Welcome

Welcome to the latest edition of In the Know including news of offers and advice available to you, IT systems downtime and more.

News for you

Save money this half term with Boundless

Boundless is a membership club for public-sector staff, delivering amazing experiences and days out.

Join Boundless today for £35 and get instant access to benefits worth £245. These include unlimited entry to Kew Gardens, Wakehurst and all 10 Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) sites around the UK. You’ll also get discounts on thousands of days out and visits to UK attractions. Terms and conditions apply.

What’s more, for every person that becomes a member of Boundless, the club will contribute £5 to Portsmouth City Council to spend on staff wellbeing activities – so you’ll benefit even more!

Find out more about Boundless this Friday

You can join Boundless for a Teams webinar this Friday, 10 February, at 12.30pm to find out more about the great savings and benefits available.

Stuck for ideas this half term? Boundless can help

Members this February can get access to an exclusive Kids Pass one-day price drop at Alton Towers on 5 March, and make the most of shorter queues, early access and goodies up for grabs as well as 37% on cinema tickets and food at a choice of cinemas around the country with the Cinema Society.

Join today for £35

Costco membership available to employees

Costco Wholesale is a membership warehouse club selling everything you want, all in one place. Staff who join to be a Costco member at the Southampton warehouse before 30 June 2023 are eligible for a £10 online voucher if they present this advert. All you need to do is provide your work ID card or payslip plus another form of photo ID before you make any purchases. More details about membership options are available online.

Energy saving tips

Salary Finance gives access to a range of financial benefits, including affordable loans repaid through your salary. Visit Salary Finance or watch the lunchtime learning session for more information.

Portsmouth City Council does not benefit from offering this service and all your communications will be with Salary Finance. Loan applications will be assessed to ensure the loan is appropriate and affordable for you.

More Cost of Living - Making Every Contact Count sessions scheduled this February

If you have missed the opportunity to join a Cost of living - Making Every Contact Count session so far, additional dates have been scheduled. Select a date below to reserve your free place:

• Wednesday 22 February - 12pm to 1pm
• Thursday 23 February - 12pm to 1pm

For more information on what this session covers, including additional guides and resources, visit our Cost of living - Making Every Contact Count page.

System downtime and IT updates

PCC Income Management system maintenance

On the morning of 21 February 2023, the PCC Income Management system, PIMS, will be unavailable for a short period whilst planned maintenance is carried out. We aim to have the system back up by lunchtime. Please avoid using the system to take payments from customers until you are notified via email, that the maintenance is complete and the system is ready for use again. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. For any queries or concerns, please contact PIMSAdmin@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

Essential IT maintenance on Sunday 26 February

All Windows servers are being updated between 7am and 3pm on Sunday 26 February, and you should not attempt to use any computer systems during this time. This update will help ensure all our IT systems and infrastructure are up to date with the latest security measures and reduce the risk of cyber-attack. More information can be found online.

Unavailability of all IT Systems this April and May

We need to replace the hardware which runs the firewall protecting our network before it reaches its end of life at the end of May 2023.

The work will take place on Sunday 30 April 2023 however, the following dates are planned should there be any need for further work; Sunday 14 May, Sunday 21 May and Sunday 28 May.

During this essential work, all IT systems will be unavailable. If you have any queries or concerns please speak to your manager.

Teams Telephone roll out starting next month

Full instructions, training materials and support will be sent to all impacted staff in advance of the changes taking place. Dates on when the roll out is happening for each directorate and further information can be found on our Let's talk telephones: fixed phone and phone line changes page.

City news and events

Share your views on inclusive Mobility as a Service

The University of Portsmouth is currently running a study into Mobility as a Service (MaaS) systems - using a single app or platform to plan, book and pay for journeys across lots of different transport options. 

They're interested in people's views on how important it is to provide accessible and inclusive systems for everyone, including people with limited mobility, elderly people and those with lower incomes. Their survey is open until Friday 10 February and should only take about ten minutes to complete. 

Share your views

Could you be a Volunteer Cadet Leader?

Hampshire constabulary have asked us to share the opportunity to become a Volunteer Cadet Leader.  Volunteering can be a great development opportunity as well as make a real difference in the community. Please share with anyone you know who may be interested. If you wish to discuss further, please contact Belinda Kinsley, by emailing belinda.kinsley@hampshire.police.uk. More information and how to apply