South Staffordshire Council takes a proactive approach to Local Government Reorganisation with Financials

The challenge

LGR has created a complex and uncertain planning environment for South Staffordshire Council. With the final structure still to be confirmed, future organisational boundaries remain unclear, making it difficult to know which systems, processes and datasets will eventually need to be brought together.

Alongside this uncertainty, the council faced the prospect of managing multiple systems, contracts and data structures under compressed implementation timelines. Waiting for clarity could have delayed action and increased the challenge of aligning systems ahead of Vesting Day.

As Andy explains, the existing finance system had served the organisation well for many years:

“The platform has been absolutely brilliant…. it has been really stable, and the support great. It does what it says on the tin.”

The challenge was not about addressing shortcomings in the existing system, but ensuring the organisation was in the strongest possible position to navigate the uncertainty surrounding LGR.

What made the difference

South Staffordshire Council took a structured and practical approach to the move to Financials, supported by a dedicated project team and a clearly defined implementation programme. Preparation began with an extensive planning phase focused on key areas such as refining the Chart of Accounts and planning for data migration.

A number of practical steps helped shape the project:

• a dedicated planning phase established clear objectives and priorities
• data migration and reconciliation processes were defined early
• multiple testing cycles enabled issues to be identified and resolved quickly
• a comprehensive training programme supported adoption across teams
• supporting resources and guidance materials reinforced learning
• detailed cutover planning helped maintain business continuity throughout the transition

Strong collaboration between South Staffordshire Council and OneAdvanced also played an important role, ensuring the right support was available throughout the programme.

Andy highlights the strength of the partnership:

“We’ve worked through challenges and have a very strong relationship. We’ve been able to have really open and really honest conversations.”

 

What changed

Although implementation is still ongoing, South Staffordshire Council has already created a stronger foundation for LGR. By graduating to Financials, the council is improving data readiness, reducing transition risk and strengthening its ability to respond to future organisational change.

The decision to act early has enabled the council to prepare proactively for LGR, rather than waiting for greater certainty around future structures.

In Andy's view, investing in core systems now creates greater stability for the change ahead.