Council's Electronic Paper System for Planning Doesn't Work
“EDMS or the Council’s Electronic Document Management System is not fit for purpose” – so say representatives of the Isleworth and Brentford communities.
So frustrated are they at the shortcomings of the system – and the lack of positive response from the Planning Department - they recently met with local councillors Jon Hardy, Phil Andrews and Andrew Dakers and compiled a seven page report on what is wrong with the system and, crucially, some of the actions they believe need to be taken to put it right. Ranging from Accessibility and Consultation to Resilience and Sustainability, representatives of the Brentford Community Council, the Isleworth Society, the Four Roads Residents Association and Campion Concerns have listed over 30 ‘measures’ they think essential if the system is to measure up.
“Without these improvements local community groups are being seriously let-down: not only that, if seasoned planning observers like us are having trouble navigating this system there is no hope for the resident who wants to occasionally wants to use the system to say, find out something about a big new development in his neighbourhood.”
Councillor Hardy, Lead member for Performance Improvement, will be putting the matter before the Council’s Sustainable Development Committee later this month. He will ask Members to endorse the proposals and call for their immediate implementation. He said “Some of the proposals are things that should have been done, some of them are simple good sense, none of them are unreasonable. Implementing them is essential if we are to have a credible system that fulfils our ambitions for Community Engagement.”
The community groups’ report can be seen in full at http://www.communitygroup.org.uk/id15.html
February 10, 2010