North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership
Achieving £1 million savings from improved processes and service delivery
Challenge:
Seeking a consolidation across disparate systems
Formed in 2001, North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership (NYBCP) was the first local authority building control partnership in the UK and subsequently expanded to provide building control services for Ryedale, Selby, Hambleton, Scarborough and Richmondshire. In one year alone, NYBCP processed 35,300 building control applications, including Competent Persons Notifications, 86 Dangerous Structures and 18,481 site inspections.
Using five separate systems to process applications, NYBCP was faced with numerous challenges that needed to be resolved. Disparate application processing systems with varying levels of integration and document availability highlighted that the systems were not fit for purpose. Officers were expected to work across the local authority boundaries on systems designed to manage individual geographic areas. Further, there was no single sign-on which resulted in user frustration as officers required multiple security logins to access each of the individual systems. It was also clear that there was inconsistent support as IT services were provided by five different council IT departments, offering contrasting service levels.
The new integrated system has shown real benefits in service delivery. Site surveyors are not bound by lines on a map anymore; they can work within any of the Partnership’s areas and be able to access the information they need remotely on any device. The new system has enabled the Partnership to benefit from more resilience in maintaining performance targets but also maintains the multiskills achieved by surveyors.
Robert Harper
NYBCP Building Control Manager
Solution:
Streamlining software and services for true digital transformation
NYBCP required a streamlined workflow process which eliminated the previous wastage, eased administrative input, increased digital service delivery and reduced predictable costs. Idox’s specialist team implemented service provision including a common address gazetteer and building regulations approval processing system (Idox Uniform), a document management system (Idox EDRMS) and mapping solution, online building plan submissions, online consultations and an online citizen portal, Public Access. The Idox Uniform case management system is supported by the Idox Enterprise solution, automating task allocation, performance monitoring and reporting.
Outcome:
Full integration and enhanced workflows
The migration to a single solution – hosted and managed by Idox – has resulted in the following impressive developments:
- £1m reduction in overheads
- 55% of all applications received electronically, including online form submissions and applications via email
- £7,000 per annum savings on printing, stationery and postage, supporting the paperless working agenda
- 60% reduction in administrative resource
- Automation efficiencies delivered via the provision of a single, end-to-end, integrated digital service accessible to any stakeholder anytime, anywhere
- Increased flexibility as officers can work remotely and access data across all five areas covered by NYBCP
- Streamlined workflows as the information captured by the new single information system is fed back daily to the five partner authority systems, allowing for a comprehensive history of each local authority property to be maintained.
- Improved customer service delivery as administrators can validate and process applications within 3-5 minutes
- Resilient and central IT infrastructure, hosted and managed by Idox to ensure performance, security and confidence
- Improved budgeting capability as IT costs are planned, agreed and fixed for five years
