The London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) has been a long‑standing Symology customer since 2006. For many years, the borough operated a fragmented collection of legacy systems to manage its highways and street lighting services. While each system served a purpose, the lack of integration created barriers to achieving full operational visibility, accurate performance monitoring, and consistent financial reconciliation. 

In 2023, LBWF initiated a bold transformation, moving towards a unified asset management approach with Aurora at its core. 

A Complex Landscape of Disconnected Processes 

Before adopting Aurora, LBWF relied on several separate platforms for asset management, defect reporting, and maintenance operations. These systems operated in isolation, with limited ability to share information or return completion data from contractors. 

This fragmentation made it difficult to: 

  • Track end-to-end workflows. 
  • Monitor service delivery under fixed price maintenance arrangements. 
  • Reconcile monthly payments to actual completed work. 
  • Maintain consistent and accurate asset inventories. 

There had been some hesitation to migrate to newer platforms, leaving the borough dependent on outdated processes for longer than intended.

This fragmentation made it difficult to: 

  • Track end-to-end workflows. 
  • Monitor service delivery under fixed price maintenance arrangements. 
  • Reconcile monthly payments to actual completed work. 
  • Maintain consistent and accurate asset inventories. 

There had been some hesitation to migrate to newer platforms, leaving the borough dependent on outdated processes for longer than intended. 

A Strategic Shift Towards Integration 

In 2023, Declan Lynch, took over as the borough's new Head of Highways, marking a turning point. Declan brought a clear vision: establish a single source of truth for all highways and street lighting operations. The first step was to thoroughly test the market for a solution that would deliver their requirements whilst also future proofing them in a long-term agreement. Symology came out on top, securing a long term contract via the YPO framework.   

LBWF began by moving onto Symology's managed service model, creating a stable foundation for consolidation.  

"Back in 2023, it was obvious we needed one place to hold all our highways and street lighting information. Moving onto Symology's managed service got us on solid ground" 

Declan Lynch, LBWF Head of Highways

The first major milestone was the transition of Street Works to Aurora, which was delivered seamlessly. Inspectors quickly embraced the Aurora mobile app, benefiting from real time updates and simplified onsite workflows. 

Encouraged by this success, the borough advanced towards a broader asset management transformation. 

Declan continued, "After switching Street Works over to Aurora, we knew how much smoother things could be. The inspectors were getting real time updates, and their onsite jobs became a lot simpler straight away." 

As LBWF progressed into the asset management phase, two major challenges emerged: 

  • Incomplete and inconsistent asset data, particularly in street lighting. 
  • An existing contractor interface that was not yet developed enough to support full integration. 

Rather than delay the programme, LBWF made a strategic decision to adopt Aurora's works management functionality for its contractor. This approach bypassed the need for a bespoke API and enabled faster deployment of joined up processes.

“Moving to a more streamlined approach with Aurora has improved our operational efficiency and data integrity, this allows better planning for the future” 

Gareth Jones, LBWF Highways Infrastructure Manager

Delivering Operational and Financial Improvements

The first phase focused on Highway Safety Inspections and General Maintenance. The benefits were immediate and significant,  

"When we rolled out the first phase on Highway Safety Inspections and General Maintenance, the improvements were obvious straight away. Having the council and the contractor working off the same system meant everyone could finally see the same inspections, defects, and work orders."  

"It also gave us clean, consistent data to judge contract performance properly. And for the first time, we could see completion information clearly enough to check whether the fixed price contract actually matched what was being delivered. That level of visibility has made a real difference, both in how we run the jobs and how we keep on top of the costs." 

  • The council and its contractor gained shared access to inspections, defects, and work orders in a single system. 
  • Contract performance could now be monitored using consistent, transparent data. 
  • Completion information became available for the first time, enabling LBWF to assess whether fixed price contract values aligned with actual delivery. 

Street lighting data migration presented additional complexity. The data arrived without a structured framework, requiring extensive cleansing before it could be effectively used within Aurora. 

To address this, LBWF commissioned a Street Lights Health Check, a dedicated piece of work designed to identify gaps, resolve inconsistencies, and create a sustainable long term data structure.  

Gareth explained, "The data just wasn't what we needed it to be. The health check helped us find the gaps, sort out the inconsistencies, and build a data structure that would actually hold up in the long run. That work is still underway, but it's already becoming a key part of how we will manage those assets moving forward." 

A Collaborative Path to Success 

The success of the transformation has been driven by strong partnership working between LBWF, Symology, and the council's maintenance contractor. Weekly project meetings provided structure and accountability, while open communication enabled challenges to be identified and resolved quickly. 

Symology also worked directly with the contractor to support their adoption of Aurora's works management module, an important milestone that unlocked full transparency. 

Gareth Jones – Highways Infrastructure Manager advised, "Having internal champion users was key, this ensured that training was uniformed across the team and knowledge was passed down across the team". 

Looking Ahead 

LBWF is committed to expanding its use of Aurora. Planned developments include: 

  • Migrating further asset types currently held in spreadsheets or legacy tools. 
  • Introducing a Customer Services API to allow residents to log faults and submit applications directly into Aurora. 
  • Exploring AI-driven video surveys to support smarter, more proactive maintenance. 

"In the future we will certainly be looking at expanding our use of Aurora in areas such as, the integration of PROW inspections and Drainage system migration planning," said Gareth. 

Recognising the scale of the transformation, the borough is adopting a phased approach aligned with available resources and budgets. 

Aurora has already delivered meaningful improvements for the London Borough of Waltham Forest, enhancing efficiency, improving data accuracy, and strengthening service delivery. By consolidating inspections, defects, work orders, and associated documentation into a single, integrated platform, LBWF is now better equipped to manage its infrastructure strategically and sustainably. 

Gareth concluded, "Working with Symology has already made a huge difference on the ground. The system gives us clean, consistent data and lets everyone across the board see the same data, from inspectors to contractors. It really helps cut out the noise and helps us focus on getting the job done properly, first time." 

"Everything we're doing right now is part of our much broader plan, and like any complex programme, it's very much a work in progress. But with Symology alongside us, we believe we've got the best system and supplier in the market. Aurora keeps evolving, and the support, particularly from Alison, our Account Manager, gives us real confidence that we're moving in the right direction. It's exactly the kind of partnership you want when you're making long term changes." Declan Lynch, Head of Highways. 

Declan Lynch, LBWF Head of Highways

As Declan, Gareth and the team continue their digital transformation journey, Aurora remains a trusted solution, supporting the borough’s ambition to build a smarter, more connected future for its residents.

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