1 September 2006

Oxford City Council is using its website to boost the efficiency of its planning process and to cut costs.

The council recognised that by using the Internet to post planning information, it could free up valuable staff time, thereby saving money, Publictechnology.net reports.

However, officials also recognised that the site's usability was key, as residents needed to be able to easily access information.

Improvements were subsequently carried out to the system, which have also led to the planning process becoming faster, as the typical application time has been cut from three days to one.

The council's PublicAccess website enables users to search, select, view and comment on local authority data over the Internet.

Furthermore, Oxford City Council is now implementing the system in other departments, which allows them to share information and resources online.

Janice Brown, property systems team leader at Oxford City Council, commented: "Shared information is the key to increasing staff efficiency and making the most of available resources in the public sector."

© Adfero Ltd

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