Posts about:
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.
People are used to doing everything online – from shopping and banking to booking holidays. They expect things to be quick, easy and just work. That expectation applies to council services too.
Revenues & Benefits teams are under increasing pressure to manage rising workloads, improve customer experience and deliver more with limited resources. Automation is helping councils meet these challenges head-on by removing repetitive manual processes, reducing backlogs and creating more resilient, efficient services.
We’re getting ready to introduce a new service designed to tackle one of the most persistent challenges facing local authorities: managing high volumes of email efficiently. Developed in close collaboration with Manchester City Council, the new Inbox Assistant uses Netcall’s Liberty IDP technology to reduce manual effort and unlock further automation across Revenues & Benefits.
We’re delighted to share that Lichfield District Council has been shortlisted in the LGC Awards within the category of Innovation for its banded Council Tax Support as a Discount service. A brand-new offering that we developed together to digitally transform the way the council administers Council Tax Support.
Local government reorganisation (LGR) affects councils in different ways. First you need to come together and keep services operational, then you can think about digital transformation. But what if you could do both at the same time?
Across England, councils are contemplating, and in some cases already navigating, the most significant structural changes in decades. While authorities merge and consolidate, governance shifts and citizens expect to receive consistent, high quality services without interruption.
Automation has been on the local government agenda for years. Most councils are familiar with the term, and many believe they already understand what it means. But automation doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone – and that’s where expectations, ambition and outcomes can start to drift apart.
At Govtech, automation isn’t a destination or a one-off project. It’s a journey. One that progresses over time, deepens through partnership, and delivers more value as automation is continually refined and expanded.
Like many of you, we’ve not long returned from the IRRV Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025 and, once again, the event proved invaluable. As always, it’s the perfect opportunity to catch-up with so many of our customers, as well as meet new faces, and share automation stories about the real benefits and value our solutions are providing for councils all over the country.
Revenues and Benefits teams are facing constant pressure. Workload is rising while budgets tighten and the pressure to do more with less is relentless. The challenge is clear: how can Services break this cycle?
The answer is automation. Our customers have shown how automating routine processes creates valuable space for reallocating resources to higher-priority collection and intervention work.
In 2021, I found myself working in the world of Revenues and Benefits. Before then I didn’t give much thought to what was involved in Council Tax itself. Like many people, I just accepted it as a part of adult life – you get a bill once a year, and if you're like me, you set up a Direct Debit and forget about it.
Local councils in England are in trouble. Many are heading towards a financial crisis due to years of severe underfunding, which – without action – will see significant cuts to vital public services. In fact, reports suggest that one in four English councils could go bankrupt in the next two years, amid an enormous £54bn funding black hole.
Having not long returned from the IRRV Annual Conference 2024, always a firm favourite, it’s true when they say everything happens at once. Settle in there’s a lot to share, including: our highlights from the IRRV, welcoming SIX new customers to the webCAPTURE community, and celebrating our long-standing customers.