The creation of service desks in three major libraries has saved a Kent council almost £6m over two years, it claims.

Visitors to the facilities can Medway Council in Kent can now access up to four members of council staff to report problems, gather advice or return documents.

The facility has saved the council £5.98m against a two year target of £5.91m, and is on track to save £14.6m over five years.

Bob Wilde, change manager at Medway Council said: “The new community hubs give us a fantastic platform to connect with the public and bring council services directly to the heart of these towns.  Libraries are a fundamental part of local communities and our presence there encourages engagement with councils staff.”

He said savings have come from departments no longer needing to handle routine telephone calls, particularly at libraries and leisure centres.

The “community hubs” are open from 8am to 8pm. They have been built by the council in conjuction with supplier KANA Software, and link customer relationship management and electronic document and records management systems to key ICT services, including asset management.

The system has significantly reduced the amount of duplicate processing making transaction faster and removing keying errors, the council said.

A fourth hub is set to open next year, with further hubs expected in future.

David Moody, global head of government and public sector practice at KANA Software said: “Medway is a great example of a council evolving to meet the needs of a modern community. 

“The integration of Lagan software to blend library services with council functionality is efficiency in the truest sense of the word.”