Business Case
Helping Local Councils make a convincing business case for adopting Parish Online
Estimating the expected cost savings
Anticipating the qualitative benefits to the council
To estimate the overall savings to your council all you need to do is to estimate the number of times (per annum) that you are likely to use Parish Online for each application.
Councils are required to assess and comment on the soundness/desirability of Planning Applications. Parish Online allows you to analyse the Planning Application in respect to all the major constraints (proximity to SSSIs, Listed Buildings, AONBs, Flood Zones, Special Protection Areas, Neighbourhood and Local Plan Maps etc) (see available Map Data in Parish Online). Parish Online also allows you to document your findings with maps which reduces the time to write a report to the Planning Authority.
Time Savings
How many applications do your team assess over the course of a year?
Qualitative Benefits
- All councillors can look at the relevant constraints from home to inform their view
- Maps showing the application polygon with the relevant constraints overlaid help the council to make its case more clearly.
- A layer of Planning Applications can be created in Parish Online to build up a history of planning applications, which can be useful reference library for future use. (eg “We turned down this application in 2016. Has anything changed to alter our view today?”)
If your council submits Planning Applications to your the principle authority, you'll be aware that you're required to submit a Site Plan and Block Plan using Ordnance Survey mapping. Your council already has a licence to use Ordnance Survey maps, so produce your plan within Parish online instead of paying for it again through another service.
Cost Savings
~£59.50 for a 1:500 and 1:2500 Block and Site Plan
How many planning applications does your council submit each year?
Applications from Local Councils are usually for things like extending outdoor seating on high streets or events in parks.
Qualitative Benefits
- Keep your drawings in a map layer so you can re-use them again and again.
- Producing accurate and high quality maps saves time and reduces the likelihood of failed submissions.
Councils frequently outsource the creation of Neighbourhood Plan maps/plans to a contractor. Depending on the size of the council the number of maps and plans in a Neighbourhood Plan ranges from 10 to over 100. Using the Parish Online Print function to produce these maps and plans provides a significant cost saving. Maps can also be published on a website to make the maps more interactive.
Time Savings
Allowing your neighbourhood planning contractor to use Parish Online on your behalf can save hours of work and produce better maps.
Qualitative Benefits
- The council has control of its Neighbourhood Plan maps, so the Neighbourhood Plan is easy to maintain.
- The Neighbourhood Plan maps can always be viewed against the latest OS MasterMap and Aerial Photography backdrop mapping.
- Contractors can continue to be involved and even help contribute to maps in Parish Online
Renewing a council’s insurance policy requires a comprehensive and accurate Asset Register. This is significantly easier to maintain in Parish Online than in separate spreadsheets and Word documents which are not always accessible to all council staff with a need to know. Providing this information to your insurance provider not only gives them confidence in your organisation, but will make raising claims easier should it come to that.
Cost Savings
Keeping the asset register up-to-date with regular checks of the data saves time in the long-run.
The savings compared to a failed claim are much more than stated here.
Qualitative Benefits
- A Digital Asset Register available to all relevant staff is likely to be more accurate and comprehensive than using traditional methods.
- There is less chance of confusion over what has been insured. For instance, if a bench has been vandalised, then there is no doubt about whether it has been insured or not (because it will be marked on the map with a photograph attached).
Cost Savings
Qualitative Benefits
- A clear map provides clarity which significantly reduces risk. For instance, if a publicly-owned tree falls and causes injury, it is vital that the council can demonstrate that the tree was properly inspected and maintained. Without a clear map in the contract it may be difficult for the council to demonstrate proper management.
- Parish Online allows the council to populate a historical record of contracts and prices which will help with the placing of future contracts, especially after a change of personnel.
Some Local Authorities share their Local Plan data through Parish Online so all councils are informed of what the plan consists of. This makes it easy to compare your own mapping data with the principle authorities in one map view.
Cost Savings
Qualitative Benefits
- Comments backed up by definitive information and maps using Parish Online is likely to be of a much higher quality and hold higher credibility when reviewed.