Surrey County Council's online CRB checks 'will save £300,000' Published duration 16 April 2012

A council that carries up to 10,000 background checks a year is set to save £300,000 by running the system online.

Surrey County Council claimed moving Criminal Records Bureau checks from a paper to an online system had cut the time of a check from weeks to days.

Councillor Denise Le Gal said the "dramatic speeding up of the process" would save £300,000 over three years.

She said that under the previous paper system, a check could take up to six weeks but now took a few days.

The council has to carry out a background check for anyone who applies for a job that involves working with vulnerable people.

The Conservative-run authority said the online system would also improve the security of personal information.