful projects are cut out. If councillors want an iPad they can buy one themselves."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/792250...
Edited by 5unny on Monday 2nd August 16:16
tank slapper said:
What exactly is the problem here? It seems that an issue is being made because an ipad is considered an aspirational product by some people.
article said:
But one senior councillor said: ''As soon as we all heard that three councillors were getting iPads everyone started asking for one.
so by their own admission, these are 'aspirational' - what is wrong with the current laptops they are using? if they are replacing perfectly good laptops with iPads - where is the cost/benefit analysis? something about this tells me it's another case of wasting taxpayers money.p.s. if it's to run Windows applications then a laptop (costing £3-400) will come with 3GB ram and a 320GB hard disc - and be perfectly usable for surfing the web. Compare that with 256 MB ram on an i-Pad.
And the laptops will work outside in hot weather
Edited by fido on Monday 2nd August 16:31
tank slapper said:
What exactly is the problem here? It seems that an issue is being made because an ipad is considered an aspirational product by some people. Would there be a similar story if laptops costing £700 each were purchased instead? I doubt it would even be noticed.
Who pays for the apps...?Where are the devices sync'd? Home? Work? Where is the data..?
what a lot of b
ks, you cant print stuff so theyll still need computers anyway, the guy saying he can now search the net on the street when somebody stops him? Nonsense, I bet he's been stopped twice in a decade if he's lucky, if a councillor thought he could somve a problem by searching the net Id slap him, any fool can search the net.
ks, you cant print stuff so theyll still need computers anyway, the guy saying he can now search the net on the street when somebody stops him? Nonsense, I bet he's been stopped twice in a decade if he's lucky, if a councillor thought he could somve a problem by searching the net Id slap him, any fool can search the net. tank slapper said:
What exactly is the problem here? It seems that an issue is being made because an ipad is considered an aspirational product by some people. Would there be a similar story if laptops costing £700 each were purchased instead? I doubt it would even be noticed.
Nobody in the council needs a laptop costing over £300, never mind £700+
So if they have a laptop they have to print off emails in meetings as they cant use the laptop, but if they have an Ipad they can view pdfs more easily and dont have to print them... isnt that one of the things the IPad cant do, show pdfs?
Or at least not without a program to do it.
Also they can take out the IPad when on the move to type something in if someone asks them on the street... good god they are clutching at straws here...
Bet they just all use it for Angry Birds!!
ITs a gimmock and a nice to have luxury, just cause its what all the other sheep want means that the Council must have it too???
Or at least not without a program to do it.
Also they can take out the IPad when on the move to type something in if someone asks them on the street... good god they are clutching at straws here...
Bet they just all use it for Angry Birds!!
ITs a gimmock and a nice to have luxury, just cause its what all the other sheep want means that the Council must have it too???
Telegraph said:
Labour councillor Sarah Russell, who is awaiting delivery of the highest-spec 64 gigabyte model, said: ''We're trying out the iPad to see whether it improves the way we work as councillors.
''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
I've got a solution for her, it's lightweight doesn't need charging and can be taken into meetings to make notes.''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
It's not an iPad, it's a notepad.
I've yet to be in any meeting where someone is taking notes on an iPad, they all use pen & paper, not even a laptop for note taking.
Edited by FourWheelDrift on Monday 2nd August 16:41
FourWheelDrift said:
Telegraph said:
Labour councillor Sarah Russell, who is awaiting delivery of the highest-spec 64 gigabyte model, said: ''We're trying out the iPad to see whether it improves the way we work as councillors.
''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
I've got a solution for her, it's lightweight doesn't need charging and can be taken into meetings to make notes.''If it does, and it can replace costly printing, then the council could potentially save £90,000 each year. I have a laptop but it is quite heavy, meaning it is awkward to take to several meetings in a day.
''It also has to be charged much more regularly than an iPad.''
It's not an iPad, it's a notepad.
tank slapper said:
What exactly is the problem here? It seems that an issue is being made because an ipad is considered an aspirational product by some people. Would there be a similar story if laptops costing £700 each were purchased instead? I doubt it would even be noticed.
Probably several issues, different for different people, the problem for me is councils spending tax payer money on products which are a premium because they look nice.Spend it on a £150 Android tablet from China and I bet less council employees would 'need' them and those that do won't lose as many.
TuxRacer said:
tank slapper said:
What exactly is the problem here? It seems that an issue is being made because an ipad is considered an aspirational product by some people. Would there be a similar story if laptops costing £700 each were purchased instead? I doubt it would even be noticed.
Probably several issues, different for different people, the problem for me is councils spending tax payer money on products which are a premium because they look nice.Spend it on a £150 Android tablet from China and I bet less council employees would 'need' them and those that do won't lose as many.
Awesome
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