Civica - Scotland’s largest social housing authority selects Comino for electronic working

Scotland’s largest social housing authority selects Comino for electronic working

North Lanarkshire Council has taken steps towards electronic working after selecting public sector IT specialist Comino, a Civica group company, to implement workflow, document management and imaging in its benefits department. The £200,000 project will aid the Council in storing, accessing and managing its 45,000-strong annual benefit caseload.

Comino helps local authorities to remove the reliance on paper-based processes and adopt a fully electronic set up. Delivering the benefits service from ten First Stop Shops and four benefits offices means that North Lanarkshire Council has a wide area to cover with paperwork. Employing the Comino solution will enable officers to access relevant documentation from wherever they are, significantly reducing courier travel expenses, photocopying and file storage costs.

Hugh McGhee, benefits manager at North Lanarkshire Council comments, “We see numerous benefits that Comino can bring to our large authority. Not least of which is the centralisation of our documentation that will enable us to better support mobile working.”

Comino was chosen following an extensive tendering process, full product demonstration and reference site visits. North Lanarkshire Council is As a long-standing Civica customer of the Civica group, and the selection of Comino makes it easier to achieve further improvements, as the Comino system will be closely integrated into the portfolio of Civica solutions. McGhee continues, “Comino has an excellent reputation in the industry and especially in Scotland.

“We will be working with the Comino team to develop the process maps for workflow and model them as we see fit as the project progresses. The Comino solution is flexible enough to do this and the team are open and adaptable.”

North Lanarkshire Council is beginning phase one of the Comino rollout in two of its benefits offices, with other offices to follow. Phase one is expected to be complete in late autumn 2006.

About North Lanarkshire

Based in the heart of Scotland, North Lanarkshire has a population of around 321,000 and covers one of the largest local council areas in the country with a total land area of more than 47,648 hectares.

The central location, excellent transport links and natural scenic beauty, ensure that the area is popular both as an ideal location to set up home or business and as a centre for the casual visitor or touring holidaymaker.