BIRMINGHAM City Council's 17 new Members have been kitted-out with ICT equipment in record time following last Thursday's local elections, thanks to Service Birmingham.

In a bid to get newly-elected councillors up and running, Service Birmingham engineers worked over the weekend to ensure they had email addresses and BlackBerry smartphones ready for them first thing Monday morning.

Service Birmingham chief executive Stewart Wren explained: "We wanted to make sure new councillors had the means to get on with the job from day one. As soon as they finished their swearing-in we had engineers on hand to take them through the technology options available to them in order to help them fulfil their roles."

Councillors were supplied with a smartphone to make them immediately contactable, allowing them to send and receive emails and book-in important meetings. They also have the option of a using a laptop to help them with their council work.

Deputy Council Leader Cllr Paul Tilsley said: "I'm glad Service Birmingham has been quick off the mark, ensuring our new members are equipped to do their jobs.

"We live in a 24/7 culture with ever greater demands on our time so it's important we make sure our new councillors are set up to hit the ground running".

Newly-elected councillor for Selly Oak, Councillor Brigid Jones added: "I'm really impressed to see they have been so quick off the mark in getting us all kitted out.

"Knowing that the IT side of things is sorted out allows me to get on with the hundred other tasks facing a new councillor."