First Minister Carwyn Jones will officially open a flagship public service shared resource centre in Blaenavon on Monday 14 February.
The Shared Resource Service (SRS), based at Victoria House, Blaenavon, is one of the most advanced public sector ICT projects in the UK, and is at the heart of the council’s Digital Valley vision which aims to make Torfaen communities the most connected in the UK.
The SRS has successfully merged three public services IT teams – Torfaen and Monmouthshire councils and Gwent Police, and created a state-of-the-art resource centre, bringing new jobs and a skilled workforce to support the local economy and regeneration of Blaenavon.
The centre provides a unique public sector digital storage facility for Wales and is attracting interest from organisations from both the private and public sectors looking to host their data safely and securely in Blaenavon.
The successful integration of the teams and facilities means the SRS has quickly become a model for public service collaboration in Wales.
First Minister Carwyn Jones, said: “I’m pleased to open this innovative Shared Resource Service Centre. In these challenging financial conditions, collaboration has never been so important and it’s something that will become more common, with statutory and voluntary sectors working in partnership with the community to find better and more efficient ways of providing services to citizens. This project in Blaenavon is a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration.”
Councillor Bob Wellington, leader of Torfaen County Borough Council, said: “Where Blaenavon was once the heart of the industrial revolution, today marks a significant step on our journey towards a digital revolution for Torfaen. The Shared Resource Service is not only the shining light in our vision for developing a digital economy in Torfaen but is a superb example of how public services can unite, sharing resources and expertise to deliver better and more efficient services.”
Farooq Dastgir, director of the Shared Resource Service, said: “The success of the SRS exemplifies our approach to partnership, the gains to be made from collaboration and the benefits of achieving critical technical mass. We are on an incredible journey which so far has proved that multiple organisations can work together, not only to deliver more efficient services but allows us to improve our services through learning together and sharing our knowledge and expertise.”
