Reducing Payroll Errors

The Client

Burnley Borough Council provides services to around 75,000 citizens in an area of Lancashire some twenty one miles north of Manchester and twenty miles east of Preston.

During the Industrial Revolution, Burnley became one of Lancashire’s most prominent mill towns: at its peak, it was one of the world’s largest producers of cotton cloth and a major centre of engineering.

Burnley has retained a solid manufacturing sector, and has strong economic links with the cities of Manchester and Leeds, as well as neighbouring towns along the M65 corridor. It has a reputation as a regional centre of excellence for the manufacturing and aerospace industries. In recognition of its continued success, Burnley received an Enterprising Britain award from the UK Government, for being the “Most Enterprising Area in the UK”.

The Challenge

Burnley Borough Council was operating a separate HR & Payroll system and officers realised that there were efficiencies to be delivered especially in the reduction in duplication of effort and in processing. There was an opportunity to end the relationship with their incumbent payroll provider and move towards providing a more customer focused service and one that would support an integrated HR and payroll system.

The Solution

Burnley Borough Council asked for support from Liberata. Liberata offered an integrated payroll and HR solution, using a platform that Council officers were familiar with. The service was provided locally with a named and accessible team available to offer support.

This enabled the Council to drive forward self-service functions and deliver payroll accuracy improvements and other streamline additional processes.

The Benefits

• Better value for money when compared to the previous service
• An integrated HR & Payroll system leading to more efficiency
• Quality improvement and reduced errors – now less than 1% compared to the previous provider (which was around 3%)
• A reactive, responsive and engaged team – any issues can be resolved quickly
• Positive trade union feedback highlighting the speed of service and reduced level of errors

“Since working with Liberata, errors in payroll runs have reduced to virtually nothing – where issues arise we have found the team is very responsive and easy to engage with. They provide a very cost-effective and accurate service.”

Vicky White, Strategic HR Lead, Burnley Borough Council

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