THE internet is set to transform the way Worcestershire County Council operates – with the aim of getting “100 per cent” of services online.

The cash-strapped authority, which is slashing £98m from spending by 2017, is hoping to ease future staffing voids by turning to the web.

A new report says reducing “expensive face-to-face contact” for those who don’t need it could transform the way the council works.

Under the cuts at least 600 jobs will be axed, with bosses aiming to make sure the majority of the posts to go are back office functions.

The report, published for the Conservative cabinet, says becoming a fully-fledged “digital council” can increase the amount of “productive time” staff spend with people who need it, for example carers of vulnerable children.

In recent years more and more services have become available online, including reports of pot holes, allowing residents to email across pictures of badly damaged roads and ask them to be repaired.

Parents applying for school places are also now encouraged to do it over the internet, rather than face-to-face, and more services will go the same way.

Councillor Adrian Hard-man, the leader of the council, says it will help County Hall focus on the challenges ahead.

“We are determined to drive forward with our ‘open for business’ agenda even in these challenging times,” he said.

“We’ve managed to shrink the budget by £51m over the last two years and those pressures continue to grow.

“It’s a tremendous task in front of us and we can’t meet those challenges without transforming the way the council operates.”

The report on the Corporate Plan also insists roads maintenance will be one area protected from the brunt of the cuts, as well as care for vulnerable children.

It is based on roadshow-style events with the general public, who frequently cited both services as very important.

More than 35,000 people were asked for the views in forming the Corporate Plan.

But the report has been rejected by the opposition Labour group, which says it will strongly resist scaling down face-to-face interaction.

Councillor Peter McDonald, group leader, said: “With high unemployment and youth employment at record levels we need more than ever to protect jobs in Worcestershire and keep people in the county working and off benefits.”