Powered by Partnership: Smarter Services for Stronger Communities
Insights from the Public Finance Live 2025 podcast
At this year’s Public Finance Live conference, Darren Smith, Head of Transformation at Liberata (pictured), joined Public Finance’s Group Editor, John Watkins, to explore how strategic partnerships can help councils improve outcomes, strengthen services, and address growing financial challenges.
The case for partnerships in local government
Darren began by setting the scene: local authorities across the UK are facing intense budget pressures, growing community needs, and increasing demand for transformation, often without the capacity or resources to deliver it. Strategic partnerships, he argues, offer councils a way forward.
With 25 years of experience in local government before joining Liberata in 2024, Darren brings firsthand insight into how transformation challenges play out on the ground and how external partnerships can help overcome them.
At Liberata, partnerships range from fully managed service arrangements with Local Authorities, including Bromley, Hounslow, and North Somerset, to more flexible, short-term transformation support. The approach is people and business outcome-focused, with services tailored to meet the specific needs of each authority, whether that’s service resourcing, technology, or both.
ServiceTech in action
Darren introduced Liberata’s concept of ServiceTech, a people and technology approach that blends expert resourcing with modern platforms, automation, and AI to help councils build sustainable, resilient services. The goal of ServiceTech is not just to create efficiencies and reduce costs (though typical savings range from 10% to 20%), but to enable councils to deliver better services to their communities with fewer barriers.
With political and economic changes continuing to shape the local government landscape, Darren emphasised the advantage of partnering with providers who are already meeting these needs elsewhere, bringing insight, innovation, and agility.
Ethical innovation: the rise of fairer debt recovery
One of the podcast’s most powerful moments came as Darren described his “passion project”, Debt Assist, a new service from Liberata, designed to help councils address the root causes of rising debt.
With over £13 billion in outstanding debt across local government, including more than £6 billion in Council Tax, there’s a clear need for an alternative approach to traditional models. Debt Assist is that different approach. It’s built on FCA-accredited debt advice, data-led triage, and a compassionate model that supports residents who genuinely can’t pay.
Debt Assist aims to help residents regain control and reduce bad debt provision. It allows councils to create a sustainable approach to debt recovery. Used as a complementary part of existing processes, including enforcement, Debt Assist can be implemented at any phase of the debt lifecycle – from the reminder stage to post-enforcement.
Watch the full conversation
Advice for councils ready to start the journey
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” Habit 5 — The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey.
When asked for practical tips, Darren was clear: you don’t need a polished strategy to start. “Just come and talk to us,” he said. Whether at events like CIPFA or via LinkedIn, phone, or email, Liberata’s team is ready to listen and help solve local authorities’ challenges.
Connect with Darren directly: email darren.smith@liberata.com or on LinkedIn.
