Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services.

Recommendations:

1. To agree to the delivery of free public Wi-Fi provision to the new town centre library and markets development.

2. To explore the potential for providing free public Wi-Fi within other areas of Rotherham town centre, utilising existing Council buildings and assets.

Consideration was given to the report which provided an update on the potential options to provide free public Wi-Fi within parts of Rotherham Town Centre. In May 2018 it had been agreed by Cabinet that public access Wi-Fi be delivered across Rotherham town centre through a concessionary contract. A contract was tendered in December 2019 and a chosen supplier identified in January 2020. However, by November 2020, the Council had been unable to progress the formal award and enter into contract with the chosen supplier due to changes within the company and a general lack of engagement from them in progressing the contract award. As such the Council took the decision to withdraw the award and abandon the procurement.

Alternative options had been investigated by the Council and a number of discussions had taken place with commercial organisations and telecommunication providers already working with the Council. Since the Council originally agreed to the project, the landscape had changed and other Councils were facing difficulties with similar schemes in that concessionary contracts were not achieving the level of projected income for the chosen supplier to make them viable. This had been attributed to the communications market reducing the cost of personal data and more town centre businesses offering free Wi-Fi to customers.

It was, therefore, proposed that the Council explore the potential to utilise its own building assets to extend the current corporately managed free public Wi-Fi network to key areas of the public realm within Rotherham town centre. This would include Forge Island, the new library and markets development. The option of the Council’s ICT Service providing the infrastructure management and support for free town centre Wi-Fi and the option of commissioning a third party provider to deliver a free town centre Wi-Fi offering had both been rejected on the basis of viability, affordability and sustainability.

Further, the Council was due to start a range of digital inclusion initiatives and it was recommended that the Council use that opportunity to assess the demand for free town centre Wi-Fi.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet agree to the delivery of free public Wi-Fi provision to the new town centre library and markets development.

2.    That Cabinet agree that the potential for providing free public Wi-Fi within other areas of Rotherham town centre, utilising existing Council buildings and assets, be explored.