Why Adaptability Matters for Legacy Systems in Local Government

29 January 2026

by Andrew Walker

Many local government services struggle to adapt after launch because the systems supporting them were designed for delivery – not ongoing change. As policies evolve, demand shifts and organisational structures change, even small updates can become complex and disruptive. Understanding why adaptability matters – and how legacy systems can limit it – is a critical step in building more resilient, change-ready services and case management processes. Local government services are constantly evolving – but many council systems are not.

Councils deliver new digital services every year, including online forms, automated workflows and digital case management. And these services often work well at launch. But the real challenge emerges later, when policies change, services evolve and organisational structures shift.

This is where many legacy systems in local government begin to struggle. And why adaptability is becoming a defining principle of effective digital transformation.

What are legacy systems in local government?

In a local government context, legacy systems aren’t just old technologies. They’re systems that are difficult to change once they’re live.

They typically share these common characteristics:

1. Rigid workflows and data models
2. Heavy reliance on specialist developers or vendors
3. Limited ability to adapt without redevelopment
4. High risk when changes are introduced.

As a result, even small service updates can become slow, costly and disruptive to business-as-usual services.

Why change doesn’t stop after systems go live

Local government operates in a constant state of change. Even when a service is considered “complete”, the conditions around it continue to evolve.

Common drivers of change include:

1. New legislation and statutory guidance
2. Policy reform at national or local level
3. Budget pressures and funding changes
4. Demand shifts and service redesign
5. Organisational restructuring and shared services
6. New expectations around digital access and automation.

In practice, this change often affects case-level processes – such eligibility rules, evidence requirements, decision pathways and workflows and escalation thresholds. When local government IT systems aren’t designed to adapt easily, every change introduces risk.

Why project-led change struggles in local government

Project-led transformation has historically been the default approach to digital change in councils: Define requirements, deliver a solution and move on to the next priority. While this approach can deliver short-term results, it creates long-term challenges.

Common drivers of change include:

1. Change happens in bursts, not continuously
2. Each new requirement becomes another “mini-project”
3. Knowledge is lost when delivery teams disband
4. Small changes can mean more reliance on external suppliers
5. More manual workarounds because of system limitations
6. Systems become harder to adapt over time.

This is how councils end up with fragmented systems in local government, where individual services function but are difficult to change collectively. And councils are forced to revisit completed services which limits organisational flexibility.

What being “built for change” enables in practice

Being built for change doesn’t mean constant disruption. It means accepting that change is inevitable and designing systems to accommodate it safely.

A platform that’s built for change, like Citizen Hub, will enable councils to:

1. Treat digital services as living assets, not fixed outputs
2. Update workflows and rules without rebuilding entire services
3. Reduce reliance on repeated redevelopment
4. Make change incremental, safe and repeatable
5. Enable service teams to adapt services and case processes and needs evolve.

This way of thinking is often associated with low-code approaches – not just because they accelerate delivery, but because they support continuous service change rather than one-off implementation – as explored in Essential FAQs on low-code platforms for councils.

How does adaptability affect service delivery and case management?

Adaptability is rarely the headline goal of transformation programmes. Instead, it underpins many of the challenges councils are already facing.

At a strategic level, adaptability supports:

1. Cost control – by reducing repeated replacement and redevelopment
2. System consolidation – by allowing services to evolve without adding new tools
3. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) – where services and processes must be reshaped quickly
4. Responsible use of automation and AI – where services need to absorb automation without destabilising operations.

In each case, agility determines whether change can be managed confidently – or becomes another disruptive (or costly) reset.

From delivering systems to sustaining change

The most resilient councils are starting to rethink what digital transformation really means. Instead of focusing only on what gets delivered, they’re asking how easily services can evolve once they are live.

This is how councils end up with fragmented systems in local government, where individual services function but are difficult to change collectively. And councils are forced to revisit completed services which limits organisational flexibility.

Why adaptability should come first

Before councils assess specific technologies or platforms, it’s worth understanding whether their current approach supports ongoing change.

By placing adaptability at the centre of digital thinking, councils can better judge whether their services and case management processes are equipped to respond to future policy change, organisational reform and shifting demand. And with that in mind, digital investment supports long-term resilience.

About the author

Andrew Walker

Account Director

A proven leader in driving digital enablement across local government, with a strong record of delivering innovative, citizen-centric solutions, Andrew specialises in crafting agile, scalable strategies that evolve with the ever-changing demands of customer experience (CX). Combining deep sector knowledge with cutting-edge technology, Andrew streamlines operations and enhances service delivery to create lasting impact for communities.