ADD2453 Publication webpages - additional functionality

1.1. The GLA has recently completed its first phase of publication work to update the accessibility of its webpages which aims to improve the presentation of documents online. This stems from a need to meet EU accessibility regulations; as a public sector organisation, the GLA is required to meet certain criteria to ensure our websites, and the content within them, including documents, are accessible.

1.2. Whilst the corporate project meets the EU requirements, there are a number of additional features needed to ensure the London Plan and associated planning guidance can also be published in this format whilst meeting its own requirements.

2.1. The objective of the project is to create a new suite of webpages that contain guidance to support the implementation of the London Plan, developed to a bespoke, user-friendly format and structure, that can be easily updated.

2.2. The webpages will also allow publication of the London Plan with improved accessibility in addition to the PDF and to meet new regulations set out by the Government as a result of the COVID pandemic.

2.3. Its expected outcomes include:

• new webpages in a clear and easily navigable structure, with user-friendly formatting and engaging content;

• new functionality including paragraph numbering and bespoke text styles for policy clauses;

• a smooth transition between existing, emerging and forthcoming guidance; and

• clear links and style with the new online London Plan and associated workstreams such as the Good Growth by Design programme.

3.1. The London Plan has been subject to an Equality Impact Assessment as part of the Integrated Impact Assessment to support its evidence base.

3.2. All the London Plan Guidance will be subject to an Equality Impact Assessment which will specifically draw out any equalities issues that may affect or be affected by the individual pieces of guidance.

3.3. This decision however is related to the procurement and development of the webpages that will host the guidance and the specification of the project has been designed to address the following issues that mitigate equalities concerns:

• the layout of the pages are designed to be easily navigable;

• language should be clear and precise, and should avoid jargon as much as possible;

• diagrams and images will use alternative text for screen readers;

• tables will be in an accessible format to for screen readers;

• flexibility for styles specifically related to the London Plan and associated guidance - paragraph / policy numbering / layout;

• specific search functionality for types of planning applications;

• there will be an option to download the whole document in a printer friendly format for people who do not have access to a computer or who need hard copies for situations such as inquiries or appeals; and

• all pages will comply with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.

a) key risks and issues

4.1. The contract will be managed in line with standard GLA risk management procedures by the GLA Digital Team.

4.2. The London Plan will need to be published as soon as reasonably possible following the Secretary of State’s recent approval - ensuring this is before pre-election period. Due to the timings of this project, this may mean that the London Plan is published as a PDF as an interim until the full functionality of the work can be completed and the Plan can be uploaded into the new format.

4.3. A number of the guidance documents that support the London Plan have already been published for consultation and currently sit on Bang the Table – a consultation platform. They are currently loaded into the publication pages, in addition to being published as a PDF, although within the publication pages they lack some of the functionality such as paragraph numbering and layout styles to make them consistent with the PDFs.

4.4. As soon as the new webpages are ready, these documents will be reloaded into the new online format as well as keeping the PDF for downloadable purposes. This approach aligns with the corporate approach of transitioning PDFs to an online format across the GLA.

4.5. There are also a number of a Supplementary Planning Guidance documents that are currently published on the website as PDFs that support the 2016 London Plan (current Plan). Some of these will come across with the new London Plan once it is published and are likely to remain as PDFs until they are either superseded by new guidance or form part of the GLA’s transition of PDFs to an online format.

b) links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.6. The London Plan and associated guidance supports Mayoral priorities contained in the other statutory strategies. The new online webpages will provide a consistent branding link to online version of the new London Plan and the Good Growth by Design work.

4.7. The new webpages will also provide a more user-friendly and engaging platform which will help to appeal to a wider and more diverse audience.

c) consultations and impact assessments

4.8. As described in paragraphs 3.1 and 3.2, both the London Plan and London Plan Guidance has been subject to an equality impact assessment, and the webpages will be designed to adhere to the specifications as set in paragraph 3.3.

4.9. The webpages will also be designed to allow for interactions with other products such as Bang the Table – the online consultation tools for consulting on the guidance as it comes forward.

d) conflicts of interest

4.10. There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

5.1. Approval is sought for the expenditure of up to £40,000 for the build of website functionality required to support the London Plan and associated guidance.

5.2. The cost will be funded from the London Plan programme budget and split equally across 2020-21 and 2021-22. The London Plan allocation for 2021-22 is to be confirmed as part of the budget setting process however, as the London Plan is a statutory function sufficient budget for all essential tasks will be in place.