Surrey County Council's online CRB checks 'will save £300,000'
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.
Ms Le Gal said the new system would speed up the whole process for staff and job-seekers alike and save money for taxpayers.