Council files For local government teams
Every council file.
Joined up and in order.
FilePlan 365 gives every planning application its own secure file inside SharePoint, with the site address and UPRN attached. File a document once and it lands in the right place, with the right OFFICIAL marking, automatically.
Works inside SharePoint
Application details from your planning system
30-day free trial
1
Application details
Application number, site address, UPRN and case officer, taken from your planning system.
2
Document types
The same labelled folders for every application, down the left.
3
The application’s documents
Everything filed to that application, in the wider panel on the right.
What is FilePlan 365?
A digital filing cabinet, built into SharePoint
Think of a filing cabinet with a drawer for every application, and the same labelled folders inside each drawer. FilePlan 365 does exactly that inside SharePoint, the place your organisation already keeps its documents.
No new system to learn
Your team works in SharePoint and Microsoft 365, just as they do today. There is nothing extra to install on anyone’s computer.
Filed once, found in seconds
Every document goes into the right application file and folder, so anyone with access can find it straight away.
Kept as long as it should be
Each document is protected and kept for the right length of time, without anyone having to remember the rules.
Connected to your planning system
Application details arrive automatically
You never retype an application number, site address or UPRN. FilePlan 365 picks up each application’s details from your planning system, so a file is ready the moment an application is received.
When an application moves on
A new case officer, a change of status or a revised decision date is picked up automatically, so every file stays accurate.
When a decision is issued
The decision date flows across too, and the clock for how long the file is kept starts by itself.
For your IT team
A Power Automate flow keeps a SharePoint list of planning applications up to date from your planning system. FilePlan 365 reads that list. No custom code, and it stays inside your Microsoft 365 tenant.
The council file plan
Every application organised the same way
Each application file has the same six folders, so everyone knows where a document belongs and where to find it.
1
Validation
Application form, plans, fee receipt, validation checklist
Kept for: 6 years after decision
2
Consultation
Neighbour letters, consultee responses, site notice
Kept for: 6 years after decision
3
Representations
Objections and letters of support
Kept for: 6 years after decision
4
Assessment
Officer report, site visit photos, committee papers
Kept for: 6 years after decision
5
Decision
Decision notice, conditions, legal agreements
Kept for: Permanently
6
Appeals and enforcement
Appeal statement, inspector decision, enforcement notices
Kept for: 15 years after closure
Retention periods are examples. You can match them to your own retention schedule.
Templates
Start with our Council files template. Make it your own.
You don’t have to design a filing system from scratch. The ready-made Council files template gives you the folders, document types and protection settings above in a few clicks. Then change anything you like.
1
Choose the Council files template
Pick “Council files” from the template gallery when you set up FilePlan 365.
2
Use it straight away
Your application files, folders and document types are created for you, ready to start filing.
3
Make it your own
Rename folders, add your own document types, and set how long each is kept, to match your council’s retention schedule.
Find an application
Any planning file in seconds
Start typing and FilePlan 365 shows matching applications straight away. No more hunting through folders or asking a colleague where something was saved.
1
Type a few letters
Search by application number, site address, UPRN or applicant.
2
Narrow it down
Filter by application type, ward, status or case officer if you need to.
3
Open the file
Click an application to see everything filed to it.
People only ever see the applications and documents they are allowed to see.
Advanced search
Answer questions across every application
Tick a few options and FilePlan 365 finds every matching document across all your applications. Perfect for committee preparation, appeals and FOI requests.
Committee prepEvery officer report and decision notice for one ward
Site historyAll decisions and conditions for one address, over the years
FOI or EIR requestEverything held on one application, in one list
Compliance, without the jargon
Protected and kept for the right time, automatically
FilePlan 365 uses the security and retention tools already in your Microsoft 365, known as Microsoft Purview. You decide the rules once, and they’re applied to every document.
Kept for the right time
Decision notices are kept permanently. Working papers are kept for six years after the decision, and the clock starts automatically.
Only the right people can see it
Documents are marked OFFICIAL by default. Objections and enforcement files are marked OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE.
Personal data stays inside
Documents containing residents’ personal details can’t be shared outside the council.
These are example settings. You choose the labels and timescales that match your own policies.
Why teams choose FilePlan 365
Less time searching. More time deciding.
One file per application
Forms, plans, consultations and decisions, in one place.
Ready on receipt
New applications arrive from your planning system with their file set up.
Appeals without the scramble
Pull together the full file for an inspector in seconds.
Decisions kept for good
Decision notices are retained permanently, automatically.
Every council file.
Always in order.
Try the Council files template free for 30 days, in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
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