Anglia Revenues Partnership

Summary of Submission

Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) delivers Revenues and Benefits services for five councils through a shared-service model focused on innovation, efficiency and customer outcomes. Facing rising demand, increasing costs and more complex customer needs, ARP continues to transform service delivery through automation, digital engagement and proactive customer support.

A major e-billing initiative increased electronic billing from 23% to 48.5% of households in 2026/27, resulting in 96,000 additional e-bills and annual savings of £260,000. Automation has significantly improved efficiency, with 68% of move notifications, 97% of Universal Credit notifications, 80% of Direct Debits and 92% of Single Person Discounts processed automatically.

Customer experience has been enhanced through digital forms, automated indexing and proactive communication, reducing email contact from 75% to 22% and cutting paper reminders by 40%. Supported by strong governance and strategic partnerships, ARP’s data-driven, inclusive approach delivers sustainable savings, improved services and better support for vulnerable residents.

Argyll and Bute Council

Summary of Submission

Transforming Empty Properties – Relief to Regeneration

Following the devolution of Empty Property Relief, Argyll and Bute Council used new local flexibility to transform a traditional rates relief scheme into a proactive regeneration and business support model. Developed through consultation and partnership working between Revenues and Benefits and Economic Development, the project introduced a local relief policy, targeted grant support, an Empty Business Property Officer role and data-led interventions to support owners, occupiers and communities.

The approach has helped bring empty business properties back into productive use, support town centre regeneration, stimulate investment and grow the non-domestic rates tax base. It demonstrates how local taxation powers can be used creatively as policy levers, moving resources from passive relief administration into active intervention that delivers positive outcomes for businesses, places and the Council.

Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service

Summary of Submission

The Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) is an award winning and highly respected Anti-Fraud Partnership hosted by Hertfordshire County Council providing its services to local authorities and other public sector bodies across the Home Counties, London and the Eastern Region.

SAFS launched in 2015 as a two-year self-funding pilot. SAFS has been successfully protecting public funds for 11 years. There were originally 6 local authority partners, increasing to 8 by 2024.

SAFS is a centre of excellence and innovation. We are one of a very few local authorities with a Licence to Operate under the Government Counter Fraud Profession Practitioners Group, ensuring that our investigations meet the highest standards at all times.

SAFS services include fraud risk assessment, policy and process fraud-proofing, fraud awareness/prevention training, data services, complex fraud investigations in both civil and criminal arenas, specialist investigations involving high risk or sensitive matters, Financial Investigation and Anti-Money Laundering services.

Lichfield District Council

Summary of Submission

Lichfield District Council has transformed the delivery of Council Tax Support through a pioneering automation project that is improving outcomes for residents while creating a more efficient and resilient service. Working collaboratively with Govtech, the council developed a fully automated Council Tax Support system, using real-time Department for Work and Pensions data to calculate and apply awards with minimal manual intervention. The innovation has reduced processing times from up to a month to just one day, with 92% of Universal Credit notifications now processed automatically and 99% of working-age claimants benefiting from the new system. Automation has improved accuracy, strengthened audit and governance, eliminated backlogs, and enabled the service to absorb staffing reductions while maintaining excellent performance. Most importantly, officers now have more time to provide personalised support to vulnerable residents, helping them navigate financial hardship. This bold, sector-leading approach demonstrates how innovation can deliver faster, fairer and more customer-focused public services.

Oxford Investigation Service (Oxford City Council)

Summary of Submission

Oxford Annual Fraud Conference is the UK’s only local authority-run counter-fraud conference and has become a flagship event for developing skills, sharing innovation and strengthening fraud resilience across the public sector. Designed and delivered by Oxford Investigation Service, the conference remains free to attend, removing financial barriers to learning and ensuring practitioners from a wide range of organisations can benefit. It provides delegates with access to nationally recognised experts, case studies, fraud trends and CPD opportunities that support professional development. 

In 2025, the 10th successive event, the conference attracted more than 300 delegates from over 150 organisations as well as 20 exhibitors, creating a unique forum for collaboration, knowledge exchange and networking. Alongside the event, the team has delivered training to more than 800 professionals in the last four years. By making high-quality learning accessible, the conference strengthens counter-fraud capability nationally and helps set higher standards across the sector.

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Summary of Submission

Royal Borough of Greenwich launched a pilot team to support residents holistically across benefits, debt, housing and employability support including proactively reaching out to residents who, based on available council data, we thought might be struggling. Our goal was to prevent them from hitting a crisis and helping them to flourish with whatever support they needed. This submission highlights the successes of this pilot team and the positive impact on residents and staff. 

Salford City Council

Summary of Submission

Salford City Council’s Council Tax and Better Off Service has transformed revenues delivery through an innovative, data and technology-led approach that combines automation, behavioural insight and customer-focused service design. Serving nearly 140,000 households, the service has redesigned key processes to prevent debt, improve collection and increase access to financial support. Automated Council Tax Reduction using Universal Credit data has enabled over 2,000 additional households to receive support without applying, while personalised payment prompts and integrated digital payment channels have generated £1.8 million in three months. Automation, data matching and robotic process automation streamline administration, improve accuracy and free staff to focus on complex customer needs. Innovative services for landlords, proactive identification of support and data-led policy implementation have further enhanced outcomes. The transformation has delivered improved collection performance, increased income, reduced inequality and improved customer experience, creating a modern, proactive and intelligent service model that balances digital innovation with personalised support.

Walsall Council

Summary of Submission

Walsall Council’s Benefits Service is transforming discretionary support through innovation, partnership and a relentless focus on customer outcomes. Serving one of the 10% most deprived areas in England, the service delivers Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Discretionary Housing Payments and the Crisis and Resilience Fund, helping residents build financial resilience and avoid homelessness.

As the first local authority to adopt Ascendant Solutions’ digital platform for Discretionary Housing Payments, Walsall has pioneered a simple and effective application process. Co-designed by frontline staff, the solution captures better quality information, enables real-time communication with customers and supports quicker, more informed decision-making.

Innovation has been embedded at every stage, including dedicated routes for digitally excluded residents and Registered Providers. The result is improved accessibility, greater efficiency and earlier intervention for vulnerable households, without increasing costs.

By sharing learning nationally and continually improving services, Walsall demonstrates outstanding leadership, collaboration and excellence in practice.