Westmorland and Furness Council has set out its ambition to transform services through digital innovation.
The council believes the way people access public services is evolving rapidly with expectations driven by a 24/7 culture. The new strategy aims to make greater use of digital technology to deliver council services, enhance customer experience and drive efficiencies.
The Digital Ambition strategy, approved last week by the council’s Cabinet, is focused on creating real world benefits for residents, business and staff. It will help co-ordinate activity to improve digital inclusion, community power and service delivery.
The strategy recognises that the pace of change within technology is constant and outlines the council’s commitment to embrace new opportunities.
Through a combination of self-service portals, use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and support offered through digital channels, telephony and face-to-face channels, the council’s strategy says future interactions could be transformed. This could include greater ease of access to high quality service information, proactive reminders based on an individual’s preferences and access to support through chat and automation.
Cllr Peter Thornton, Cabinet member for Highways and ICT, said work to bring the strategy to life would have the customer at its heart; with their voices being key in designing future solutions.
He said: “There are many everyday tasks and challenges that residents face where they need to be in contact with their council. We recognise the frustration they will feel if they are not able to get answers for themselves at the time they want or have to go through clunky processes and be handed from one team to another.
“This is not the experience we want to provide and this is why our digital transformation journey is so important, so it can enhance our residents’ and customers’ experiences.”
Cllr Thornton also stressed that no one would be left behind by technology and the council remained committed to offering telephony and face-to-face services.
He added: “We want to provide a high quality, easily accessible digital ‘front door’ for our customers but this will not be the only route available. Those who don’t feel comfortable using digital products will still be able to speak to us by phone or in person.
“Through digital improvements, we will be able to process work faster, provide residents with real-time updates and spend more time offering tailored support to those who need it most.
“By leveraging technology, data and innovation, we will create a future where interactions with the council will be smoother, smarter and more satisfying.”
The council is consolidating systems from the four local authorities it replaced and is well positioned to build on current strengths and seize emerging opportunities.
Key actions to realising the council’s Digital Ambition include:
- Using public and user feedback to help create services that reflect community needs.
- Adopting self-service portals for users and streamlining service delivery ensuring accessibility standards are met to cater for all residents.
- Providing digital upskilling and training for staff and councillors.
- Promoting digital inclusion through community hubs and libraries.
The three-year Digital Ambition strategy is backed by a 2025/26 delivery plan. This includes developments such as improved website accessibility, embedding AI in appropriate business applications and building a range of data-driven digital services, with a focus on high-volume services where manual processes are currently heavily used.
Both documents can be found on this link or by searching the Westmorland and Furness Council website for ‘digital ambition’.