Twitter to drive council’s plans to save money - but jobs could be lost

[email protected]

TWITTER, Facebook and text messaging are likely to form the new way people in Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth and surrounding areas find out about district council services.

The council’s executive committee has approved plans to invest up to £250,000 over the next two years in improving the way the council communicates with people.

The money will be spent on paying two temporary staff to work on a project that will aim to reduce the amount of paper and email correspondence, focusing instead on the internet and mobile phone technology - a project officials say will save the council more than £122,000 between now and 2014.

In a report, the council’s head of service, Susie Drummond, said: “We need to recognise that people will use different channels of communication for different types of interactions and to suit their own convenience.

“Our overarching purpose is to give our customers the right advice and support at the right time.”

She pointed out that more than 80 per cent of people living in the district have access to a broadband internet connection and more than 90 per cent own a mobile phone, while quarter of the district’s adults and half of its teenagers now own a smartphone, through which they can access the internet.

The project will involved both councillors and staff training on how to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Speaking at a recent executive meeting, Cllr Moira-Ann Grainger said: “Using these could be very cost effective.”

The change will mean seven jobs will be lost, while one permanent job will be created in addition to the two temporary posts.

Cllr Grainger said; “It’s our position as a local authority to not make redundancies. We will work to make sure, if we can, that all the people are found the right post.”