A batch of new iPads will be winging their way into the hands of councillors to cut the costs of printing.

Gravesham council wants to spend £33,750 on 63 iPad Air 2 tablets in an effort to save money on the printing of reports.

The council estimates it prints around 200,000 sheets of paper per year so members can see agendas, at a cost of £30,000.

In total 44 of the tablets, at £400 each, will be given to councillors with a remaining 19 to be used by senior officers.

The proposal will be discussed at a council cabinet meeting on Monday, but the aim is to introduce the devices after the elections in May.

The 64Gb iPads will be equipped with wifi, protective covers and additional keyboards as well as AppleCare+ for iPad insurance – which covers two incidents of accidental damage, with a £39 excess charge.

However, council leader Cllr John Burden said if councillors lost or broke them, they would be expected to pay.

He said: “If you lose it, you pay for it. Councillors are grown-up, responsible people; they have to be responsible for the equipment we give them.

“We’re loaning the iPads, they are not theirs.”

The council boss said one of the reasons iPads had been chosen above other models was because of their resilience to viruses and capability to keep important documents secure.

He also explained the council had not splashed out on the top specifications of the product.

He said: “There are various models of iPad and we’ve gone for the cheaper model. It will be used to read reports, not to hold lots of information.

“We’re not purchasing any 3G. If they want that they will have to buy that themselves.”

The tablet scheme has been tried by other borough councils in the county and the council hopes it will save £28,090 over a four-year period.

Cllr Burden said: “It’s quite simple really, it’s about saving money. If we can cut down the costs of printing, the costs of paper and the environmental costs, such as cutting down trees, then we will.”

Cllr Burden added: “Everybody will have an iPad and that’s how they will access their reports.

“I’m sympathetic that if there is somebody with a disability which will ensure they cannot use the iPad, such as a problem with their eyesight, we will look at whether they can use a hardcopy of reports.

“But this will not be a general thing. As a general rule we will all use the iPads.”