Council laptops help Groundwork keep their projects running through lockdown

An organisation which supports disadvantaged people has received three laptops from Warwickshire County Council to help
enable their staff to keep doing their vital work from home.

As part of a recently closed scheme where the county council donated retired laptops to the Voluntary and Community
Sector, a request arrived from an organisation who was having to adapt their services to keep them running for the people of Warwickshire after the UK was sent into lockdown, with most employees required to work from home.

Groundwork UK, which deliver European Social Fund projects Progress and Community Grants in the region, contacted the
council's Economy & Skills office to take up the offer. Both those projects are continuing to operate during the lockdown but, with their office-based staff now home-based, Groundwork required more laptops to support the remote working.

They looked into purchasing some more but, given the circumstances, found this would take much longer than usual. The county council was happy to step in to support and provided three retired laptops, minimising the delay and allowing the money which Groundwork UK would have spent on additional laptops to go towards frontline services instead.

Warwickshire County Council assistant director (communities) Dave Ayton-Hill said: "Groundwork UK does excellent work in delivering projects across Warwickshire. It is fantastic, but not surprising, that they and other similar organisations are showing the skills and resourcefulness to adapt to the current situation and continue to deliver support to those who need it. The county council is pleased and proud to support them."