. Simply Solutions Portfolio

Portfolio

financial improvement programme

Luton Borough Council, unlike many other local authorities are in a strong financial position, mainly due to the income generated from the airport. A recent financial audit however highlighted a number of improvements required in the way the council manage their finances. I was asked to oversee the resulting improvement programme which primarily focussed upon delivering the change required to align the financial management with the CIPFA FM Code. Following extensive engagement with budget holders across the authority Luton were able to report significant progress in addressing the areas of concern.

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children's services performance improvement / OCA

Following Luton's adoption of the Families First initiative for Children's Services in 2024, the service found themselves heavily reliant upon contracted staff which was not sustainable longer term. They had also, like many other local authorities, had exceeded their budget and needed to identify opportunities for delivering savings. I held the responsibility for managing the governance processes required to deliver the organisation change necessary to move to a sustainable structure whilst working across the operational teams to identify and deliver service improvements the reduce operating costs.

The draft structure was delivered on time and is due to go to consultation in September 2026 and multiple saving initiatives were introduced in children's placements as well as moving the financial review process online, thus avoiding resource intensive manual activities that were subject to user error..

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Testimonials

  • “During his time with us, Paul consistently demonstrated exceptional project management capability, delivering complex initiatives on time, within budget, and to a high standard of quality. He successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously, coordinating cross-functional teams and ensuring alignment with strategic business goals. One of Paul’s key strengths is his ability to lead diverse teams effectively. He fosters a collaborative environment, clearly communicates expectations and proactively resolve challenges. Paul’s strong stakeholder management skills enabled him to build and maintain positive relationships at all levels of the organisation, including senior leadership and external partners. In addition to his technical competence, Paul is highly professional, dependable and dedicated. He consistently demonstrates integrity, accountability and a strong work ethic, making him a trusted member of the team. I would not hesitate to recommend Paul for any Project Manager role. He would be a valuable asset to any organisation seeking a capable and driven project management professional."

    Zac Mather, Corporate PMO Manager

  • “Paul joined us at a critical juncture, stepping into a complex, long-running project that required significant reorganisation and consistent engagement with both our external supplier and a wide array of internal stakeholders across multiple departments. From day one, Paul demonstrated a deep understanding of the project’s intricacies and quickly became a safe pair of hands, bringing calm and clarity to a complex situation He has consistently maintained a clear and detailed grasp of the project’s status, navigating challenges with pragmatism and a solutions-focused mindset. His ability to keep momentum going has been invaluable. Paul’s calm, approachable manner and positive attitude have made him a pleasure to work with and a trusted partner throughout. Thanks to his leadership and perseverance, we’ve successfully delivered a project that had been years in the making. I would wholeheartedly recommend Paul to any team looking for a dependable, thoughtful, and effective delivery lead."

    Leon McComish, Delivery Lead

  • “It’s honestly been such a pleasure working with you, you’ve been incredible! And it is not just because of your skills and leadership, but because of the genuine care and dedication you bring to everything you do. You’ve taught me so much without even trying, just by the way you lead, support the team and drive things forward with such clarity. You’ve made a real difference to this project and will be really missed, thanks for everything."

    Rena Buckingham, Senior Business Analyst

  • “It was a great honour working with you, thank you. I learnt so much about Cx but also about project management and how it is done, about processes and much more. The Cx implementation would never have got so far had it not been for your commitment and dedication. Thank you for all your extra time, support and patience."

    Diana Tumova, Food Safety Environmental Health Officer

  • ““Thank you for all your amazing support and guidance provided on the Cx project and for always bringing a warm smile and positive approach to the table. It’s been a pleasure working with you."

    Rebecca Whitehouse, Environmental Health Manager

  • “I wanted to take this chance to say thank you for all of your support. I haven't had the privilege of working with you directly for long, but in that short time I have been both impressed by and grateful for your calming, reassuring hand on this process. You've been effective yet supportive, punctual yet patient, motivating yet calming. As far as I can tell, it is almost entirely thanks to you that the Nexus migration didn't fall over immediately and I just wanted to say thank you."

    Oluwalogbon Akinnola, Senior Data Analyst

  • “Hi Paul, Even though we haven’t had the chance to work together directly, I’ve observed from a distance that you’re a student of the craft and excellent at what you do. The sphere of influence was a really valuable framework, so thank you for sharing it."

    William Bramble, Senior Delivery Manager

  • “We will miss you Paul, best project manager I’ve worked with, ever!".

    Darren Wilsher, Private Sector Housing Service Manager

  • “Paul is an asset to any organisation that requires a skilled and experienced IT project manager. He has proven his ability to deliver successful outcomes and to add value to the business. He is also a reliable and trustworthy colleague, who is always willing to help and support others. I highly recommend Paul for any future employment opportunities."

    Gareth Bedford, Head of IT Transformation Delivery

  • “Hi Paul, it has been our pleasure working with you, I honestly don’t know how we would have got to were we are without your expert management of this challenging project. I know it hasn’t been easy and I haven’t been easy! But I really appreciate your involvement and just wanted to thank you for your patience and dedication to see this through. If I am ever in a position where I was in need of a project manager I would look no further, and hopefully I will someday!"

    Kevin Tohill, Team Leader - Development Management

  • “Hi Paul, It was a pleasure working with you and the consensus here is that the go live went well, there are no Hypercare tickets left already & only 59 tickets raised over the 4 weeks which I hear is a record!"

    Lee Bristow, Senior Project Manager

  • “Paul, I understand today is your last formal day with us. You've been amazing! I thought I was organised until I worked with you. Thank you so much for your work, and some challenging moments, but you've kept us on track and you've been a trusted member of the team".

    Rob Krzyszowski MRTPI, Assistant Director, Planning, Building Standards & Sustainability

  • “Paul has been terrific, I wish we could have 12 PMs like Paul."

    Moosavi Ali, PMO & Resourcing Manager Digital Services

  • “Hi Paul, the project is in a really good place thanks to your project governance and oversight. I do appreciate the work that you have done and we will be sorry to see you go."

    Cathryn James, Executive Director of Environment, Civic Pride and Climate

  • “I have no words to express my gratitude but THANK YOU for everything. You have been amazing and a great pillar to the whole team, I dread the thought of what will happen without you. I will miss you dearly and hope we can work together again. Merry Christmas to the best project manager ever."

    Glenda Tapa, Implementation Consultant

  • “It has been pleasure working with you and you are the best project lead I have ever worked with".

    Zhensheng Chen, Team Manager - Income Team

  • “Hi Paul, given the tumultuous history with our Council; project managers here one minute, gone the next, and all the various challenges, I honestly don’t think this project would have gotten as far as it has without your leadership. I have such admiration for your skill, level headedness, ability to coordinate the team I’m so impressed".

    Enam Hussain, Sales & Leasehold Services Officer

  • “Over the past 18 months Paul has implemented robust project management using PRINCE 2, Microsoft Project, RAID Log and Highlight Reports. By identifying resources required, he has managed delivery of implementation in the project team. Working closely with one of the organisation’s key suppliers, and adapted to their changing resources, he has ensured continuity of delivery and reached the point of full UAT across council services and 3rd party integrations within the project".

    Martin Sanders, Head of Service Management and Governance

  • “It has been a pleasure working with you, very professional and through".

    Hassan Hassan, Infrastructure Solutions Architect

  • “Since the introduction of PayPal there have been over 51,000 successful transactions, equating to just under £6 Million pounds, which is absolutely fantastic and absolute justification for it’s introduction. I would go so far as to suggest that PayPal along with that projects introduction of our online eStore solution, for which we now have over 4,300 signed up customer accounts, have probably been the two single most successful and transformational payment solutions we have ever implemented, so well done Paul Evans who project managed the project".

    Gary Jude, Financial Systems Manager

  • “Paul was extremely helpful and accommodated all our requirements and kept us informed all the way through. I can only thank Paul for all his patience with me, as I have corresponded with him on numerous occasions and he always got back to me straight away and managed to resolved several issues we came across. ".

    Alex Franci, Legal Services

  • “Congratulations to you and your team on achieving a smooth service transition. It was a real pleasure working with you on this matter".

    Sarah Robson, Lawyer- Contracts & Procurement

  • “Paul has played a key role in making the network services transition a success and in achieving our £250k annual savings, a real testament to his hard work."

    Ed Garcez, Chief Digital and Information Officer

  • “Hi Paul, as I said in our meeting ‘Thank you’ , I think you are a really good project manager who is calm, organised, strategic and supportive, I have enjoyed working with you and also learning from your management styles".

    Sharon Grant, Senior Accountant

  • “in an efficient and timely manner Paul almost single-handedly, managed our IT and Phone System also contributed to the financial efficiency of the business by negotiating competitive supplier contacts and identifying methods of achieving objectives in-house rather than having to outsource. I would not hesitate to recommend him".

    Chloe Carey, Managing Director

  • “While working on the Corporate Mobility project we recieved frequent updates, notes for meetings are always available ahead of any project meetings, Paul was very engaged with the project liaising with suppliers, setting up meetings or calls when there is value to be had, I have had no problems or concerns".

    Wayne Gibson, Infrastructure Engineer

  • “Paul is amazing, his telephone manner is superb. He always demonstrates that he is very calm and patient and always empathises with the customer, he explains what he will do and absolutely does what he says he will do. He is very busy most of the day but never gets frustrated with any situation".

    Tina Slocombe, Operations Advisor