THE official opening of a flagship, hi-tech centre in Blaenavon yesterday cemented the town's place at the forefront of a digital revolution.

The centre in Victoria House houses the Shared Resource Service, which is effectively the IT nerve centre for Torfaen and Monmouthshire councils and Gwent Police.

Officially opened by First Minister Carwyn Jones, the SRS is part of a wider plan to turn Torfaen into a digital hub for South East Wales.

The Digital Valley vision is already changing the way Torfaen children are educated.

The council has also forged partnerships with some of the giants of technology - Microsoft, Cisco and IBM Virgin, to name a few.

Employing 80 staff, the £3m centre, part-funded by the National Assembly, is already attracting wide interest.

It's attraction for the public sector is that it has merged three IT departments, allowing the individual organisations to make significant savings.

For the private sector, it is the presence of a highly skilled workforce with the expertise to manage IT systems in a high-spec, secure building.

The hope is that the SRS will act as a catalyst for other digital companies to move to the area, knowing that the necessary infrastructure is already in place.

Director of technology-led transformation for Torfaen Farooq Dastgir said the SRS is enabling Gwent Police, Monmouthshire and Torfaen councils to make significant savings and is offering the services far cheaper than at similar centres elsewhere in the UK.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "In these challenging financial conditions, collaboration has never been so important.

“This project is a great example of what can be achieved."

Councillor leader Bob Wellington said: "Where Blaenavon was once the heart of the industrial revolution, today marks a significant step on our journey towards a digital revolution for Torfaen."step on out journey towards a digital revolution for Torfaen.Ó

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Centre shows Torfaen's hi-tech direction

THE OFFICIAL opening of the Shared Resource Centre in Blaenavon is a key development in Torfaen's quest to become a major player in the country's digital economy.

It may not be widely appreciated, but there is a quiet revolution taking place in Torfaen which is increasingly earning the council plaudits from other public sector organisations, the National Assembly and the private sector.

The official opening of the high spec building was not about the bricks and mortar but, more importantly, about Torfaen pioneering a new way of collaborative working between public sector organisations.

The success is in the expertise of the staff who are able to manage ICT systems for numerous bodies, allowing those organisations to make significant savings.

Already Monmouthshire County Council, Torfaen council and Gwent Police are sharing the centre.

But this is just the beginning and given the level of public and private sector interest already being seen, the future is looking bright for Torfaen's policy of creating a digital economy centred on the town which was once at the heart of the country's industrial revolution.