Issue - meetings

The committee considered the report which provided an update on a range of activities designed to enhance the usability, efficiency and perception of Unit4 in Cheshire East through various initiatives including governance changes, functionality improvements, performance enhancements and process reengineering.

Concerns of School Business Managers following a review of Unit4 were raised and noted. It was confirmed that the feedback from schools would form part of the improvement work of Unit4 and that there was work underway to pick up issues however statutory elements such as payroll and HMRC returns had to be prioritised to ensure that the authority carried out its statutory duty.

The committee agreed that effective communication and engagement was key as changes were implemented and improvements made. It was important that customer satisfaction needed to be built into the overall programme as part of the performance management framework going forward. The committee were pleased that performance reporting would include measures on customer satisfaction.

It was queried if there were any anticipated cost overruns as a result of the service improvements that had been identified. It was noted that the current known requirements for the costs of change were reflected in the budgets approved by the council in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025-26 – 2026-29 however it was too early to fully estimate the full financial impacts and that this would need to be monitored throughout the process. It was clarified that whilst the approved budget included costs of redesign, more significant options/changes, such as a disaggregated service, would need careful consideration and supporting High Level Business Case. All options were being explored, and no final decisions had been made the priority of the review was to optimise the Unit4 system.

RESOLVED:

That the briefing report be received and noted.