Runnymede Borough Council

Citizens and customers have heightened digital expectations, whether buying a gift, organising their personal banking or ensuring they paid for a garden waste bin.

Citizens today expect seamless digital experiences from their local authority comparable to those offered by major banks and global retailers, whether they're purchasing a gift or managing personal finances. Runnymede Borough Council, located in Surrey, recognised this need and embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation journey in 2017. By implementing the full Jadu Digital Platform, the council overhauled both customer services, internal operations, and prioritised meeting citizens' digital demands.

The Challenge

Runnymede Borough Council realised that its existing technology could not meet the expectations of its citizens.

Insufficient investment led to duplicative processes, sluggish response times, and declining customer service standards. The Covid-19 pandemic heightened the demand for online access to local authority services. Linda Norman, Corporate Head of Customer, Digital & Collection Services, took responsibility for addressing these challenges as part of an overarching strategy to enhance customer services and technological efficiency.

The goal was to “make every contact count” ensuring seamless user experience online. Tasked with achieving £250,000 in annual savings and major customer service improvements, the Runnymede Digital team led the transformation effort.

The Solution

To enhance customer services and reduce costs, Linda Norman utilised a visual strategy, presenting a future vision through a postcard.

This kickstarted a technology refresh, upgrading hardware and implementing updated Microsoft and NEC applications (formerly known as Northgate Services). This modernization replaced legacy systems, improving user experience for the staff. With core technologies updated, the focus shifted to enhancing the citizen experience.

Runnymede Borough Council selected the Jadu Digital Platform, which included Jadu Central 2.0 (Content Management System and Forms) and Jadu Connect (Case Management) in November 2020, and completed implementation within 10 months, creating a fully integrated digital platform. This integration process, managed in-house by a small team, ensured seamless integration with existing technologies.

Notably, Jadu provided Runnymede with control over website content management for the first time, after they had previously shared a content management system with a neighbouring local authority. Having control of its web content management has led to Runnymede delivering excellent digital accessibility. Independent digital accessibility experts Silktide has ranked Runnymede as the joint first position in accessibility for 13 consecutive months in its A ccessibility Index for UK Local Authorities.

The Results

Today, Runnymede Borough Council is meeting the digital expectations of its citizens. In just 10 months, the local authority systems and processes have gone from outdated systems and processes to a new website, the launch of OneAccount, payments and customer service platforms.

These technological advancements have led to significant financial gains, savings, and enhanced customer service. The Jadu Digital Platform has delivered £14 million in revenue for the council since August 2021. For example, the garden waste bin services witnessed over 80% of subscribers renewing online with direct debit payments, streamlining the process and eliminating complexities. The implementation of a reporting hub using Jadu Connect and open-source technology has resulted in £190,000 in cost avoidance, benefiting various business processes across the local authority. These savings have been reinvested to further improve services, ensuring budget stability.

Runnymede Borough Council