50 signatures reached
To: Eric Pickles, Government Minister for DCLG
Stop the privatisation of UK Planning Portal.
Prevent the transfer of the efficient public Planning Portal service to the private sector via a Joint Venture.
We do not want a private company [TerraQuest, or their subcontractors, Civica] to be in control of the UK's planning service.
Why is this important?
It’s been a while coming but it has been revealed that TerraQuest has been chosen by DCLG to partner with them in a joint venture to provide the ongoing delivery and commercialisation of the Planning Portal service. This has been quietly processed to avoid the public having their say.
The joint venture has claimed it will not charge applicants or LPAs for using the Portal’s 1App planning application service [yet] and that a new and improved 1App and website will be delivered by TerraQuest’s prime subcontractor Civica, later in 2015. They say existing service will remain in place until the new website is launched – they promise there will be no disruption to the public, but how can privatisation of a core planning service be in the public interest?
It is the intention to transfer staff to the new business before the end of the financial year however the JV is subject to final negotiation and therefore any questions regarding the process of commercialisation should be urgently directed to the Minister to question how the government can justify this conflict and prevent this public service being privatised.
Why privatise something that is not intended to make money and that is presently free to everyone?
