Cornwall Council has been shortlisted in a national award for its work on digital transformation. The local authority has been shortlisted for Digital Council of the Year at the prestigious Connected Britain awards, alongside technology delivery partner, Headforwards.
The council has been undergoing a widescale digital transformation, with the aim of digitalising its processes and modernising its public services for all those in the region.
The programme is transforming processes throughout the local authority. At its centre is a Single View of the Resident initiative which brings together a wide range of data from multiple sources into an extensive data warehouse to enable Cornwall’s 570,000 residents access to a range of services, all in one place.
The development and introduction of Dynamics 365 has transformed the council’s contact centre service and experience for residents. The contact centre receives around 1500 calls a day and needed a streamlined and centralised case management system to provide a better service for residents and improve the efficiency of the council’s service.
Alongside the contact centre work, a new MyCornwall portal has been introduced, offering self-service for residents via new web forms, improved integrations and the ability to request and manage more services online.
Steve Elsworthy, Head of Information Services at Cornwall Council says: “It’s an honour to have our digital transformation recognised at a national level, and a real boost for the teams working on the project.
“We’re already seeing the impact of the project, with improved efficiencies and time savings across a range of processes, from Waste and Contact Centre to HR and feedback.
“Our Digital transformation isn’t just about technology, but about people and changing how we work to deliver improved customer experiences as well as empowering our employees with new skills and tools. People from across the organisation have had access to Agile training, as well as upskilling on new tools. It’s a mindset shift for all of us, and the commitment from the whole organisation has been significant.”
Jenny Payne, Head of Customer Experience and Improvement at Cornwall Council says:
“We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted for Digital Council of the Year at the Connected Britain awards. This recognition reflects our commitment to continually enhance the experience of Cornwall’s residents through innovative digital solutions.
“The digital transformation we’ve undertaken, including the development of the MyCornwall Portal and the Single View of the Resident initiative, is central to our mission of making council services more accessible, efficient, and responsive. Our focus has always been on putting our residents and customers at the heart of everything we do, and this nomination is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team.”
The council has reported that they have already seen efficiencies. The Waste New Operating Model with an improved integration with the waste service provider is saving 800+ hours per year. Improved case management is already saving 240+ hours of work per year. The ‘Report it’ process transformation which includes improved integration, automation and data capture saves 640+ hours through only one process improvement, with more in delivery and on the current roadmap. Internal processes have also been transformed, with new and improved booking functionality saving 750 hours a year and speeding up the time it takes for the council’s own employees to access occupational health services.
Cornwall-based technology partner, Headforwards has been working with the council on implementing its transformation for a number of years.
Toby Parkins, co-founder of Headforwards says: “Cornwall Council should be incredibly proud of the work they’re doing. This isn’t the first time their digital transformation has been recognised at a national level and there are many local authorities out there that wish they’d taken a similar approach.
“Transformations to public services like this take vision and consistency from the leadership and at Headforwards we’re delighted to be a part of Cornwall Council’s journey.”
Also in the shortlist for the awards is local broadband provider Wildanet, a finalist in the Broadband Provider of the Year award. The award ceremony will take place for all finalists on Wednesday 11 September at the Excel in London.
