Costs have risen yet again by £2 million for a botched IT project but council staff have promised this is the last time. Just a few months ago its budget was increased by £1.25 million, but that appears to have been insufficient to finish the project.
The new system is supposed to provide Bristol City Council’s housing department with a much clearer view over issues, such as where repairs are needed in council flats, collecting rents and gas boilers. But the project is years late and well over budget.
The extra £2 million was approved by councillors on the housing policy committee on April 10. They were warned that if they did not approve this funding, the whole project would face further delays and the council would end up spending even more money on its roll-out.
Charles Brooks, a project director, said: “There will be no more requests for funding. We will not be coming back for any funding. You can quote me on that.”
The project was first approved by the former cabinet in February 2023, with a budget of £7.5 million. Then last December, council bosses took an urgent decision to increase the budget by £1.25 million. This was taken behind closed doors, as the extra money was needed urgently.
The money is needed because council staff lack the skills to finish rolling out the project. This includes “loading data” into the new IT system, which the council is paying consultants to do.
Problems with the new system include forcing tenants to have two separate email addresses, if they want to bid on a new home. This will be addressed in an upcoming software upgrade, and should no longer be an issue. Other problems include council staff not knowing how many repairs are needed in council houses and flats, due to unreliable data.
Green Councillor Jerome Thomas said: “I don’t think the governance or project management has been of an acceptable standard. Certainly, there hasn’t been the transparency and clarity coming through to this committee that one would hope.”
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service