Nottinghamshire County Council Partners since 2020

Future-proofing Nottinghamshire’s Digital Services

Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire, delivering vital services to its constituents, including education, social care, transport and waste management.

Although many services were already available online, the council wanted to ensure its digital estate was fit for the future. Research showed that two-thirds of constituents would be likely to download a mobile app to access council services, presenting a clear opportunity to improve engagement and offer a more convenient way for residents to interact with the council.

4,500 Installations in the first 5 months

750 hrs of user engagement in the first 5 months

80% of respondents reported a positive experience via in-app survey

The Challenge

The council wanted to provide an experience that went beyond the limitations of a mobile web browser – creating a single, convenient hub where residents can access council services through a more intuitive and engaging user experience.

Alongside improving the overall digital experience, the council also wanted to support the legislative priorities of elected officials. A key focus was simplifying the process for reporting highway issues, making it easier for residents to raise concerns and for the council to respond efficiently.

To achieve this, Nottinghamshire County Council partnered with Cantarus to develop a solution that would meet these objectives. The result was the MyNotts app, built on the MemConnect platform, providing a modern and user-friendly way for residents to interact with the council.

Our Solution

Given the wide range of services the council provides, achieving full feature parity with the existing website in the initial release was neither practical nor necessary. Instead, the project adopted a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach, prioritising the highest-value features while establishing a foundation the council could build on over time.

To determine which features should be prioritised, three key criteria were used:

Which services were most frequently used on the existing website
Which areas generated the highest volume of support calls
Insights from the council’s internal project team on the services residents valued most

The MyNotts app was designed to complement the existing website while delivering a more unified, mobile-first user experience. Through the app, residents can stay informed about local news and events via the What’s On feature, while built-in surveys provide a simple way for constituents to share their views and have a voice in local issues.

Report It!

Allowing residents to report highway maintenance issues was a top priority. It was already a heavily used area of the website, generating a large number of support calls, but the experience on mobile devices was far from ideal.

The Report It! feature was designed with convenience in mind, allowing residents to quickly report issues directly from their phone. By leveraging device capabilities such as GPS location and camera functionality, users can easily capture and submit reports, creating a faster and more seamless reporting experience than traditional web forms.

Nottinghamshire residents can make the most of council services wherever and whenever, effortlessly available in the palm of their hands.

Evolving the MyNotts app

Since its initial launch, Nottinghamshire County Council has continued to invest in the MyNotts app to expand its capabilities and improve the resident experience.

A full design refresh has introduced a cleaner interface, improved navigation and a more modern mobile experience. The updated design makes it easier for residents to access services such as reporting issues, finding council information and discovering local opportunities.

The app now also includes postcode personalisation, allowing residents to add their postcode and receive targeted push notifications relevant to their local area. This enables the council to share geographically relevant updates and alerts more effectively.

To further expand the app’s usefulness, a jobs listings feature has been introduced, enabling residents to browse local employment opportunities directly within the app and reinforcing its role as a hub for useful local services and information.

Additional reportable issues have been added to the Report It! section, allowing residents to notify the council about a wider range of local issues and further streamlining the reporting process while encouraging digital self-service.

The Results

The continued investment in the MyNotts app has driven strong adoption and growing engagement among residents.

63,000+ total downloads
- Apple: 28.5k
- Android: 34.8k
~5,000 monthly active users
Almost 25% of all "Report It" submissions now come through the app
The app has overtaken phone calls to the council as the primary channel for reporting issues
Most new users discover the app through the council website rather than directly via app stores
80% of survey respondents reported a positive experience

The MyNotts app continues to be an important channel for connecting with residents across Nottinghamshire. The ongoing enhancements delivered by Cantarus, including the redesigned user experience and new personalised features, have helped us expand how residents interact with council services. With tens of thousands of downloads and a growing proportion of highway reports now submitted through the app, it’s clear the platform is helping residents access services more easily while supporting our wider digital transformation.

Brendan King Customer Services Business Partner | Design, Build and Support, Nottinghamshire County Council

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