Council facing £345k bill to replace old computers

A council looks set to spend £345,000 on replacing "ageing" computers for staff.

A total of 269 desktop computers and 99 laptops are due to be replaced at City of Lincoln Council, a report stated.

Executive members are expected to approve the spending at a meeting on Monday.

The report said the computers were "no longer fit for purpose" and causing employees "significant operating challenges".

Council workers were also unable to take the computers into meetings.

The move would "address some of the challenges and delays currently being experienced across services", the report added. Staff would "see an improvement in efficiency with their devices".

Tablets used by elected councillors could be replaced with new laptops at a cost of £20,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

And the report has proposed spending up to £60,000 on new tablets for the housing repair services, in order to replace equipment said to be at the end of its life.

City of Lincoln Council could be absorbed into one of two or three new unitary authorities under a reorganisation of local government in Lincolnshire, with plans due to be submitted to the government by Friday.

A "Greater Lincoln Council", taking in parts of West Lindsey and North Kesteven, has been suggested as one option.

However, any changes are unlikely to take effect until April 2028.

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