A council-wide review of all payment methods used by services is currently underway, with outcomes, milestones and potential saving plans expected by February 2019.

The Council of the Future project aims to highlight how payment methods could be modernised to better meet customer needs and expectations, reduce cash handling costs, and support digital inclusion.

Over the coming months, the Project Management Office will consult with customers, such as rent payers, and internal stakeholders to identify current payment methods.

The team will also undertake a benchmarking exercise with other councils to potentially highlight new ways of working and best practise that could improve the overall customer experience.

Presenting at last Council of the Future Board, project lead Chris McCreath said: “A key aim of the project is to help us understand if current payment methods offered by the Council are the right ones, and if not find alternative solutions that would make the payment process easier for the customer.”