Harrow Council starts mobile working (From Harrow Times)

Harrow Council starts mobile working

5:22pm Monday 10th November 2008 in

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Harrow Council has ditched its offices for staff in the housing department in favour of them working on the road.

Council officers are now working using laptops and mobile scanners to avoid having to return to the civic centre, instead doing their work as they visit residents at home, or at community centres.

Online case files for residents have been created and will be updated by officers who will scan in letters, documents, and forms, and upload them electronically.

The new way of working, called the HaRP project, is being trialled by staff in income collection, housing needs assessment, and housing allocation.

If it proves successful, it could be rolled out across all council departments.

The council has invested in 65 laptops and mobile scanners to get the project off the ground, and the new way of working could save it around £300,000.

It is also undertaking a process to scan in all old papers and documents and file them online, making more of the council's archive accessible on the Internet.

The Harrow Times is following a similar path, with all journalists now being based out of the office, armed with a laptop, mobile phone, and digital camera.