Rob has worked at Chelmsford since 2004 and manages the Council Tax, Business Rates and Benefits functions. He is also the Chair of the Essex Revenues and Benefits Managers’ Forum, which oversees the management of the Essex data-sharing project - the subject of this session. A career that started in Benefits in 1987 has seen him working in locations as diverse as Lancaster, Harlow, Basildon and the City of London. Has been around local government for sufficient time to fully appreciate the motto ‘if you stand still long enough you become an innovator’.