Council team’s award win secures £500 donation for local food bank

With the introduction of strict lockdown restrictions in March and with many families facing increased financial pressures, this year Swindon Borough Council has seen a significant increase in applications from residents requesting free school meals for their children.

Recognising the importance of meeting this increased demand, a programme of work, developed by the Council’s Emerging Technologies Team, has ensured free school meal applications are processed efficiently so that children in Swindon can continue to benefit from this vital service.

Within this programme, the team use emerging digital solutions to reduce the need for manual processes and achieve previously unattainable speeds for processing applications.

This includes the introduction of Robotics Process Automation (RPA) technology for processing the free school meal applications. RPA within a computer completes simple, repetitive tasks with clear rules, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and with zero mistakes. As a result, despite the significant increase in applications, a trial of RPA has achieved a 98 per cent increase in efficiency in the speed of processing applications.

The programme has also led to improved communication between the Council and the Department of Education when processing applications. This has successfully reduced the application turnaround time for parents and carers by 66 per cent.

In recognition of their impressive work, the Emerging Technologies team recently received the NDL Changing Lives Award at the annual NDL Community Awards.

NDL collaborate with a community of public sector organisations, including Swindon Borough Council, to share best practice and innovation so that challenges can be overcome more easily.

Their annual awards celebrate the achievements generated by public sector organisations who work with NDL. The Changing Lives Award recognises projects which use technology to make a difference in the community.

As a result of their win, the team received a trophy as well as a £500 contribution to a charity of the Council’s choice.

After considering the many deserving charities across Swindon, Councillor David Renard, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, and Susie Kemp, the Council’s Chief Executive, chose Swindon Food Collective, an independent charity that aims to help people in Swindon and the surrounding area who are suffering from financial hardship and are finding it difficult to provide food for themselves, their family or dependants. They currently feed over 7,000 people per year and have handed out over 90 tonnes of food this year.

Councillor David Renard, Leader of the Council, said: “For parents struggling with financial difficulties, finding the money to buy food can be extremely challenging.

“Thanks to the work of the Emerging Technologies team, we have made it easier for parents to apply for free school meals and, as a bonus, we’re extremely pleased to be able to support other residents struggling to afford food through the donation to Swindon Food Collective.

“The Emerging Technologies team’s achievement in winning the NDL Changing Lives Award not only cements the quality of their work within the technology industry, but also, most importantly, the benefit and importance of their work within our local community.”

Cher Smith MBE, Manager of Swindon Food Collective, said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have sadly seen a significant increase in demand from residents struggling to provide food for themselves and their families. As the pandemic continues and we once again face strict lockdown restrictions, we recognise that our food parcels will continue to be needed more than ever.

“We at Swindon Food Collective are extremely grateful for this fantastic donation from Swindon Borough Council and for any donation we receive. This money will allow us to continue helping vulnerable residents source food as well as toiletries and household cleaning items to help them stay nourished, safe and healthy.  This practical support is especially needed during this challenging time and together we are making a genuine difference to the lives of adults and children in Swindon.”

For help accessing food or support, or to make a donation, residents can visit the Swindon Food Collective website: https://www.swindonfoodcollective.org/