After reporting how Kent County Council had joined the micro-blogging site Twitter, it occurred to me that while embracing one aspect of the digital revolution, the powers at be at County Hall had not yet relaxed their ban on staff using Facebook.

That ban came more than a year ago amid apparent concerns that employees were - or could - spend time surfing the Internet when they should be doing other rather more important things, like er, work.

Perhaps it is time for a County Hall review - particularly in view of today's news that a study has shown that allowing staff to use Facebook and other social networking sites can be good for you.

A study by the University of Melbourne has shown that people who use the internet for personal reasons at work are about 9 per cent more productive that those who do not.

Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said "workplace internet leisure browsing" or WILB, helped to sharpen workers' concentration.

As KCC likes to get as much as it can from its staff, surely council chiefs won't be averse to a nine per cent increase in productivity?