Meetings are an essential part of local government operations, but they can also be a significant source of inefficiency and frustration. This was the case for Bodmin Town Council, a local government organisation in the United Kingdom, which was seeking to find a better alternative organisation of its agenda and minute management across disparate programs.
However, things changed when the council adopted iBabs, a board meeting portal that centralises the entire meeting workflow. In this case study, we'll explore how iBabs helped Bodmin Town Council improve internal communications by streamlining their meeting process.
Before using iBabs, the challenge for Bodmin Town Council was that the key elements of its meeting workflow were held on separate programs, involving complicated processes and relying on human factors to share important information between stakeholders.
Each committee ran its own spreadsheet for tracking actions and resolutions, and remembering to fill them out proved a constant struggle for busy administrators.
In the words of IT admin David Bidgway:
"It was like trying to keep track of multiple spreadsheets and emails; it was a real headache."
The solution
iBabs provided the solution that Bodmin Town Council needed. The meeting platform centralises all aspects of administration for meetings that take place across the council. This makes it easy for members to access agendas ahead of the next meeting. They can also easily search minutes from all previous meetings to find important information and access details of actions and resolutions to keep the council’s work on track.
Having worked in silos for so long, the council transformed the way it works thanks to iBabs. It now has a shared online space where all stakeholders, administrators and councillors can collaborate. Additionally, the meeting platform makes it simple to generate reports from any committee meeting, improving transparency and accountability and providing an audit trail.
As Shirley Gooch, Senior Administration Assistant, explained:
"iBabs has been a game changer for us. It has centralised everything we do now and in terms of agendas and minutes – all in one place, rather than a separate spreadsheet for each committee. It's made our meetings more efficient and less time-consuming."
The impact of a better workflow
The impact of iBabs on Bodmin Town Council's operations has been significant. It has improved communication and organisation within the council, saving time for all stakeholders and ensuring that the work of the council is not held up by unnecessary bureaucracy.
No longer do members have to rely on colleagues remembering to fill in the necessary spreadsheets and email them to all necessary stakeholders. Administrators, officers and councillors can access all relevant documentation within the platform.
As Anne Colquhuon, Senior Administration Assistant for Committees, put it, “once the agenda has been published, it is accessible to everyone, and it is easy to see what is going on in there."
Conclusion
Bodmin Town Council's experience with iBabs shows how board portal software can streamline local government meetings, improve communication, and facilitate better organisation. It makes the process of managing meetings more efficient and less time-consuming, increases transparency and makes it easier to hold parties accountable for their actions. As the Councillors were soon onboard with the new improved electronic way of working it has now become a paper-light method of working. The experience of Bodmin Town Council is a great example of how technology can help local government organisations to work better and smarter for the benefit of their citizens.
If you are looking for a solution like this, you can request a free demo of iBabs here.
