East Lothian Council elevates community wellbeing with service innovation

East Lothian Council has awarded a contract to global Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendor TechnologyOne to implement a new internal financial system.

The system, called OneCouncil, will help the council build on digital transformation and secure future benefits. It will produce a number of benefits such as real time information, automated reporting and data analytics. These features will help the council to continue operating efficiently and build capacity across its departments and services, as it moves away from manual recording and reporting.

Implementation of the new system builds on the council’s success of introducing developments such as its online customer service platform.

In doing so, the council is looking to realise benefits from a new financial system to maintain its focus on delivering efficient, high-quality services for the benefit of local communities well into the future.

The system will transition the council’s existing legacy finance infrastructure onto a scalable and innovative SaaS platform.

Sarah Fortune, Executive Director for Council Resources, East Lothian Council, said: “Increasing our automated reporting processes enables us to make faster, more informed decisions. Using the new financial system will mean that our teams have more capacity to focus on delivering our long-term financial strategy. It also supports the vision and ambition that we have set out in our Digital Strategy, with a view to continuing to provide excellent services to customers in a changing and challenging environment.”

According to The New Digital Reality a report published by researchers from FT Longitude and TechnologyOne, many councils are determined to get ahead on digital with 59% saying they take a proactive approach to transforming technology.

TechnologyOne UK Executive Vice President, Leo Hanna, said: “Investing in innovative solutions is key to sustainably overcoming financial constraints, enhancing service delivery and meeting the ever-changing needs and expectations of the local community. We look forward to supporting East Lothian Council on their journey toward digital excellence.”

TechnologyOne partners with unitary authorities and district councils across the United Kingdom, including Highland Council, North Tyneside Council, Blackpool Council, Conwy County Borough Council and Derby City Council.