Online licensing applications: Work harder, not smarter
It looked good on paper, didn't it? Online licensing applications, just like buying a CD or even car insurance, says Peter Coulson. Simples!
Not when you are dealing with local authorities, it isn't. They do not move like lightning, nor do they have expert timing. They labour hard to produce very little, it seems.
First of all, one has to go back to the whole manner in which this idea of a central point of reference came about. It was a European idea, mooted some time ago. It was a great pity that the Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) caught up with it so late in the day, so that there was barely enough time to publish the consultation before the delivery day was upon us. So it is hardly surprising that so few local authorities themselves are up to speed on the idea.
However, what is even more surprising is that Government has not caught up. In spite of the protestations by the department that the licensing link works properly, repeated attempts to use it in the manner described in the newly-published Guidance have drawn an almost complete blank. For someone in the business who wants to fill in a form electronically, this is a near-impossibility.
This is surprising, because the Businesslink site is maintained by HM Revenue & Customs, whose own website is a model of convenience and accuracy. Contrast this with the Businesslink main page, where two of the key information pages have a lost link! Eventually all that happens to your attempt to fill in a form online is that you are linked to your own local authority website — and if you are lucky you can download a paper form to fill in and post in the usual way!
This is hardly the high-tech system we were promised. Forms are available to download on the DCMS website anyway, and any current licensee knows that he has to make an application to his local council, so he would probably be able to go to it directly. It is clear, however, that very few local authorities have an established electronic application system, and those that do have problems when it comes to accepting payments online, which is a key to an effective web presence, as any retailer will tell you.
What is clear is that we are seemingly light years away from what the Guidance itself describes — a centralised application system where you fill in a generic form, which is then directed by Businesslink to the relevant local authority without you having to do anything. It is then meant to be up to the council to process your application, contact you and pass any documentation on to the responsible authorities.
The problem
That clearly is not happening at all. There is no central system. Businesslink operates as a re-direction site only, putting you in touch mainly with the existing council website. Only once or twice is a relevant form instantly available, and some of these leave much to be desired. It is a faltering system that has a long way to go to be anywhere near what the Guidance suggests.
The problem is that the Government department refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem — so presumably there will be no action to rectify it, or to encourage local authorities to get up to speed on providing online facilities.
Certainly there is no central funding available and no incentive to move to online payment, which is the key to making this work. Local authorities have other priorities in these harsh economic times. It seems to me it will be some considerable time before the mess is sorted out.
