Taxpayers will be saved millions of pounds after the award of a contract to introduce new software to assist in administering Revenues and Benefits across the Westmorland and Furness Council area.
The council’s Cabinet has approved the award of a contract that will mean replacing existing systems from the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland Councils with one that operates across the whole area.
Awarding a single contract for one, fit-for-purpose, cloud-hosted system has been one of the key aims of the council’s Revenues and Benefits Harmonisation Project.
The updated service will mean an end to inefficiencies caused by having to work across separate platforms and systems and enable the streamlining of practices, creating a more consistent customer experience.
The service currently bills more than 116,000 domestic properties and 15,000 businesses and calculates and pays more than 18,000 Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support claims, completing more than one million transactions per year.
Bringing in one system across the Westmorland and Furness footprint is estimated to save taxpayers in the region of £3.6m over the next decade.
The contract is for an initial seven years, with the option for three further years. The total investment over the 10-year period is estimated at £1.9m, which includes one off implementation costs of £312,000 payable across 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 followed by a saving of approximately £390,000 each year.
Cllr Andrew Jarvis, the council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said the award demonstrated the value of a unitary authority being able to simplify and improve services for residents across a large area while at the same time delivering considerable savings.
He said: “This consolidation will bring with it the opportunity for all residents, regardless of area, being able to access the same service, in the same way.
“This will enable the Revenues and Benefits Service to create a single system and processes, and for us to have a fully flexible workforce that can be more effectively targeted, based upon need and demand.
“It is expected there will be further benefits, including productivity and performance gain through streamlined and automated process improvements, reducing repetition.
A report considered by Cabinet said greater automated activity would result in much improved efficiency rates and response times, which would support early intervention and prevention – for example, benefits being paid in a timelier manner when most needed.
Improved functionality will prevent rekeying, duplication and multiple handling of information, not only reducing the demand for phone and in-person contact, but freeing up resource, and providing an improved customer experience.
Introduction of the new software will support a number of priorities set out in Westmorland and Furness’s Council Plan:
- It will assist the improved delivery of Housing Benefits, Council Tax Support and Council Tax discounts and exemptions, thereby supporting people in need and reducing financial inequality.
- It will be an accessible service that meets customer needs, delivering financial support to, in some cases, vulnerable residents, whilst also allowing increased opportunities for self-service and digital access to the Revenues and Benefits Service.
- And it will help staff being more customer-centred, working in a flexible way to meet demand and focus on improving outcomes for residents.
Tenders were received from three bidders, all of which were compliant with the tender requirements. After robust evaluation the contract was awarded to Civica UK Ltd.