There was a time when automation in local government was viewed as a future ambition – a useful enhancement that could improve efficiency if budgets and priorities allowed. Fast forward five years, and the conversation has completely changed.
Today, automation is no longer considered a luxury. It has become an essential part of the team.
Across councils throughout the UK, digital process automation is now embedded into day-to-day operations, helping services manage increasing workloads, improve citizen experiences and make the best use of valuable staff resources. For many of our customers, the idea of operating without Govtech's automation is almost unthinkable.
As Lisa Webster, Project Manager – Revenues & Benefits, from Kirklees Council recently put it:
“It would be a disaster if they switched the automation off.”
She added:
“I’ll be surprised if councils are not embracing automation, everyone must be using some form of it to manage the growing workloads.”
Those comments perfectly capture the shift in mindset we've witnessed. A few years ago, we established our automation club to help councils understand the possibilities automation could deliver and to raise aspirations for what was achievable. We wanted local authorities to think beyond simple efficiencies and recognise automation's potential to transform service delivery.
Today, we're delighted to see those ambitions becoming reality.
What Does True Automation Deliver?
The most compelling answer comes from the results our customers are achieving.
A great example is Coventry City Council, which has dramatically reduced its Council Tax backlog from 19 weeks to just 11 days following the implementation of webCAPTURE.
How was this achieved?
The team deployed webCAPTURE's core modules alongside the Landlord Schedule form with five large landlords. At the same time, they deactivated a generic email inbox and successfully shifted customers towards online forms as the primary channel for submitting information.
The result was a significant reduction in incoming manual workload and a rapid decrease in backlog within the first year.
These are the kinds of outcomes that demonstrate an immediate return on investment and prove that Govtech's automation can deliver tangible results from day one.
Karen Holtom, Policy and Projects Manager, Revenues and Benefits at Coventry City Council, said:
“webCAPTURE automation has significantly reduced manual processing, improved accuracy and enabled us to focus on more complex cases where human intervention adds the greatest value.
This in turn has allowed us to greatly reduce significant backlogs, meaning customers receive their bills quicker, giving us the opportunity to maximise collection benefitting Coventry citizens.”
This is automation at its best: not replacing people but empowering them to focus on the work where their expertise delivers the greatest value. |
When Govtech's Automation Becomes Indispensable
One of the strongest indicators of successful automation is what happens once it becomes fully embedded within a service. Our customers quickly see the value and impact automation delivers. In many cases, it becomes so integral to operations that teams simply don't want to operate without it.
That's why we're incredibly grateful for the loyalty shown by many of our long-standing customers. We never take those partnerships for granted, and we're proud to continue supporting councils that have trusted us for many years. So, a big thank you to the following sites who have chosen to renew their services:
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The Journey Doesn't Stop at Automation
Interestingly, once councils experience the benefits automation delivers, the conversation often changes from "Should we automate?" to "What more can we automate?"
Councils are increasingly looking at how they can maximise their investment, streamline additional processes and unlock even greater efficiencies.
A recent example is the collaboration with Manchester City Council and our new email automation solution Inbox Assistant, using Netcall’s Liberty IDP technology. Early results are already demonstrating significant potential for further efficiency gains.
Whilst Haringey Council is also harnessing Netcall's Liberty platform as part of its wider digital transformation programme, continuing its journey to drive greater efficiencies across the council.
Welcoming New Councils to the Automation Community
While many customers are expanding mature automation programmes, we're equally excited to welcome new councils that have begun their own automation journeys this year.
So, welcome onboard:
- Waltham Forest London Borough Council
- Royal Borough or Windsor and Maidenhead Council
- Dorset Council
- Gwynedd Council
These new partnerships reflect the growing recognition that automation is now a fundamental component of modern service delivery.
Record Volumes, Record Confidence
The growing adoption of automation is reflected in the scale of processing taking place across our customer base.
In April 2026, Govtech processed a record 4.9 million transactions in a single month. |
This milestone reflects both the growing adoption of automation across local government and the confidence councils place in automated services to handle high-volume workloads accurately and reliably.
Are You Measuring the Right Outcomes?
As automation becomes more established, councils are asking increasingly sophisticated questions.
It's no longer enough simply to automate a process. The real question is:
Does your automation deliver guaranteed outcomes?
Can you clearly demonstrate:
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What your automation is processing?
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How many transactions are being completed automatically?
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What cost savings are being achieved?
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How resources are being redeployed?
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How is service performance improving?
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How revenue collection is being protected or enhanced?
The councils achieving the greatest success are those that can measure and report on these outcomes with confidence.
Cheshire East Council, a customer of 8-years, experienced this first hand when replacing an alternative solution with Govtech's automation platform.
Beth Hooson, Systems, Performance and Improvement Manager, said:
“Cheshire East needed a really good automation solution to replace an existing one and we've found that with Govtech.
We found out the overall experience with Govtech has been brilliant. You know, we started getting automation rates of 70% straight away, which was an increase from 50% with the previous solution.”
Automation is enabling:
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For councils facing increasing demand and ongoing resource pressures, those improvements can have a significant operational and financial impact.
Automation Is Now the Standard
We no longer need to make the case for whether automation is required.
Councils across the UK have already answered that question.
Digital transformation is accelerating, and automation is becoming embedded across services and departments throughout local government. In Revenues and Benefits alone, the impact can be transformative and clearly measurable.
Ultimately, automation is not about replacing people. It's about enabling council teams to spend more time where they can make the biggest difference.
The councils leading the way are proving that when routine processes are handled automatically, the team can focus on the complex, sensitive and valuable work that requires human input, empathy and expertise.
The question for councils is no longer whether automation should play a role in service delivery. The question is how much more value can be unlocked when automation becomes a core part of the team.
For an increasing number of local authorities, that journey is already well underway.
