Blackpool Council innovates to deliver more than 200 services to the community

The new SaaS solution is helping the council automate its business process, lift productivity and improve decision making, allowing it to plan for the long term and provide a better service residents and council tax payers.

From operating several companies, including airport operations and waste services, to delivering adult and children’s social care, managing education facilities within the council area, and a tourism destination welcoming 19 million visitors a year, Blackpool Council is a large multi-entity organisation. The diverse and complex nature of these services makes it vital for the council to access a wide variety of information and real-time data to accurately plan for the medium and long term.

TechnologyOne’s OneCouncil is now providing the council with a single source of truth, connecting its entire financial back end, including general ledger, debtors, creditors, planning budgeting and forecasting, procurement and contracts in one easy-to-use platform supported by self-service. The speed of the information available also allows the council to model various scenarios, enabling it to be prepared, no matter what the future holds.

Blackpool Council was an early adopter of TechnologyOne’s groundbreaking SaaS+ offering, which sees TechnologyOne charge a flat, single yearly fee to implement, run and support the software, avoiding the high initial outlay that usually comes with an ERP implementation.

Neil Jack, Chief Executive Officer, Blackpool Council said the project implementation itself proved seamless.

“We were looking for a company that could really deliver on our complex needs, and TechnologyOne proved the best supplier, without a doubt. We could not fault the scheduling and resourcing TechnologyOne have thrown at this project to make it a success. The implementation has been faultless,” Mr Jack said.

“OneCouncil offers us even smarter and faster information and decision-making capabilities. As a true SaaS solution, it also means employees and residents have access to applications and information smarter, faster, and on any device, anywhere, any time – it’s a game changer for how we deliver our services to the community.”

TechnologyOne UK Executive Vice President, Leo Hanna, said Blackpool took a bold step to move to SaaS, a decision that is already paying off.

“We see too many local government patching up their legacy system with a hodgepodge of products and integrations, often because the cost of an implementation alone is completely prohibitive. While these investments may seem like the fastest solution to getting a new function or service in place, it’s a false economy,” Mr Hanna said.

“In this climate, when most UK councils face extreme financial challenges, SaaS+ abolishes the significant upfront cost that usually comes with implementations of this scale, bringing within reach a modern technology solution that delivers value on day 1. It’s a game changer for councils.”

“Blackpool’s move to a modern, cost-effective SaaS solution will help them run mission critical services for residents and importantly, futureproof the council. OneCouncil better connects employees, field workers and customers, to deliver a seamless and engaging experience and truly transform the way Blackpool Council serves the community.”

TechnologyOne’s SaaS ERP solution is used by unitary authorities and district councils across the United Kingdom, including Highland Council, Conwy County Borough Council and Derby City Council. The next-generation, mobile-enabled solutions help transform a council’s digital experience, and better connect employees and citizens with applications and information available on any device, anywhere, any time.