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Vision

By 2025, technology underpins public services, communities and the local economy, leading to better outcomes for local residents and businesses. The borough will have secured fundamental improvements across the following areas.

Communities

All communities across the borough, whatever their circumstances, have the confidence, support and access to digital technology, to drive a fairer society

Customers

Residents have an excellent customer experience through intuitive processes and technology

Commerce

Businesses can work with the Council through intuitive processes and technology and are supported to thrive in an increasingly digital economy

Connectivity

The whole borough benefits from excellent digital infrastructure

Co-production

Digital technology supports local people to work alongside the Council to solve local problems and shape local decisions

Care

Residents requiring care and support achieve the maximum independence and a better quality of life through digital technology

Capabilities

The Council, as an organisation, has the right capabilities to deliver the strategy and operative more effectively

Digital Transformation

The Principles

Digital transformation design principles

While the world of technology moves quickly, these 10 guiding principles will remain consistent through the life of this strategy to help us achieve our goals.

1

A whole Council, whole borough approach

To achieve the maximum impact, the strategy cuts across all services and activities across the borough. Digital solutions will be designed to ensure silos are broken down within Council services, between organisations and across communities.

2

Digital by design

If a process or service can be digitised, and delivers against our strategic priorities, it should be taken forward. This should be done by re-imaging how a service can work rather than automating existing, traditional processes. Each change should aim to move the highest proportion of people to digital channels. We should be careful that digitisation does not create exclusion.

3

Redesign via customer insight

Using evidence of our customers’ needs, service use and customer journeys, we will establish the current gaps in service provision and opportunities for improvement. Moving away from office hours, face-to-face contact and telephone-based services, toward automation, will allow service use 24/7. Through rapid feedback and meaningful insight, service and communication must be targeted to provide the right content at the right time.

4

Through a coordinated, partnership approach, support and training will be put in place for those that want and need to use digital services. Non-digital services will always be available for those that need them.

Digitally included

5

Security and protection

Solutions will be designed to be robust against external threats, and data protection will be designed into future approaches.

6

Digital investment

Our application of digital will see decisions based on business cases and clear benefits to the customer and the Council. Digital change requires investment. The benefit must reflect the fact that investment can save the Council money and/or improve customer experience. The Council has full understanding of its total expenditure in this area, and the return on investment, and will continue to seek maximum value for money.

7

Learning by doing

We will adopt an agile approach to implementing this strategy. We will adopt new processes and technology in an iterative way and learn from the benefits before we scale up. We won’t be afraid to experiment and fail, delete things that don’t work, learn from them and try new approaches. There is no off-the-shelf manual for digital transformation and solutions need to reflect local learning and innovation.

8

Best practice

We will learn from and drive national best practice. Following our Commitment to the Local Digital Declaration, we will play our part in ‘fixing the national plumbing’ across the public sector, using the ‘Technology Code of Practice’ when we implement our systems. Our aim is to work as openly as we can on all of our projects.

9

A digital mindset

Culturally, our organisations must embrace digital as the standard way of working. Staff should think digital-first and have the confidence to self-serve, self-fix and come forward with ideas for digital innovation.

10

A strong platform

The Council will ensure that it has the right ICT and change management delivery model, the right infrastructure, and the right tools to deliver this strategy.

Bringing the vision to life

The following areas will see fundamental improvements.

Communities

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Customers

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Customer

Commerce

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Commerce

Connectivity

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Connectivity

Co-production

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Co-production

Care

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.

Care

Capabilities

Local Action:

Purchase renewable electricity for the Council, beginning in 2020-21; In 2021-22, review the feasibility of purchasing ‘green’ gas for the Council’s buildings; When replacing heating systems in buildings, or including systems in new Council developments, our default option will be low-carbon alternatives to gas/coal/oil based heating systems. In 2020-24, review the establishment of a recycling fund to deliver renewable energy or energy efficiency projects, and prioritise in the Council’s capital programme improving the energy efficiency of public sector buildings through measures such as improved insulation. The Council will deliver Phase 2 of the Council’s LED streetlight replacement programme, reducing energy demand and speeding the achievement of carbon neutrality in the Council’s own operations. The Council will make available a Climate Emergency Fund in 2020-21, which among other uses will provide opportunities to expand community energy provision.
Working with Partners and Government

Support in principle the development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy. The HyNet project aspires to capture 10 million tonnes of CO2 from the North West’s industrial cluster, add £17bn Gross Value Added to the North West economy, alongside supporting 5979 jobs. The Council will also explore opportunities for hydrogen to be mixed with the gas grid using existing infrastructure for the purposes of domestic and commercial heating. It is noted that the blue hydrogen proposed in HyNet is intended to be a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, and therefore the development of green hydrogen will also be supported by the Council. Work with the LEP, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Net Zero North West and Cheshire Energy Hub to review opportunities to reduce industrial energy use within Cheshire West and Chester, through projects such as the Energy Innovation District and E-Port Smart Energy Master Plan, which aim to aims to reduce the carbon emissions from the Ellesmere Port industrial cluster by 34 per cent by 2030; Working with the Liverpool City region on the Mersey Tidal project to seek to deliver clean energy to the Cheshire and Merseyside region; The Council will work with central Government and local industrial stakeholders to promote the development of funding mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of blue hydrogen, as a transitionary step towards green hydrogen, to enable the delivery of initial HyNet infrastructure by 2025. The Council will work with the Mersey Dee Alliance on the development and delivery of an energy prospectus. The Council will work with the local Energy Network infrastructure provider, SP Energy Networks, to assure the delivery of network upgrades to facilitate readiness for 100 per cent electric vehicles by 2030.
How residents can play their part:

We all need to change our habits and here are some suggestions to help make a difference: Switch to a renewable energy supplier; Install renewable energy generation at home; Plan to switch your home heating system to a renewable alternative, such as a heat pump. Consider the energy required to produce the products you purchase.