Performance Improvement in the Public Sector
PwC and Sheffield City Council have built a strategic partnership to deliver a large-scale transformation programme that has strengthened governance, and embedded a more joined-up ‘One Council’ operating model. By establishing a central Transformation Office, redesigning services and building internal capability, the programme is creating a more resilient organisation with stronger financial grip and improved outcomes for residents.
Sheffield City Council serves one of England’s largest metropolitan areas, with diverse communities and rising expectations for responsive, high‑quality public services. By 2023, the Council faced significant financial pressures, fragmented operations and declining public confidence. Services such as Housing required urgent improvement, while the organisation as a whole needed to close a budget gap of more than £60m. Although the Council had set out an ambitious vision through its Future Sheffield programme, early progress was hampered by inconsistent governance, siloed working and limited capacity to deliver change at scale.
PwC was engaged to help the Council turn this ambition into a coherent, disciplined and sustainable transformation. The aim was to improve outcomes for residents, strengthen organisational grip and identify substantial recurring savings, while building the internal capability needed to sustain progress. The partnership focused on creating a joined up, outcome led organisation that could deliver better services and restore public trust.
Working closely with a refreshed leadership team, PwC helped establish a corporate Transformation Office to provide clarity, pace and accountability across the organisation. This created a single roadmap for change, aligning 11 major programmes under one governance framework, and giving councillors and senior leaders clear visibility of progress, risks and financial benefits. The approach brought structure to previously fragmented efforts and laid the foundations for a genuine ‘One Council’ way of working.
As governance strengthened, delivery accelerated. Customer Experience was redesigned to make services more accessible, integrated and digitally enabled, improving the experience for residents and reducing avoidable demand. Oversight of external spend was tightened, commissioning processes were strengthened, and Finance and Business Support functions were reshaped to reduce duplication and increase resilience. Crucially, the transformation of Sheffield’s large Housing service – an area under intense regulatory scrutiny – was aligned to the corporate programme, ensuring improvements were embedded within wider organisational reform.
The partnership also focused on sustainability. PwC supported capability-transfer through coaching, formal training and blended delivery teams, enabling the Council to build long‑term skills in programme management, benefits realisation, data and digital reporting. As the Transformation Office matured into a permanent corporate function, external support tapered, ensuring the Council could continue delivering improvements independently.
The programme has identified c£45m in recurring savings, now built into the Council’s medium-term financial strategy – a return on investment of more than 3:1. More than 100 Contact Centre staff have completed operational optimisation work, customer journeys have been redesigned, and a new Customer Experience function has been created to drive continuous improvement. The Council now operates with clearer governance, stronger financial grip and more coordinated services, improving both staff experience and outcomes for residents.
The transformation has also helped rebuild trust in the organisation. Partners and stakeholders now see a council that is more decisive, more transparent and more consistent in how it delivers services. Most importantly, the changes have created a more stable, resilient organisation – one better able to support its communities, deliver value for money and sustain improvement long into the future.
View the profile in the MCA Members Directory.