London Borough of Southwark is developing an online programme to train staff in online customer care.

The training module will be provided to all planning staff in association with Marshall ACM.

The programme will include a strong ethos of equality and diversity to better serve the local population, which comprises the largest ethnic minority community in the UK.

Gary Rice, head of development control at London Borough of Southwark, said: "We chose e-learning because we wanted to audit and record that every member of staff actively engages with the programme. It is part of a blended programme following on from classroom sessions. An online solution also allows us to keep the programme updated and make it part of induction for all new staff."