Blackpool Council

Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast, it is the main settlement within the Blackpool borough. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is 43kms north of Liverpool and 64kms northwest of Manchester. With an estimated population of 147,663 residents, Blackpool is the most populated settlement in Lancashire.

Delivering more than 200 services to the community, from adult and children’s social care, to having several companies, schools, and academies within the Council, Blackpool is a large multi-entity organisation. Due to the diverse and complex nature of these services it’s vital that the Council has access to a wide variety of information. This information is required to accurately future forecast and link to financial systems in real time for medium- and long-term planning.

In addition to their unique requirements, Blackpool Council is similar to other local councils across the UK that have faced budget challenges over recent years.

"The last 13 years have been difficult for the Council and very financially challenging for all local council organisations. So, it’s important we try to remain innovative, continuously improve, and do more with less,” said Steve Thompson, Director of Resources, Blackpool Council.

Following the theme of continuous improvement, the Council sought to replace their inefficient legacy financial systems for a true SaaS solution. With a goal of being able to financially plan for the long term and having effective systems that deliver financial administration information and support decision making, a critical element for the Council’s service delivery.

“Changing our financial systems is not something we do often. The last time was 22 years ago and 15 years prior to that. While those systems do serve a purpose, we always look to continuously improve and partner with companies that enable us to do just that,” said Steve.