Top 5 payment challenges to consider when becoming a Unitary Authority

Merging a group of district and county councils into a single unitary authority presents major challenges for those in charge of financial systems and payments.

Newly-formed unitaries often inherit a number of different systems provided by different suppliers. This can lead to issues with functionality, consistency and quality of services, and branding – all of which impacts local residents’ experience when using council services and making transactions. 

Just as local authorities prepare themselves to merge services and jurisdictions, their internal systems and payment processes also need to merge to ensure a fully connected and coordinated service.  

With that in mind, here are the top five payment challenges to consider when becoming a unitary authority.  

1. Auditing your legacy systems 

Whether you’re left with a single payments system or multiple providers following the merge, the first challenge is to conduct a thorough audit of your current payment systems and processes to define the scope of the project and identify any resource gaps. 

Factors such as functionality, payment options, price and contractual obligations are important when deciding on the system that’s the best fit for your organisation. Different councils have different priorities, so it’s important to benchmark system capabilities and performance in line with your core needs and KPIs. This is crucial to determine a clear proof of concept and criteria when researching options and comparing system providers. 

2. Handling larger volumes of transactions 

When consolidating local authorities and councils into a single unitary, the overall volume of transactions handled by your core payments system will likely be significantly more than when operating as separate entities. 

This extra strain may lead to overloading, which can cause significant downtime, slow processing speeds and transaction issues. That’s why a robust, scalable payment solution that can handle large volumes and different types of payments is so important to maintain continuity of services and a frictionless payment experience for local residents.   

3. Reinforcing new branding 

Most unitary authorities are created with a fresh brand identity that needs to be reinforced at key touch points – such as when making a payment for a local service. 

Payment processing systems should reflect the look and feel of the new authority's branding, incorporating logos, colour schemes and messaging that align with the new identity. However, not all providers offer the same capability when it comes to customising your payment portal, which can make it difficult to showcase the new unitary branding and form a strong, immediate connection with residents.  

4. Catering to different demographic needs 

Connecting separate council jurisdictions typically means that a unitary authority is responsible for a larger, single population of residents with a wider demographic range. 
 
Catering to the payment preferences of different demographics is key to ensure a high-quality experience for all residents – whether they prefer to pay online, over the phone or in person with cash. Ideally, your payment system will make it simple to process and collate various types of transactions, from online payments and Direct Debits to agent-assisted telephone payments and Post Office pay points.  

5. Overcoming resistance to change 

It’s likely that payment officers from the legacy councils will favour the payments system they previously used before the unitary was formed. The idea of switching to a new, unfamiliar system can cause some resistance, which is why an objective review is necessary to avoid bias and determine which is the best option for new authority going forwards. 
 
The key here is to maintain two-way communication with managers and staff throughout the project so that all stakeholders have a chance to voice their opinions. That feedback is essential to highlight strengths and weaknesses of different systems, and should help to further develop  the criteria for any investment in a new, unified system.