ABOUT £100,000 would be needed for computers and blackberries for councillors, a survey found.Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council would spend the cash on computers and mobile phones for authority business only.
The overview and scrutiny management board this week recommended council decision makers not take up the extra spend.
The four-year cost will be £98,516, though this does not include telephone call costs and expenses for members who have their own broadband.
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This includes 40 laptops costing £534 each and £1,200 for one mobile broadband connection, a SMBC report says.
A proposed 13 Blackberries, costing £866 each, ‘is not considered excessive’ the report says.
Yet there is a £13,236 funding shortfall and the report, by a staff members, asks whether ‘additional funds should be made available to meet the requirements’.
The cabinet members will make the final decision on whether to increase the spend.
The cash-strapped council made savings including a cut in social worker posts and library opening hours and now has to find a further £1.5m in savings.
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