Unitary Authority Annual Billing Case Study

Across England, councils are undergoing major structural change, with many areas transitioning from a two-tier system into single unitary authorities. North Yorkshire Council is one such example, bringing together seven legacy districts (Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby) to create, at the time of writing, the largest unitary authority in England by area. 

As part of this transition, the council needed a provider who could bring order and reassurance to a highly complex Revenues and Benefits operation. With seven different systems, data formats and workflows coming together for the first time, North Yorkshire required a partner with proven experience in high-volume statutory communications, strong data security credentials, and the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders while maintaining accuracy and compliance. 

As with any major public-sector restructuring, selecting the right supplier required a rigorous and carefully evaluated tender process. The new authority needed complete confidence that their chosen provider could handle statutory communications at scale, safeguard sensitive data, and coordinate multiple legacy operations without disruption. Robust criteria, compliance checks and service assessments were therefore essential to ensure the selected organisation could meet the demands of a unified Revenues and Benefits service. 

Led by a Revenues and Benefits Control Manager, the council required a provider capable of managing annual billing end-to-end and bringing consistency to seven previously independent operations. Thankfully CFH had already supported Scarborough and Ryedale’s Revenues and Benefits communications since 2019, providing a strong foundation as the new authority began merging its various systems and processes.  

Following a detailed tender exercise, CFH were appointed to deliver all Revenues and Benefits communications across the combined authority, recognised as the leading and most capable choice for the scale of the task. 

North Yorkshire’s Revenues and Benefits communications have grown significantly, expanding from approximately 57,000 domestic properties managed at Scarborough to more than 306,000 council tax accounts and an additional 33,000 business rates records. Despite this scale, the council has seen no drop in quality, accuracy or reliability.  

The move to closed-face (non-window) envelopes also landed well with both residents and internal stakeholders. The council highlighted positive feedback in meetings, noting that the change supported environmental goals by removing single-use plastic windows and making envelopes easier to recycle at scale. Just as importantly, there were no reports of mismatched contents or incorrect inserts - a “big tick” for both sustainability and accuracy. 

Security and data integrity have been major strengths of the partnership. The council adopted CFH’s enhanced SFTP transfer process, providing secure upload, controlled access and assured deletion of files. The North Yorks team reported no firewall issues, delays or breaches, even with significantly larger data volumes. North Yorkshire’s Revenues and Benefits Control Manager noted that CFH has consistently “accommodated additional needs” as the authority has grown, with any issues quickly resolved and the service remaining “uncompromised.” 

As North Yorkshire prepares for its first fully unified annual billing process in 2026, both organisations are already planning for the shift to a single system. While the scale presents new internal considerations, the council is confident in CFH’s ability to manage output efficiently, viewing the centralised process as an advantage. 

CFH’s responsiveness and expertise has helped the council deliver accurate, compliant and timely communications throughout a period of major change, with strong foundations now in place and thorough preparation ensuring a smooth path forward.