Neath Port Talbot Replace Staff with Robot

Welsh council replaces admin staff with robot to provide services with fewer people.

21:07 22 October 2019

Neath Port Talbot Council is set to become the first local authority in Wales to replace admin staff with robot. The council has been trialling a new technology called Robotics Process Automate (RPA) system in processing back office administration. 

 

Sheenagh Rees, head of human resources, has confirmed that the technology has helped clear a backlog of data entry within just weeks. 

 

She said: “Since 2013 there has been a 50% reduction of administration staff in HR but we have only had increasing demand for our services.

 

“The reason we were interested in using RPA was because it could help us deal with a high volume of work we weren’t able to do.

 

“Embracing new ways of working, and particularly technology, that can help us improve efficiency and effectiveness of our workforce really seems like a no-brainer for us.

 

“This has been a brilliant piece of technology to introduce into the team, we would really recommend it to other sectors.

 

“It’s a way of still being able to provide services but with less people providing them.”

 

The council has confirmed that the technology is due to be rolled out to other departments.