Croydon Council has appointed three partner organisations as part of its plans to transform ways of working, to become a cost-effective and efficient council that always puts residents first.

The Future Croydon transformation plan, approved by Cabinet in March 2024, sets out Croydon’s objective to transform and modernise council services over the next five years, to provide excellent customer care and value for money.

The Council has appointed three partners with expertise in key areas to help achieve these aims. They will examine how Croydon’s services operate in their specialist areas – talking to staff, residents and partner organisations – to make recommendations about new ways of working.

Boston Consulting Group, a global firm with an expertise in digital innovation in the public and private sectors, will be supporting the Council over the next few months to develop a new operating model. Newton, a transformation delivery partner to local authority people services, is already working with Adult Social Care and Health. IMPOWER, experts in public sector change, will be supporting Children, Young People and Education.

In the past three years, Croydon has delivered £137m savings, with a further £30m planned for 2024-25. Despite this, some of the council’s costs, such as children’s and adults social care, remain among the highest in London. This is not financially sustainable for the future – and this is why the council needs radical change.

As previously set out in the Future Croydon transformation plan, Croydon needs to save just under £100m in four years and will only do this by becoming the most cost-effective and efficient council in London.

Future Croydon builds on the extensive improvement work already under way at the council, which has been recognised by the government as good progress.

The plan supports the delivery of the Croydon Mayor’s Business Plan 2022-26.

Katherine Kerswell, Chief Executive, Croydon Council, said: “We’re embarking on one of the biggest transformation programmes in local government and for that we need external help.

“To become financially sustainable Croydon needs to make significant changes in the way it operates. We will do this in a way that puts the needs of residents first – making better use of technology to deliver services, so that we become more efficient, and can offer excellent customer care.

“These three partners will provide additional expertise, helping us to realise our ambitions to become financially sustainable and be able to offer our residents the best possible value for money.”