We’ve got your number

The growing use of mobile phones in local authorities has been
greatly scorned.

But when Hackney social services’ switchboard crashed for a
couple of hours a few weeks ago, the much derided mobile phones
were used to good effect by keeping social workers in contact with
the outside world.

Of course there is always a drawback – callers were charged
premium rates.

Somehow I don’t think that this little financial miscalculation
is going to find a home in the monthly budget report.