Issue - meetings

That Cabinet approve:

a)      the adoption of a Drone Usage Policy as detailed at Appendix A of the report, with delegated authority being given to the relevant Directors to make necessary amendments to improve operational effectiveness within the first 12 months of its adoption;

b)      the purchase and use of drone assets, primarily for use by NSDC in discharge of its relevant duties and services;

c)       the training of Senior Responsible Officers for the deployment and maintenance of drone asset(s) across the Council; and

d)      the creation of a fee schedule, to be reported to a future Cabinet, to allow NSDC to support other local authorities and public bodies.

The Senior Planner (Enforcement) presented a report which presented the case for the purchase a drone asset, principally for use by the Council, but with the potential to offer support to other public sector organisations. It was reported that the Council were increasingly reliant on commissioning drone technology, for both investigatory and promotional activities, at a cost of just under £6,000 in the last 12 months. It was therefore considered that an in-house resource would increase availability, responsiveness, and be more cost effective going forward. The costs to purchase and for the operation of the drone asset were detailed in the report.

In addition, the report sought approval for a ‘Drone Policy’ to cover the use of the operation, as it was critical that the circumstances of when the drone would be deployed were understood and managed safely. The training of Senior Responsible Officers was also required.

AGREED      (unanimously) that Cabinet approve:

a)            the adoption of a Drone Usage Policy as detailed at Appendix A of the report, with delegated authority being given to the relevant Directors to make necessary amendments to improve operational effectiveness within the first 12 months of its adoption;

b)            the purchase and use of drone assets, primarily for use by NSDC in discharge of its relevant duties and services;

c)             the training of Senior Responsible Officers for the deployment and maintenance of drone asset(s) across the Council; and

d)            the creation of a fee schedule, to be reported to a future Cabinet, to allow NSDC to support other local authorities and public bodies.

Reasons for Decision:

The recommendations align with most of the Community Plan objectives. As set out in the report, this presents a cost-effective way to responsibly best utilise available technology.

Options Considered:

The Council could continue to procure drone support on an ad-hoc basis or seek a more permanent formal arrangement with the commercial market. Both routes would be more costly. Moreover, an NSDC owned and controlled asset will increase resiliency in terms of immediate availability alongside growing staff skills and competencies in this field.