Practical Lessons from the Digital Frontline of Local Government Reform

7th November 2025

by Mark Gannon

A practical view from Cumberland Council

Local government reorganisation is no longer an idea. Across the UK, councils are now deep in preparations for it.

At the 2025 Solace Summit, digital leaders shared what it really takes to transform services whilst also creating brand new local authorities.

Kate Hurr, Assistant Director of Digital Innovation and ICT and Craig Barker, Senior Manager for Digital and Customer Experience at Cumberland Council, joined Mark Gannon, Director of Client Solutions at Netcall, to share an honest account of reorganisation in action.

Their discussion focused on the practical steps and technology solutions needed for successful reform. It showed how digital and ICT teams managed reorganisation while keeping vital services running. The result is a set of lessons that every council preparing for reform can apply today.

“You can’t underestimate what it takes. We were building new authorities, splitting systems and keeping services running all at once. It’s unlike anything else you’ll ever deliver.“

Katie Hurr

Assistant Director of Digital Innovation and ICT, Cumberland Council

The reality of reform: Seven systems, seven cultures

From April 2023, Cumbria’s seven councils – a county council and six districts – became two new unitaries: Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council. The challenge was not just structural. It meant bringing together seven ICT estates, seven sets of data and seven distinct ways of working.

Each legacy organisation came with its own culture, policies and systems. Merging these into a single operational framework – while maintaining service continuity – required technical skill and human adaptability.

“We inherited seven sets of infrastructure, seven ways of working, seven cultures. It’s not just technology, it’s people, processes and politics.“

Craig Barker

Senior Manager for Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council

The statistics show the scale of effort:

1. More than 90 ICT projects running concurrently
2. 22,000 service incidents in one year
3. Support for over 9,000 users across what were effectively three operating organisations
4. £1 million data centre refresh
5. Thousands of live cyber defence events in a single year.

Some systems, such as social care, could not be split immediately. Cumberland hosted core ICT services for both new authorities until full separation was safe.

Katie Hurr explained “You can’t do everything on day one. Some things have to stay joint for longer. It’s about managing risk, not just hitting a date.“

Their experience revealed that reform is less about a single event and more about sequencing risk, people and delivery. These lessons are equally important to councils preparing for reorganisation as well they are to those already in transition.

Five practical lessons for councils facing reform

Kate and Craig’s work offers a grounded set of lessons for anyone currently planning for or about to go through, local government reorganisation.

1. Do not assume immediate savings

Many councils assume that splitting services means halving costs. In practice, duplication often increases short-term expenditure. Teams still need to support dual systems and maintain old licences while standing up new platforms. Savings emerge later, once rationalisation and automation – including tools like Netcall’s Citizen Hub and Liberty Create – are complete.

2. Find common ground early

Integrating staff and systems is complex. Cumberland found that focusing on shared outcomes rather than structural differences made collaboration easier.

“Our customer-facing teams just wanted things to work for residents. That became the unifying thread when the rest felt uncertain.“

Craig Barker

Senior Manager for Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council

This sense of purpose helped digital teams stay motivated through uncertainty.

3. Bring technology to the top table

Digital, data and technology (DDAT) cannot be an afterthought. They underpin every element of council operations, from payroll and websites to citizen contact. Early decisions about organisational design must consider digital implications.

“You can’t deliver reform without ICT at the table. If you wait until structures are designed, it’s already too late because everything depends on technology.“

Katie Hurr

Assistant Director of Digital Innovation and ICT, Cumberland Council

Making digital, data and technology part of strategic discussions helped avoid duplication and reduced long-term cost and accelerate digital transformation.

4. Treat staff with compassion

Reform impacts people as much as systems. Many staff had spent decades in their councils. Reorganisation changed their work, culture and sense of belonging.

Katie Hurr stated that ‘This is personal for people. You’re asking them to rebuild their world twice’.

By respecting experience – and celebrating progress – they built resilience and morale during uncertainty.

5. Leverage communities of practice

External communities provided crucial support. Cumberland engaged with LocalGov Drupal, Socitm and the Netcall Local Government User Group to share learning and avoid repeating mistakes. These collaborations reduced isolation and brought practical examples for solving problems and challenges.

“When you’re the first to do something, those networks are lifelines.“

Craig Barker

Senior Manager for Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council

Digital design pattern that worked

Craig and Kate described three digital design approaches – supported by Netcall tools – that helped them deliver reform while maintaining stability.

1. Create a new front door

Cumberland launched a single Cumberland Council website and single contact arrangements from day one. This unified experience gave residents clarity while legacy systems continued in the background.

Adopting a pragmatic approach, the team balanced simplicity for residents with realism for delivery. Citizens had a single place to go without having to rebuild every system.

Craig Baker explained “We focused on the top 20% of content driving 80% of traffic. Everything else we intelligently signposted to legacy pages.”

2. Surface dress legacy systems

Rather than rebuild every process, Cumberland used our rapid application development platform, Liberty Create, to separate data inside shared systems while keeping one operational workflow.

Using solutions like Liberty Create and Citizen Hub, the team maintained data integrity, while managing branding correctly and avoiding service disruption.

“One form, two brands, two data sets. Residents saw the right logo and experience, but behind the scenes it was one intelligent form.“

Craig Barker

Senior Manager for Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council

3. Involve digital teams early

Their strongest message was clear: involve DDAT from the start. Without early engagement, councils risk spending the first year fixing problems created by earlier decisions.

Craig Baker argues that “When you hit vesting day, your focus shifts to survival. If your digital foundations aren’t ready by then, you’ll spend the next year fixing rather than improving.”

This theme echoed throughout the Solace Summit 2025. DDAT is not an add-on. It is the thread that connects every workstream in reform.

The bigger picture: Digital autonomy and resilience

Cumberland Council’s approach reflects broader national priorities for local government. LGR is not only about merging structures but about achieving digital autonomy, resilience and sustainable service delivery.

Their use of digital transformation, process automation and low-code tools like Liberty Create shows how councils can modernise, remain agile and deliver consistent citizen services. It also aligns with the wider frameworks that guide public sector reform:

1. The Local Digital Declaration promotes shared principles for digital service design
2. The LGA Reorganisation Toolkit outlines steps for structural change
3. DLUHC guidance explains the statutory process
4. Socitm’s Digital Maturity Assessment helps councils measure readiness.

“Reform isn’t just about structure. It’s about building resilience and digital independence. That’s where automation and low-code really come in.“

Katie Hurr

Assistant Director of Digital Innovation and ICT, Cumberland Council

Linking insight to action

The experience shared by Cumberland Council shows what LGR looks like in practice. It also highlights the importance of planning next steps and embedding digital platforms for continuity and efficiency

For councils preparing for the next phase of LGR, the focus is now on delivery and maintaining momentum.