Council criticised over £165k room-booking system

Westmorland and Furness Council says the system for staff to book meeting rooms "provides value for money"

A council has been criticised for spending more than £165,000 on a system for staff to book meeting rooms.

Councillor Matt Brereton, deputy leader of Westmorland and Furness Council Conservative group, said the three-year contract sounded "expensive" and not a priority for council tax payers.

Officers approved the deal with IT firm Softcat in June, with the contract starting in July, according to a recently published report.

The Liberal-Democrat-run council said there were "many hundreds of meetings required each day" and that the contract provided "value for money".

The move allows the council to continue using a computerised room-booking system it had shared with Cumberland Council, but with its own separate contract, council papers said.

The report said there was not enough time to carry out a full procurement exercise because of stretched resources and the "technical complexity" of putting a new system in place.

Cumberland Council said it had also signed a new contract to keep the system for three years, at a cost of more than £207,000.

'Lack of scrutiny'

Brereton said of the Westmorland and Furness contract: "It's disappointing when we're trying to ensure the absolute maximum value for money."

He also criticised the council for not putting the decision before all councillors for scrutiny.

A council spokesperson said there were "many hundreds of meetings required each day" both internally and with those from outside the council.

They said the system covered 219 "room booking licences" and was integrated with Windows software to allow remote access to meetings.

"This provides value for money as the cost to move away from the current supplier would potentially exceed the cost of the contract," the spokesperson added.

The council said the decision "was recorded in line with the required policy".