Across England, existing county, district and borough councils are being brought together into new unitary structures; creating single authorities responsible for a huge range of local services.

The scale of the changes is made clear by the Government’s live updates page. Decisions have been announced for 19 of the 21 areas going through Local Government Reorganisation, with the confirmed plans creating 57 unitary councils.

But waste collections, street cleansing, grounds maintenance and other frontline services cannot be joined together overnight. New unitary authorities may inherit several different ways of working, supported by different technology, depots, fleets, contractors and operational policies.

The challenge is not simply to combine them but to decide what the new service should look like, and build the systems, data and operational structure needed to deliver it.

The Operational Challenges Facing New Unitary Councils

When neighbouring councils become one, the new authority can inherit a complex mix of legacy arrangements. Waste and recycling services are a clear example. Former council areas may operate different collection frequencies, use different containers and accept different materials. Food waste arrangements may vary, as might policies for assisted collections, bulky waste, garden waste and commercial waste.

Behind these visible differences are further operational variations:

• Each authority may use its own ICT systems and databases.
• Depot locations and fleet arrangements may have developed around historic boundaries.
• One service may be delivered in-house while another is outsourced, with contracts ending at different times.

Existing collection rounds are also likely to have been designed around the boundaries and resources of the former authorities. Once those boundaries disappear, they may no longer represent the most efficient way to serve the new area.

People are another important part of the picture. Staff restructuring, TUPE transfers and changes to management structures may all form part of the transition. Different teams can also bring different working practices, processes and local knowledge.

The immediate priority must, of course, be continuity. Residents still need their bins collected and streets maintained throughout the transition. However, LGR also creates an opportunity to look beyond maintaining existing arrangements and consider how services could be delivered more smoothly as part of a single authority.

The Need for a Single Operational View

One of the first challenges for a new unitary authority is gaining a clear view of what is happening across its newly combined area. If operational information remains fragmented between legacy systems, spreadsheets and databases, it becomes difficult for managers to understand performance across the authority as a whole.

The same property could potentially be represented differently in separate systems, while teams may record jobs, exceptions and service outcomes in different ways. Creating a common operational view can help remove these barriers.

Integrated Skills' SmartSuite is designed to provide a single source of truth for environmental services, allowing councils to manage multiple services through one platform. SmartSuite can support waste and recycling collections alongside services such as street cleansing, winter maintenance and gully emptying. Bringing this information together gives managers greater visibility of what is happening across operational teams and provides a more consistent basis for reporting.

During LGR, this can be particularly valuable. Reliable operational information allows councils to compare inherited services, identify differences and make evidence-based decisions about the future model.

Importantly, that value continues after the transition. A single operational view can help the new authority monitor performance, identify problems and continue improving services long after vesting day.

Harmonising Service Delivery Across the New Authority

Creating one authority does not mean that every service needs to become identical immediately. There may be good reasons for retaining some local differences - particularly during transition.

Existing contracts, vehicle availability, infrastructure and local geography can all affect the pace at which services can be harmonised. However, where standardisation is planned, LGR provides an opportunity to reconsider how services are designed.

Once several areas become one authority, historic boundaries may have little operational relevance. A depot that once sat at the edge of one council area, for example, could occupy a very different position within the new authority. This is where strategic route optimisation can support the transition.

Using RouteSmart Optimize and related solutions in the route optimisation suite, councils can model collection rounds and street services across the new operating area rather than simply joining existing rounds and services together. Different scenarios can be tested before changes are introduced. For example:

• What would happen if collections were operated from fewer depots?
• Could vehicles work across former council boundaries?
• How would changing waste & recycling collection frequencies affect the number of rounds required?
• Could workloads be balanced more evenly between crews?

Effective route optimisation can help balance workloads, reduce unnecessary mileage, make better use of fleet resources and create rounds that reflect the needs of the new authority, rather than the boundaries of the old ones.

Managing More Than Waste Services

Waste and recycling may be one of the largest frontline operations inherited by a new unitary authority, but it is far from the only one. A new council may also need to manage:

• Trade waste
• Street cleansing
• Grounds maintenance
• Winter maintenance
• Gully emptying
• Inspections and reactive jobs
• Emergency planning and response

Running each of these services through separate systems can create unnecessary duplication. Staff may need to move between different applications, managers may receive reports in different formats, property and customer information can be duplicated, and jobs that involve more than one team become harder to track.

A common operational platform offers a different approach. By managing multiple environmental and neighbourhood services through SmartSuite, authorities can create more consistent processes and gain a broader view of activity across their area. This can also make it easier to allocate resources and understand how different services interact.

For a newly formed unitary council, the opportunity is therefore greater than simply replacing several waste systems with one. LGR can provide the catalyst for considering how technology supports environmental services across the whole authority.

Data Integration and Digital Transformation

Technology consolidation does not necessarily mean replacing every existing system. The challenge is enabling these systems to communicate effectively.  Legacy systems may contain conflicting property records, different naming conventions or disconnected service histories.

Resolving these issues takes careful planning, but it also creates an opportunity to improve the quality and usability of operational data. SmartSuite provides APIs that allow integration with other applications, including:

• CRMs
• Telematics
• Finance systems
• Weighbridges (for waste tracking)
• Bin sensors

Property-level service histories can provide a clearer picture of what has happened at an individual address, while centralised reporting and analytics can help managers understand wider patterns.

This moves digital transformation beyond simply putting existing processes onto new software. It creates the opportunity to reconsider how information moves through the organisation and how it can support better operational decisions.

Supporting Frontline Workers Through Transformation

LGR is an organisational change, but its success relies on the people delivering services on the frontline. Drivers and operatives may find themselves working across a larger geographic area, routes may change, teams may be combined, and familiar processes could be replaced by authority-wide procedures.

Clear communication between frontline teams and management becomes especially important during this period. SmartSuite Mobile can support this connection in the field. Turn-by-turn navigation can help crews work confidently across unfamiliar areas, while service verification creates a clear record of completed activity.

Mobile job management and real-time operational updates allow information to move between the office and frontline teams without relying on paper-based processes or separate communications. Two-way messaging also provides a direct way to share important information with crews.

The Role of Professional Services

Before choosing how systems, routes or services should operate, councils need to understand what they have inherited and what they want the future authority to achieve.

Professional support can help councils assess existing operations, analyse route performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Integrated Skills' consultancy team can support the development of implementation roadmaps, helping authorities understand how changes could be phased while protecting service continuity.

Modelling is particularly valuable where several options are under consideration. Rather than basing major operational decisions on assumptions, councils can compare scenarios and quantify potential impacts on resources, mileage, cost and carbon emissions.

Change management is equally important. A technically efficient model still needs to work for staff, residents and the wider organisation. Bringing operational knowledge together with data analysis can help ensure proposed changes are both achievable and sustainable.

Turning Reorganisation into an Opportunity

The practical challenges of LGR should not be underestimated, but the shift also creates a rare opportunity. Authorities can use reorganisation to examine how frontline operations should work for the future; creating services that are easier to manage, more visible, resilient and efficient.

With the right operational data, technology, route modelling and professional support, LGR can provide the foundations for a genuinely integrated approach to local service delivery.

Integrated Skills supports local authorities through service transformation, from strategic modelling and route optimisation to operational technology and implementation support. Contact the Integrated Skills team to discuss how we can support your authority through Local Government Reorganisation.

The post One Authority, Multiple Services: Life After Local Government Reorganisation appeared first on Integrated Skills.

‘Posh village being ruined for months by roadworks to install EV chargers’ was a Sun headline back in October 2023. One local shop owner is stated as claiming that the disruption had led to the loss of thousands of pounds worth of trade. The aim of the roadworks through this village was primarily to deliver power to the new charging units at the nearby M1 service station. Installing EV chargers requires improving power supply which invariably requires digging up roads and causing traffic disruption.

Interestingly, recent research conducted by the RAC indicates that the Government is not on track to hit its motorway services target for EV charging points. Less than a quarter have the target number of chargers to serve the UK’s estimated 760,000 battery electric vehicles - EV charge point target for motorway services ‘at risk’ (fleetnews.co.uk).

But what about EV chargers in the streets near your home, office or school? Many local authorities are rolling out charging stations throughout their regions and disruption due to road works will get worse as a result. A 2016 English Housing Survey revealed that 62% of UK residents do not have driveways or the means to safely charge their own electric vehicle. There is a push by government to install chargers in locations more accessible to the public, such as car parks and public buildings. The UK government plans to support the market to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle charge points by 2030 – equivalent to almost 5 times the number of fuel pumps on our roads today.

As part of the electric vehicle infrastructure strategy (UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) £500 million will be invested to bring high quality, competitively priced public charge points to communities across the UK. This includes a £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which will boost projects such as EV hubs and innovative on-street charging, so those without driveways don’t miss out on cleaner transport.

Whatever happens, the road will need to be dug-up, as will some pavements. This will lead to temporary disruption and traffic management measures for some locations. However, this does provide opportunities for road and pavement improvements. The rollout of EV charging points presents an opportunity to upgrade and improve road and pavement infrastructure. For example, road works associated with EV charging point installation could coincide with road resurfacing or other maintenance projects, minimizing disruptions to road users.

The coordination of roadworks is a challenge for Highways Authorities and local authorities. They typically rely on a software system to coordinate activities, such as Trafficworx. Trafficworx (Road Works Coordination and Management - Integrated Skills (integrated-skills.com)) provides highways authorities and key stakeholders (utility companies, contractors, emergency services, etc) with digital mapping, a planning database and automated procedures to manage the road network effectively, to avoid traffic disruption and reduce the impact of road works. As information moves between highways authorities and stakeholders, permit applications for works, such as EV charger installation and related cable work, are approved and information is automatically published on a website, enabling the public to see live information on the current and expected status of road works and diversion routes.

Beyond the installation of EV charging points there is another challenge facing Highways Authorities. A number of experts have warned of increased road degradation over time due to the weight of EVs as they are so much heavier than carbon fuelled vehicles. This will potentially lead to more remediation work on roads as they deteriorate. Trafficworx handles a vast array of road work processes essential to effective road works planning and co-ordination including inspection and rectification procedures.

As we race toward a net zero future in our electric cars we must expect disruption and more traffic cones on the streets. The EV charging point roll-out is gaining pace and will peak over the next few years. Thankfully there are software systems available to Highways Authorities, such as Trafficworx, that will help ease the congestion.

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Waste collection: meeting the growing demand with Performance Manager

Over a tonne. That’s how much waste the average UK household produces every year. Across the country that comes to around 30 million tonnes of waste and with the population still growing and consumerism showing no signs of slowing, the demand for efficient waste collection is on the rise.

Missed or late collections can lead to a breach of contractual compliance, not to mention the unsightly and eventually unhygienic build-up of waste. But with so many collections to make, so many contractors to track and the uncertainty of unforeseen events thrown in, such as poor weather or traffic, how are you meant to keep a handle on your waste collection?

By using effective waste collection software. By using Performance Manager.

Upping your performance

Performance Manager is a management software solution for waste, recycling and environmental services, which also allows you to track your contractors. It’s compatible with any mobile device for use on-the-go and has built-in GIS, but the features and benefits don’t end there.

What do you want to know?

Log into Performance Manager and you can find the answers you need when it comes to managing your waste collections.

• What jobs have just been logged, are in progress, completed or outstanding?
• What jobs haven’t been completed according to the service-level-agreement?
• What’s the status of an escalation process?
• What was going on with your collections this time last month or at any other historical time point?

The answers to these questions are all easy to access in Performance Manager.

Escalation procedures are fully automated, with comprehensive audit trails, including photographic evidence. Both you and your contractors can access real-time information. And what’s more, all of the data pulled in from a variety of external sources is accessible wherever you are, so long as you have an Internet connection on your digital device. This is because Performance Manager is fully hosted on the web, so you don’t need to worry about adapting or updating your existing IT infrastructure. To learn more about our waste collection software, Performance Manager, get in touch with our team of experts to have your questions answered or to request a demo.

The post Performance Manager for Waste Collection appeared first on Integrated Skills.

Whether dealing with a town, city or country, the volume of waste produced is colossal. Unsurprisingly, this puts huge pressure on waste, recycling and environmental services. You’re tasked with tracking countless employees or contractors and when things don’t go to plan, the consequences are in plain sight for all to see.

At Integrated Skills, we saw this growing challenge and saw the solution too. Better environmental management software could streamline processes, integrate systems and ensure targets are met on time. That’s why we developed Performance Manager.

What is Performance Manager?

Performance Manager is far more than your average waste and environmental management software. Designed with GIS and mobile device functionality, it not only allows you to manage your waste, recycling and environmental services, but also tracks your employees or contractors in real-time. It seamlessly integrates geographical and collection data with task management and contractor monitoring. With robust reporting too, you’ll know exactly what’s going on, however large your operation is.

Do you wish you had a tangible read-out on your service performance? Need to know whether you are on track to meet contractual compliance? Performance Manager can provide you with detailed and holistic answers.

This is because it can process data from a wealth of external sources, including RFID tags, bin or container sensors, weighbridges, mobile worker apps and route optimisation software, to name just a few. As environmental management software goes, Performance Manager is a powerhouse of data integration.

Tried and tested

It’s all well and good spinning off facts about the many features of Performance Manager, but does it really work in the real world? Absolutely. Performance Manager has been used not only in towns, cities and local authorities, but it has also been rolled out nationwide in The Kingdom of Bahrain. With almost 1.5 million inhabitants, this island nation has been using Performance Manager since 2010 to manage over 30 municipal environmental services. However complex the challenge you’re facing when it comes to managing waste and environmental services, Performance Manager is up to the task. Get in touch with our team of experts and we can talk you through exactly how we can help.

The post Staying green and clean just got easier appeared first on Integrated Skills.

At Integrated Skills, we are committed to supporting cities and road works agencies with our range of software. Road works scheduling - we have shown that our tools help hit targets when it comes to budget, time and minimal disruption. 

We have a thorough understanding of what’s important when it comes to road works scheduling. This means we can help leverage the power of reliable software tools, like Trafficworx, for any size project.

Information

A lot of data goes into road works scheduling. You need maps, compliance information, traffic patterns, timings, contractor information and other input. This needs to be in one place to begin the planning phase. Certain universal information is already incorporated into Trafficworx based on the latest information and legislative updates. With the help of the team at Integrated Skills, this integrates seamlessly with the specifics of your project and you’re ready to go.

Analysis

Once you have all the information you need, your Trafficworx software is used to set schedules, analyse road data and provide you with emails and communications. This can get you to the start line, but it doesn’t stop there.

Once you are up and running, Trafficworx continues to use your baseline data and ongoing information about the progress of your work to update projections and flag up any issues. This means you can address the latter before they become problems that delay your road works scheduling.

Cooperation

Working together is the key to a successful road works project. You are likely to be coordinating many different teams from different sectors and organisations. Trafficworx helps you keep track of everyone involved. It also ensures that, if there are any changes or delays to the work, the whole schedule updates to reflect this and everyone is informed of progress.

Figures

You can track your actual and projected outcomes with Trafficworx. This helps you keep on top of your budget. If you do need to spend more, the data stored in your versatile software will help you justify the extra costs to anyone who reviews your project. This offers you peace of mind and the ability to bid on projects with confidence.

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