Minutes:
The Chief Executive informed the Members that the Northern Ireland Planning Portal provided users with an online facility to view and comment upon planning applications. It was also used by councils to process planning applications and enforcement cases and to administer the regional property certificate system. The portal had originally been developed for use by the former Department of the Environment’s Planning Service but had been adapted for use by the eleven councils when planning powers had been transferred to local government in 2015.
She reported that the current contract for the provision of the planning portal was coming to an end and reminded the Members that, on 24th April 2020, they had delegated authority to her to approve a joint award of a contract, for ten years initially, for a new regional planning IT system. The system would be shared by the Department for Infrastructure and ten of the eleven councils and the Planning Portal Governance Board had stressed the need for it to commence no later than June, 2022, given that the current contract would expire the following December.
She reported further that the Department for Infrastructure, which was leading the project, had recommended that the role of Intelligent Client Function contract management for the new IT system be undertaken by one of the ten participating councils, given that they would be the primary users. Of those, only the Council had expressed a potential interest in assuming the role which, she pointed out, would provide it with an opportunity to build a close and constructive relationship with the supplier of the new IT system and influence the future development path to best meet the Planning Service’s needs.
She outlined the key activities associated with the role and confirmed that officers had been collating information across a range of issues to inform the decision. A detailed analysis of risk and opportunities had been produced in relation to functions and resources, including a Service Level Agreement, legal considerations, finance, governance, organisational considerations, recruitment, implementation of the IT system, security and information governance. Having examined the issues in the round, it was recommended that the Council take on the Intelligent Client Function contract management for the new regional planning IT system, subject to the following:
i. that the Council approves the final Service Level Agreement, which, amongst other areas, should address the points raised by the Legal Services Section in paragraph 3.14 of the Committee report;
ii. that the Council be part of the first wave of implementation of the new IT system;
iii. that appropriate contingency be agreed with the other ten Planning Authorities, in the event that the Council does not recruit to the new Intelligent Client Function team in time;
iv. that the posts in the new Intelligent Client Function be filled on a permanent basis and appointed through an external recruitment exercise;
v. that engagement/consultation take place with Trade Unions, as required; and
vi. that the proposed arrangement be approved by SOLACE and the Planning Portal Governance Board.
The Members of the Committee agreed to recommend that, in accordance with the Council decision of 4th May, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to adopt the recommendation.