Bexley Council is set to establish a new group dedicated to rationalising its technology systems and improving integration, a move prompted by the identification of over 60 line-of-business applications in need of attention.
The Finance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee has approved the scope for a Technology Rationalisation and System Integration Task and Finish group
as part of its work programme, as detailed in the Public reports pack 14th-Oct-2026 19.30 Finance Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committ.
This new group will examine how the council selects, prioritises, and resourcing its transformation projects, focusing on the early stages of the project lifecycle, from the submission of ideas to the allocation of resources for delivery. The council is also undertaking application rationalisation to improve consistency in support and management, a key component of the Future Bexley: Corporate Core
programme which aims to modernise the council's digital, data, and technology capabilities.
The current state of integration between Bexley Council's existing technology systems is characterized by fragmentation and inconsistencies. Critical systems are centrally supported, but many applications remain managed within service areas and are supported on a 'best endeavours' basis alongside employees' substantive roles. This creates significant risks relating to system resilience, security, compliance, business continuity, and disaster recovery, as well as knowledge retention.
Key areas of investigation for the group will include how transformation ideas are submitted, assessed, and rejected, the criteria used for ranking and sequencing proposals, and the potential role of elected members in this prioritisation process. It will also look at how resources are allocated to projects and how competing demands are managed. The move towards a Zero Trust network model and the transition to Microsoft Teams-based telephony are also part of efforts to improve integration and reduce complexity.
The aim is to ensure that the council's transformation pipeline is well-governed, properly prioritised, and strategically aligned, ultimately leading to greater confidence in the council's technology management. The success of this initiative will be measured through the 'Bexley 6 Benefits' strategy, which includes metrics such as first-time resolution of telephone enquiries, reduction in formal customer service complaints, increased staff hours dedicated to vulnerable resident support through automation, minimized internal transfers for residents, increased handling of routine queries outside office hours via automated tools, and lifted public confidence ratings in the Council's service delivery.