Durham County Council picks Civica to boost user experience and drive efficiencies

New five-year partnership will see Durham implement Civica’s latest cloud-based Cx Regulatory Services software for multiple public protection departments

Durham County Council has chosen the latest cloud-based Cx Regulatory Services software from Civica, a market leader in business-critical software applications, digital solutions and managed services, to manage all its regulatory service functions. Its implementation will help streamline processes and improve the Council’s service delivery, as well as reach channel shift goals.

As an integrated, cloud-based solution Cx Regulatory Services includes functionality for Licensing, Community Safety, Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Housing Assistance, Housing Enforcement and citizen online interaction, meaning local authorities are better informed in their decision making to reach case outcomes consistently and with confidence.

The five-year contract has been undertaken as part of Durham County Council’s wider digital transformation programme to encourage agile working for employees, citizen self-service and to increase productivity. This will also free up time and create financial savings for the Council.

Durham County Council has worked with Civica since 2009 and has previously used Civica’s APP software for several departments within regulatory services. The five-year plan will see the Council implement Cx Regulatory Services in stages, initially introducing the Cx Licensing module which will improve working processes by automating routine tasks, ease the burden of high volumes of applications during peak periods and increase efficiencies. The Council plans to introduce further Cx Regulatory Services modules for Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Housing Assistance and Housing Enforcement by 2020.

Intuitive and mobile-enabled, Cx Licensing also allows the Council to access applications in real time to reduce administration and improve the employee user experience.

The new software means that the 800,000+ citizens in County Durham will soon be able to apply for licences online via the Council’s digital portal, which will then be passed directly into Cx where software will support officers in the management of the licences. This will increase flexibility and drive citizen engagement as residents can manage their licence applications 24/7 using the mobile service.

Deborah Butters, Strategic Regulation Manager, Durham County Council, explained: “We chose Cx Regulatory Services as it aligns with our ongoing digital strategy. We’re modernising our services and want to remain at the forefront of public sector service delivery.

“As with all our investments, this has been carried out to improve service delivery for our customers. Using the technology, we’ll be able to tailor our communications with citizens to help personalise the response. For our employees, it will help to streamline processes so they can work more efficiently and flexibly. The information that we will now be able to gather and securely manage will enable employees to make more consistent and accurate decisions.”

Deane Greenouff, Managing Director, Community Protection at Civica, commented: “Having worked with Durham County Council for many years, we recognised that the Council needed to modernise its systems to support its forward-thinking digital transformation strategy. Cx Regulatory Services is a cloud-based approach, enabling regulatory services departments to collect, manage and share information with stakeholders efficiently and accurately. The new platform will allow the Council to relieve pressure on employees, improve service delivery and boost citizen engagement.”

This new Cx Regulatory Services contract follows the recent partnership with Rugby Borough Council which signed for a new five-year Cx Licensing agreement earlier in 2018.