Switching council income management systems
Newcastle-under-Lyme case study
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council wanted simpler, joined-up payments for residents, but its old income management system’s integrations and automation couldn’t keep up. It switched to Local Gov IMS and GOV.UK Pay in 12 weeks.
(Above) figures from the first 21 days after go-live, from the council’s work with Local Gov IMS and GOV.UK Pay
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Newcastle-under-Lyme’s IT, corporate resources and finance leads discuss the switch
below read from
What did the council’s IT lead need?
We wanted to “simplify the process of how we handle payments for our residents, so making things really simple, secure and efficient”.
What wasn’t working?
- Other providers “didn’t understand how local government operates”: how councils take transactions and the range of customers they serve.
- The team couldn’t shape or export data the way they needed.
- Payments weren’t joined up, making things harder for citizens making payments, and for staff processing them.
Why Local Gov IMS?
- Local Gov IMS works with the council’s existing online form and GOV.UK Pay. It also lets the council take telephone payments in a way that's smoother for staff and citizens.
- Councils shape the roadmap together, and every improvement reaches every council. The council can still tailor the system to the way it works, or in Sam’s words, “Newcastlify” it.
- Sam sees the work with Tailwind Digital as a partnership the council will keep developing.
What has changed?
- Local Gov IMS and GOV.UK Pay connect to the council’s line of business systems, finance system and website, making payments “really slick and easy” for residents.
- The team can follow each payment from start to finish, spot trends and help residents who are struggling to pay.
- Payments now work better across service requests and applications and there is a better journey for residents.
What changed for Newcastle-under-Lyme’s finance team?
