£350 million of UK public sector revenue is lost yearly through NDR roll inaccuracies. We need a system that reduces NDR payment errors to feed funds back into improving public services.
Challenge
Non-domestic rates (NDRs) collected from local businesses are one of the only sources of income that North Lanarkshire Council receives for its public services.
They were losing around £350,000 in revenue every year because they had no way of automatically identifying businesses that were not registered or not paying the correct rate.
This was much-needed income that the council needed to support public services and invest in making North Lanarkshire a better and more sustainable place to live.
Approach
Through our data platform uReveal, we used advanced image analysis and machine learning to automatically spot fraud and identify missed revenue from NDRs.
uReveal combines open datasets and satellite imagery with North Lanarkshire Council’s own internal non-domestic rates valuation roll data to map out businesses across the North Lanarkshire area.
By tracking differences across this geographical area over time, we could automatically detect when a business footprint changes and should be charged a new rate, potentially saving the council upwards of £350,000 annually.
Results
£2.2bn
The cost of fraud to local government is estimated at £2.2 billion a year. This is money that could be used for local services.
15+
There are more than 15 steps in the robust data pipeline towards identifying missing or erroneous NDR rates.
£350k
The average additional rate a UK local authority could generate through uReveal to fund public services.
Using specifically-developed AI, we can automate the detection and recovery of NDR missed revenue and feed these funds back into our communities.
Our partnership and shared vision
Our vision for uReveal is that it will become a scalable data service platform that any local authority can use to unlock new revenue from business rates.
uReveal will automatically identify changes in building use and align them with the Non-Domestic Rates register to highlight businesses that are not registered or not paying the correct rate.
About North Lanarkshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council is one of 32 council areas in Scotland.
North Lanarkshire Council’s vision is to become a leading digital local authority in Scotland, by harnessing emerging technologies to deliver improved services and faster outcomes to residents and businesses across the region.
Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
More
Reducing emissions and improving health with active travel
Cycling Scotland
Targeting energy-efficiency campaigns to households most in need
Greater South East Net Zero Hub
Protecting an aging population from fuel poverty
Dartford Borough Council and Dover District Council
Facilitating active travel behavioural change with data
SEStran
Helping identify customers in or at risk of fuel poverty.
Social Connect
Open data promotes transparency, builds trust and empower citizens
Ireland Open Data Training
Identifying and unlocking new revenue from business rates with AI
North Lanarkshire
Tackling the growing
fuel poverty crisis with data and AI
UKRI
Understanding how we live and use our homes with real-time energy data
Smartline
Managing the impact of noise pollution on our cities
Noiseability
Accelerating the transformation of the UK’s energy systems
Energy Systems Catapult
Start your journey
Take a look at our product page to find out which UrbanTide AI tool has been designed for your needs.
Find out how we can support your data and AI projects and see our growing AI portfolio in action.
