Somerset Council has reached an important stage in its transformation journey with the launch of a new integrated Revenues and Welfare system for residents across the county.
Bringing services together
The project has brought together four separate Council Tax, Benefits and Business Rates systems inherited when Somerset Council became a unitary authority. These have been replaced by a single cloud-based platform provided by NEC.
The new system will help the Council simplify its services, reduce complexity and provide residents with a more consistent experience, wherever they live in Somerset.
What the new system will do
- Support simpler and more consistent services across Somerset.
- Provide improved digital self-service options for residents.
- Introduce a new electronic document management solution.
- Create more opportunities to automate processes and reduce duplication.
- Help teams work more consistently across the county.
Councillor Liz Leyshon, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Finance, Procurement and Performance, said:
The launch of our new Revenues and Welfare system is an important step towards creating a simpler, more joined-up and digitally enabled council.
Bringing four separate systems together has been a significant undertaking, but it gives us a strong foundation from which to improve our services further. In time, residents will benefit from a more consistent service and easier ways to access the support and information they need.
I would like to thank everyone across the Council and our delivery partners whose commitment, expertise and collaboration have made this possible. I’d also like to thank residents and businesses for their patience and apologise to anyone who has experienced inconvenience while we complete this transition.
The project required close cooperation between teams across Revenues and Welfare, Customer Services, ICT, Finance and Digital Transformation, alongside delivery partners including NEC.
During the transition, additional support from NEC’s Entitlement Services team helped provide operational resilience, enabling the Council to continue delivering essential services while colleagues focused on implementing the new platform.
What happens next
The Council is now working through the early stages of operating the merged system. Over the coming weeks, teams will:
- monitor how the new system is performing
- support colleagues as they use the new platform
- embed the new processes across teams
- work to minimise disruption for residents.
Residents may experience some temporary delays while the new ways of working become fully established. Some residents and businesses will also receive tailored communications over the coming weeks about accessing services, managing their online accounts and any actions they may need to take. The Council is working to minimise disruption and asks customers for their patience during this period.
Once embedded, the platform will help the Council increase efficiency, make greater use of automation and continue developing modern digital services that residents can access when and how they choose.
Councillor Leyshon added:
This achievement demonstrates what can be accomplished when colleagues and partners work together towards a shared goal. It will help us build more efficient, resilient and accessible services for Somerset’s residents.
