WARRINGTON Borough Council has been criticised for buying “toys for the boys” at a critical time of budget cuts.
The complaints follow the revelation that the council has bought 24 high-end iPads, costing more than £14,000 with an ongoing £1,700 annual service charge.
Labour councillor Hitesh Patel (right) learned of the purchase following a freedom of information request.
He said: “It was a local a resident who approached me at a meeting at Great Sankey library, which the Lib Dem/Tory-run council has earmarked for closure as a cost-cutting measure, to complain that the council was buying iPads.
“I didn’t believe her at first because these are fantastically expensive gadgets, but to reassure her I submitted the question. You can imagine my astonishment when I was told that last year the council had bought 24 iPads. It’s like Xmas came early for some at the council.”
Cllr Patel said the council was making more than £50 million of cuts over the next few years as its grant from the Government had been cut.
“With the prospect of hundreds of employees losing their jobs and vital council services like libraries and community centres being closed down, the council has launched its own online budget consultation exercise which will run until January 21.”
He said for the past year the Lib Dem/Tory coalition running the council has said it needs to cut services in order to save money.
Cllr Patel added: “How can they expect local people to take budget consultation exercises seriously when we find out about them buying extravagant ‘toys for the boys’ like these iPads? 
“This money could have been better used to employ two part-time youth workers to run activities for young people at weekends, reducing under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour. Or it could have been used to run more pensioner lunch clubs.”
Andy Farrall, (left) the council’s executive director of environment and regeneration said: “The council must save a significant amount of money. Investment in new technology is one of the ways we can make savings in the long-term.”
He said the iPads cost £667.23 per unit.
“The cost of printing essential management team meeting papers is approximately £200 per year. Add to this savings that can be made by not printing other reports, plus productivity gains from having easy access to email and calendars, and the iPad can pay for itself within one year.”
18 Comments
£1700 service annual service charge. £200 savings plus?
Doesn’t look like a saving in my book.
Do these replace the computers that every councillor gets or as well as?
and don’t forget we pay for the councillors broadband too SS!!
Let’s look at all allowances Councillors get like the £12,000 + Cllr O’neil has claimed for Travel and Subsistence over 2 years? How much has he claimed this year?
As for the ipods do people want the council to stay in the 20th Centary or move forward.
Labour not seeing the big picture they can only see to end of their noses.
Labour want us all to start using slate
Wise one, what an inept name. It has nothing to do with which party is spending the money, it is about spending money they don’t have on equipment that they can manage without. If they have pc’s and internet they can still receive copies of minutes etc/e-mails and anything else they might need.
We are talking local politics that are not looking after Warrington and that includes ALL parties. Get real.
Now that paints the picture of how our country has been run under Labour for the past 13 years.
SPEND SPEND AND SPEND AGAIN – How Tony? I don’t know Mr Brown – Oh Alistair (darling) all the money has gone!!!!! I agree with what Mr Farrall has said you have to see the bigger picture that gives the benefits.
I don’t particularly agree with them spending £14k of OUR money on iPads when they also get pc’s, mobiles, broadband etc and I would like to know exactly what is invovled with, and why they need, an additional £1700 service charge on top of that. I know people with iPads and they don’t have them serviced 🙁 I can see how an iPad would be useful as they are used as ‘book readers’ so councillors could all sit around in their meetings reading and referring to the documents they are discussing via their pads. BUT they could also do the same using their laptops (which I presume they all have). Wise One…. Have you got an iPad 🙂 I don’t rate them and they are merely a gimmicky ‘toy’, and not half as powerful or as usefull as a laptop and the latter cost half the price ! 🙂 Bet the councillors kids/grandkids like playing with their new toy though !
I see said the blind man, as he banged his head against the door. or, None as blind as those who don’t want to see.
Wise one???? you want to step outside of politics and look at the real picture. What has Labour’s “financial stupidity” got to do with a council that is millions of pounds in debt, spending money that could have been spent better elsewhere. ie less cutbacks on services.
Just because someone thinks Farrall is wrong( and he is on a lot of issues) doesn’t mean that they support Labour.
There are cheaper alternatives that do the same as iPads, netbooks start at around £200, do the math, in the present climate there are savings to be made. For somethiing that you need just to read documents and possible browse the web netbooks are more than appropriate.
OK so some bright spark on the council thought “I would like one of these” and set about putting together a justification. What a load of utter nonsense. If they do indeed have laptops then they ca serve the same purpose without the need to buy iPads.
While some of our basic services are so lacking it’s about time there was a reality check. I wonder how many of these decision makers could hold down a job in industry?!
What I should have said is that free broadband is offered to councillors; as I happen to know that Paul Kennedy pays for his own…… do any of the Labour lot I wonder???? 🙂
Like you say step outside and you will see
No I don’t
I think your right do we know what they get?
Maybe I’ve been too harsh so ….So just out of interest and trying to understand WHY Mr Farrell and others have come to their cost saving conclusion and also the need for using iPads rather than cheaper notebooks etc.. QUESTIONS….Are these 24 iPads shared between ALL councillors or are they allocated to individual councillors for their sole use? If it’s individual can we have a list of who exactly has been given them and why ? I have already posted the ‘cons’ of iPads on the FORUM page topic but thought I’d ask on here too 🙂 Also is there an additional monthy charge for using them to access documents/emails/other via the internet or do they connect through wireless connection to existing ‘already paid for’ broadband services ??
From what people at the council tell me only some of the “LibDem-Tory coalition” councillors have iPads, along with some Council managers. None of the Labour councillors have iPads.
The Labour Group Leader tops the pole in the expenses though????