In a deal worth £866,000, The Cornish Key Partnership, has acquired Valid information Systems' electronic document and records management solution to provide comprehensive electronic service delivery for the region. With this end-to-end solution in place, residents in any of the councils will be able to contact any of the councils for up-to-date, accurate information pertaining to their query, wherever they are resident.

The Valid system, R/KYV, has long been used by two of the councils, Caradon and North Cornwall and will now be extended to the other five councils. Demonstrating the true meaning of joined-up government, the councils are, sharing , expertise and information to develop a cost-effective, ICT infrastructure that caters to individual councils as well as the region as a whole.

Three star ICT award winner, North Cornwall District Council is working with the other councils on the implementation of their records management module to support compliance with Freedom of Information and Data Protection.legislation. At the same time, Carrick, Restormel and Kerrier Councils will work together developing a comprehensive revenues and benefits module. The County Council is piloting the use of EDRMS in the Freedom of Information, Pensions, Committee Services, Complaints, Adult Education and Social Services.

Central to the installation is the integration of the front and back office systems, to develop platforms for the portal and the contact centre, test their viability and security, and to roll out new services.

"Our EDRMS system will be a core building block on which our service delivery infrastructure will be created. Our focus is to get the basic information framework accurate, reliable and embedded within our business processes before we extend it into the other elements of our e-government vision." David Picknett Head of IT, Cornwall County Council

About The Cornish Key Partnership

The Partnership comprises all of the councils of mainland Cornwall: the six districts and the County Council. Caradon District Council; Carrick District Council; Cornwall County Council; Kerrier District Council; North Cornwall District Council

Penwith District Council and Restormel Borough Council. It was formed in 2001 as a vehicle for delivering seamless joined up government in Cornwall as part of the Government E-Initiative. It is partly funded through LGOL and IEG and is governed by a formal collaborative agreement. Cornwall County Council is the procuring organisation on behalf of the partnership.