‘Web Convergence’ is one of our key projects for the year – but what is it?
In a nutshell, it is the project to ‘converge’ the Portal’s citizen-facing planning and building regulations content with Directgov, and business-related content with Businesslink (BL), by March 2011.
In the past convergence has been a scary thing – we always thought it meant shutting down parts or even all the Portal.
However, in the last year the scope of convergence has changed significantly and is now an opportunity for us to increase the reach of Portal content with members of the public.
Our first proposal for Directgov last October was a virtual version of the Portal but with the familiar Directgov orange branding.
However, more recently Directgov agreed to adopt a much simpler convergence solution, which will see the project using the interactive house as the gateway for citizen content on Directgov.
The aim is that citizens will access high-level planning information via Directgov and link back to the Portal for the detailed content and transactions.
To be absolutely clear: we won’t be removing any content from the Portal in fact we will be adding content from The Planning Inspectorate; who are meeting their convergence obligation by migrating their non-corporate content to us.
This ‘light touch’ approach will cost less, a key consideration in this climate, and most of the work will be able to be completed in-house at Directgov and here.
Meanwhile, Portal content will be enhanced on the Businesslink site. The publishing company Sweet & Maxwell will rewrite business-related guides for publishing on the Businesslink site, which the Portal reviews.
Following careful review we have decided to withdraw our interactive development plans and Local Development Framework (LDF) databases when we move to a redesigned website later this year.
Our original concept and objective was to host each LPA’s development plan on the Portal. However, the changing policy landscape has made it increasingly challenging to keep the information up to date and present a complete picture of an LPA’s local policy framework.
When the initial service was implemented, many LPAs published their plans on the Portal as it made sense from a technological and financial point of view – the Portal being a hub to host interactive development plans, reducing costs for each LPA to have done it themselves.
However, more recently many of the plans have become out of date, superseded by LDF documents. Some LPAs have also chosen to host plans on their own websites as mapping technology and publishing tools have become more readily available and cost effective. Read more…
As I’ve previously mentioned now that our redesign is almost upon us we are turning our attention to weightier matters. We’re cutting back on non-essential work and re-using the savings to focus on improving 1App.
We are currently setting up the project, working out how much we can afford and how to ensure we deliver the most effective results.
We will be opening up lots of ways to get involved in shaping the future of the 1App system, but to get us started I’ve listed here are some of the improvements that you’ve already told us you’d like to see. Read more…
This week the Portal will be launching a redesigned weekly newsletter which will continue to deliver all the latest planning news but will ensure you don’t miss out on any new developments at the Portal.
The new HTML newsletter
But don’t worry. We’re not straying away from the straight-talking content that has seen more than 60,000 users join the service in recent years – making the newsletter the trusted source of information for local authorities and planning professionals.
We’ve listened to your feedback and will continue to bring you the latest policy announcements and planning news in an objective and balanced way. Read more…
We at the Portal in common with all our Public Sector colleagues are looking hard at our costs to make sure we’re delivering efficiently. We have already reduced our budget for 2010/11 by £1M, to around £5M, without reducing our take-up targets, and we’re hoping to make more of a contribution still.
I thought you might like to see some of the changes we’ve implemented to achieve the saving so far.
First off we’ve reduced our hosting and service management costs significantly and cancelled all projects other than 1App improvements, eConsultation and Portal 2 (now in test so already paid for).
All temps, consultants and contractors contracts have been wound-up and their work re-distributed to the permanent team or cancelled.
We’ve cut back on our personal I.T kit and are using video conferencing and Skype more widely. We’re making more use of e-learning tools and localising more of our training activities.
We’ve a moratorium on recruitment and are managing events such as maternity leave by sharing the work around and we’ve dramatically cut our Marketing and Communications budget. Read more…
In recent weeks we’ve pulled together a series of testimonials from corporate users of the online application service to highlight how it can generate efficiencies for businesses.
The case studies can be found in a new area of the website for users submitting applications in a professional capacity.
Here you will also find links to the latest government validation documents for planning applications, and a handy hints and tips section for making online applications.
Also included is an updated illustrated guide to registering as an agent administrator i.e. where you can check and manage applications made by other members of your team.
I’m sure that for those who have spent all their career the Civil Service the current maelstrom is nothing new. A storm to be weathered before calm descends once more.
For those of us still fairly new to the scene (8 years in my case) all this uncertainty is at once disconcerting and exciting.
The Planning Portal is no stranger to uncertainty, having finally found our secure place in the Department, we now find ourselves like everyone else looking into an unclear future.
Whereas in the past we have managed well for funding and support we are now facing a more constrained outlook. I take this as a very clear remit to carefully scrutinise all we do, to ensure we are adding value where we can and paring back where we are not.
Dictionaries describe the word canny as “careful; prudent: astute; shrewd; frugal and thrifty” not bad adjectives to describe our current state of mind I think. Hence ‘Canny State’
This doesn’t mean that we will do nothing, quite the opposite. I believe that the Planning Portal has a central role to play in turning the Coalition Governments ambitions into reality. We occupy a unique position in the planning industry; working as we do with all sectors to facilitate innovation and drive efficiencies. We have a truly engaged audience that don’t mind telling us when we are getting it wrong or right)and we will seek to involve you in the decisions we take. Read more…
You will all be aware of the recent public commitment to cut back on the use of temps and consultants to support Government work. We have been anticipating this development and for some time have been winding down our supporting resources.
In a few days time our last remaining “temps” will leave us and as they do I thought I would reflect for a moment on the contribution they and their predecessors have made to the Portals success. Read more…
“There I was sat in a café, sipping a coffee when I happened to pick up a newspaper supplement” That was how John our erstwhile technical PM and occasional super striker explained away why he was reading the Telegraph.
Anyhow I’m delighted he did, as to his and our surprise there sat cosily amidst a list of the 50 Best Websites was the Planning Portal, alongside Internet giants such as eBay, The BBC and Youtube.
The Planning Portal was the only Government website in the list and featured in the category – Best Home websites.
The list was published in their Weekend supplement (Saturday May 22nd) and online.
Just wait ‘till they see the redesign!
Planning Portal Blog 
