Swindon Borough Council has spent several years rethinking its service delivery to place residents at the heart of its efforts while also improving efficiency and achieving cost savings. A key component of this transformation is the council's Business Improvement Team, which utilises Jadu Connect.
During a recent Transforming Swindon event, Brooke Bindon, Senior Business Analyst at Swindon Borough Council, shared insights into how Jadu Connect has improved both resident and internal experiences. This includes streamlining routine processes and addressing high-pressure situations, such as those encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of Jadu Connect's greatest strengths is its flexibility. The platform empowers the council's team to create forms, workflows, and integrations without needing specialised technical skills. This allows the Swindon team to address demands that legacy systems cannot meet. Whether it’s a new requirement from the central government or a gap in an existing service, Jadu Connect enables Swindon to start from scratch and design solutions that genuinely benefit residents.
Integration is key. For instance, connecting with Bartec allows the council to manage garden waste subscriptions from start to finish, including payments, recurring notifications, and automated communications. Their Office 365 integration also facilitates user-friendly booking systems for both residents and staff, while the website and forms maintain a consistent design, enhancing trust and usability.
Since 2017, Swindon has worked across 35 service areas to redesign over 200 processes, delivering digital forms, workflows, and services that make a tangible difference. The Business Improvement Team collaborates with data analysts, web developers, and service areas to map processes, gather requirements, and test solutions. This approach encourages service areas to bring problems rather than predefined solutions, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
This methodology has enabled the council to embed digital services across its operations. Today, there are 350+ digital forms, 150 case types, and 1,600 staff using Jadu Connect, demonstrating how integral the platform has become to Swindon’s operations.
COVID-19 was a critical test for the council. Facing urgent new requirements and increased demand, the Business Improvement Team utilised Jadu Connect to implement services in days instead of months.
The platform enabled the council to:
By providing these services swiftly and efficiently, the council safeguarded residents, supported local businesses, and ensured operational continuity during an unprecedented time.
The clearest example of Jadu Connect’s impact is at Swindon’s Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC). With more than 1 million booking requests processed on the platform, this service is the council’s most visited online page.
Before the digital transformation, residents faced long queues, safety risks, poor air quality, and congested access roads. Staff were under constant pressure, and local businesses were affected. By introducing a timed-slot booking system, residents now receive a QR code to access the site efficiently, reducing wait times from hours to around 25 minutes per visit.
The result? 23,000 bookings per month, improved safety, better accessibility, and consistently positive resident feedback, transforming a previously high-stress service into a smooth, predictable experience.
Beyond high-demand services like HWRC, Jadu Connect supports processes that include FOI requests, safeguarding referrals, complaints, and invoicing. By streamlining workflows and integrating data, the council has achieved significant improvements, such as:
The platform enables scalable, repeatable solutions. Processes designed once can be reproduced across services, accelerating digital transformation without requiring additional training or resource overhead.
Swindon Borough Council is expanding and enhancing its digital capabilities. Upcoming initiatives include improving the My Account functionality, enhancing reporting through Microsoft Fabric, and further optimising high-demand services to better meet resident needs and align with internal insights.
The council’s journey demonstrates that digital transformation in local government extends beyond technology. It focuses on empowering staff, enhancing resident experiences, and creating sustainable, prevention-oriented services that can adapt to future challenges.