Westminster City Council selects Ricoh to aid digital transformation

Council looking to reduce reliance on paper in the planning process

Westminster City Council has signed a new partnership with Ricoh that will see the IT services company help the local authority use technology to reduce its reliance on paper.

Westminster City Council is the busiest planning authority in the UK, with over 12,000 applications per year. It's hoped that by moving to a digital system and cutting a reliance on paper, the council will improve its services while also reducing costs and saving space previously required for storing physical documents.

The council also plans to use Ricoh's advanced archiving, scanning and indexing services to store documents digitally with the ability to quickly search for and retrieve them when required.

"As a forward-thinking council, we are committed to ensuring we provide services in the most efficient and environmentally-friendly manner; reducing our reliance on paper and investing in digital to provide services - and Ricoh's expertise will be fundamental in ensuring we can achieve this," explained Anthony Oliver, chief procurement officer at Westminster City Council.

"In today's connected world, increasingly our users demand the ability to access information and services online and this partnership will in the future support us to meet these demands - while streamlining our processes internally," he added.

Naturally, Ricoh welcomed the opportunity to aid Westminster City Council with its digital transformation.

"Our technology will enable Westminster City Council to further improve productivity internally, supporting the organisation to provide better services on a daily basis at a reduced cost to the taxpayer," said Alasdair McCormick, national sales director at Ricoh.

"Alongside these benefits, we will also work with the council to help it connect with residents, businesses and visitors through digital channels in the future, strengthening relationships and providing access to vital services to increasing numbers of users," he added.

Westminster City Council is far from the only public-sector body in London using technology to become less reliant on paper. Camden and Islington NHS Trust has deployed the Carenotes Electronic Patient Record system (EPR) from Advanced Health & Care in an effort to improve patient care in its mental health services.