Runnymede Borough Council

Runnymede Borough Council, located in Surrey, faced growing pressure to modernise its digital services.

Citizens today expect seamless digital experiences from their local authority comparable to those offered by major banks and global retailers, whether they're purchasing a gift, managing personal finances, or renewing garden waste bins. Runnymede recognised this need and embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation journey in 2017. By implementing the full Jadu Digital Platform, the council overhauled both customer services and internal operations and prioritised meeting citizens' digital demands.

The Challenge

Runnymede Borough Council realised that its existing technology could not meet the expectations of its citizens.

Years of underinvestment had left the Council with legacy systems, fragmented processes, and siloed communications. Customer service was deteriorating, staff struggled with disconnected tools, and the COVID-19 pandemic only amplified the urgency for fully online service delivery.

Linda Norman, Corporate Head of Customer, Digital & Collection Services, was tasked in 2019 with leading a technology refresh. The Council's key goal is “make every contact count”, by creating a seamless, responsive, and unified experience for citizens and staff alike, while delivering significant annual savings of £250,000.

At the same time, customer service teams were burdened by outdated email-based workflows. Lost messages, duplicated efforts, and slow response times plagued the Council’s ability to deliver on its digital ambitions. There was a clear need for a solution that improved case management and responsiveness, without overwhelming employees with complex new systems.

The Solution

To enhance customer services and reduce costs, Linda Norman utilised a visual strategy, presenting a future vision through a postcard.

This kickstarted a technology refresh, upgrading hardware and implementing updated Microsoft and NEC applications. This modernisation replaced legacy systems, enhancing the user experience for staff. With core technologies updated, the focus shifted to improving the citizen experience.

Runnymede Borough Council selected the Jadu Digital Platform, which included Jadu Central (CMS and Forms) and Jadu Connect (Case Management), in November 2020. The implementation was completed within 10 months, creating a fully integrated digital platform. This integration process, managed in-house by a small team, ensured seamless integration with existing technologies.

In 2025, Jadu created an integration with Microsoft Teams in collaboration with Runnymede Borough Council.

This created a “Digital Layer”, enabling real-time communication and collaboration. Now, staff receive actionable, real-time case updates through Adaptive Cards in Teams. These cards allow users to:

View and manage service requests
Log and resolve missed call backs
Route website submissions directly to relevant teams
Scan and categorise incoming mail automatically

This integration transformed Teams into a central hub for managing citizen cases, without requiring new systems or steep learning curves.

The Results

The transformation has had a profound impact across the entire organisation. By centralising its digital services and integrating internal communications, Runnymede has greatly improved efficiency, accessibility, and citizen satisfaction.

Notably, Jadu provided Runnymede with control over website content management for the first time, after they had previously shared a content management system with a neighbouring local authority. Having control over its web content management has enabled Runnymede to deliver excellent digital accessibility. Independent digital accessibility experts Silktide ranked Runnymede as the joint first position in accessibility for 13 consecutive months in its A ccessibility Index for UK Local Authorities, and still consistently rank in the top 10.

The council now has over 1500 web pages and 150 online forms on a single platform. This consolidation, along with telephony and CRM integration, has unified the citizen experience and empowered employees to respond more efficiently.

Runnymede Borough Council’s transformation demonstrates the powerful results that come from aligning smart technology, employee workflows, and citizen expectations. Through a combination of the Jadu Digital Platform and Microsoft’s collaboration tools, the Council has not only modernised its services but also set the foundation for future-ready innovation in local government.

Runnymede Borough Council