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Choosing a trusted payments provider for a seamless switch
Solihull Council has worked with Lloyds to update how they process card payments from residents, handling around £30 million in annual transactions across more than 50 different council services. When its previous provider withdrew from the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework, the council needed a replacement it could trust: a strong brand with a proven track record, clear governance and a team that would stay close through selection and mobilisation.
Read time: 5 mins Added: 12/06/26
Finding a new payments provider
When local authorities need to procure new payment processing services, they turn to the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework - a list of pre-approved suppliers that have already been assessed for quality and compliance.
That was the starting point for Solihull Council after its previous payments provider withdrew from the framework. With a net budget of around £250 million and responsibility for processing payments for everything from council tax and business rates to planning applications, bulky waste collections and the recently introduced green waste charging service, finding the right provider was essential. The Council’s priority was clear: protect service continuity for residents and choose a payments provider whose brand strength and operational discipline would stand up to scrutiny.
Adam Paterson, Head of Corporate Finance at Solihull Council, ran the Council’s transaction volumes through the CCS Framework, modelling both current activity and anticipated growth as more residents shift away from cash and cheque payments. A key priority was ensuring any new provider could integrate smoothly with their Civica income management software. Throughout the evaluation, Lloyds’ relationship management and specialist implementation colleagues helped translate those requirements into a clear mobilisation plan, giving the council confidence that the solution would work in practice as well as on paper.
Four providers were initially under consideration, but Adam says Lloyds stood out because of its pricing, reputation and the quality of early engagement. For the Council, Lloyds’ brand strength and the reassurance of having committed Relationship Manager support throughout selection and mobilisation were central to the decision, alongside the technical capability and implementation approach.
Adam Paterson Head of Corporate Finance, Solihull CouncilThe Lloyds engagement early on was very proactive and supportive in terms of what support we might need and then how the mobilisation and implementation would be handled. Lloyds stood out not just on price, but through their hands-on approach. They came to visit us in person to understand our requirements, which was very reassuring. And the fact that we would have a dedicated team who would support us through the entire mobilisation period gave us real confidence we would be up and running by our target date.
A smooth transition
The Council takes payments through multiple channels, including online, automated telephone systems, manual phone payments and through handheld Process Data Quickly (PDQ) devices positioned across the organisation. Each required careful planning to ensure continuity of service for residents.
Lloyds' dedicated implementation team proved crucial, working in lockstep with the Council and supported by Relationship Managers who stayed close to the programme as requirements were confirmed and decisions were signed off. Alongside Adam and colleagues from across the Council's finance, IT and customer service functions, they established a clear timeline with testing well ahead of the go-live date. The real-time reporting through Lloyds Cardnet® allowed both teams to monitor test transactions hitting the system, strengthening confidence in the switch.
"There does come a point when you've got to effectively turn off the old system and turn the new one on, which can be a nervous moment", Adam acknowledges, "but the Lloyds team were on hand checking what was happening in real time, and there were no issues."
Delivering for residents
Since going live, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from within Solihull Council. Residents making payments online, over the phone or through other channels have noticed no difference whatsoever.
Behind the scenes, however, the change has brought genuine operational improvements and greater control. By setting up individual merchant IDs for each payment channel, the council can now create automatic rules in their finance ledger that reconcile and allocate transactions without manual intervention. That clarity supports stronger oversight and reinforces the confidence the Council wanted in its new provider relationship.
Adam explains: "Changing provider isn't as scary as it might seem. With Lloyds, our experience is that you get detailed, positive support that tells you exactly how things are going to work. Things happen on time. They held themselves to account and they hold us to account to make sure that everything is delivered."
The implementation team also worked with individual departments to ensure they had the right equipment for their needs, with Relationship Managers helping to capture on-the-ground requirements and keep decisions moving. Staff in the Council's café, for instance, requested devices without touchscreens to avoid issues with sticky fingers from handling food - a small detail, but one that demonstrates the tailored, relationship-led approach taken throughout.
The impact on customers, which is obviously the most important thing, was minimal and the service continuity was maintained.
David Morgan Associate Director, Merchant Services Mid Corporate, LloydsThe beauty of procuring through the CCS Framework is that all the heavy lifting has already been done on things like contract terms and conditions, so organisations like Solihull Council can concentrate on what matters most to them - cost, service, transition and ongoing support. A key factor in this case was our implementation team, who worked very closely with Adam and multiple stakeholders from the Council. We had the right people engaged with the process at the right time from both sides, which helped everything work smoothly.
Contact our specialist
To learn more about modernising payment infrastructure for local authorities, email David Morgan.
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