STUDENTS from North Yorkshire who are heading off to university in September are urged to apply for financial support as soon as possible.

Undergraduates and others returning to college are also reminded to submit their funding renewal applications in good time.

The recommendation comes after the authority's student support section introduced a new system to process applications.

Staff began using the system, called Protocol, in March this year but teething troubles with the system and variations in its performance were identified.

These prompted a change in working arrangements so staff could take advantage of the system in the evenings, when it works best.

Student support manager Richard Ward said: "As the system is Internet-based, staff in the student support section who have a computer at home can access it whenever they need to.

"It has proved particularly beneficial to staff who have family commitments that prevent them from staying at County Hall after 5pm but still wish to do extra work.

"It also means that staff do not have to come all the way to the office to do extra hours on a weekend."

Executive member for post-16 education, Jim Clark, said productivity had increased because staff were not restricted to regular hours.