Using automation to save time processing consultation responses
How City of London saved hours of manual labour by using a Digital Planning automation.
During the consultation for their City Plan 2040, the City of London Corporation received 2,000 comments from almost 300 individuals—87% of which were sent by email.
To organise these responses efficiently, the Corporation partnered with the MHCLG Digital Planning programme to test an email processing automation designed to improve the handling of public consultation responses.
The approach
Following this approach allowed them to:
-
automate response processing using Microsoft 365
-
create a detailed SharePoint database
-
make data-driven decisions without manual labour
Understanding local opinion
Public consultations are a key part of community engagement, particularly in local plans. They help local planning authorities (LPAs) understand local opinions and priorities. However, processing the thousands of responses often received can be time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Developed as part of the MHCLG Digital Planning programme, the automation helps this by organising and storing email submissions. It’s a Microsoft 365 add-on, which is free for existing licence holders. It automates the categorisation and storage of email submissions, removing the need for manual data entry.
Reducing manual work
It simplifies the process of collating responses, allowing LPAs to focus on analysing feedback and making informed decisions. This significantly reduces manual work and frees up staff time for other priorities.
The automation can potentially save 1 to 2 months of administration per consultation and comes at no extra cost to those with Microsoft 365. It is completely optional and at every LPA’s discretion as to whether they install and use it.
Creating effective databases
The Power Automate add-on connects to the consultation email inbox in Microsoft 365. It automatically categorises unread emails that come in during the consultation period.
It then collects:
-
the person’s name
-
email address
-
subject line
-
any attachments
-
body text of the email
It stores these in a centralised SharePoint location, removing the need for manual entry.
To review responses, you access the stored data in the designated folder or database on Microsoft 365. You can then analyse feedback, generate reports, and make data-driven decisions without manually sorting through individual emails.
The automation is compatible with various IT systems used by LPAs. City of London has shown that it not only reduces administrative burden, but also enhances the accuracy and organisation of consultation data.
In summary
Michelle Rowland, City of London Planning Policy Officer, praised the automation’s impact:
The program worked well for us, saving us hours of manual data entry in one step of the representation processing. Instead of painstakingly inputting emails, names, and relevant details by hand, the program automated the entire process.
From the spreadsheet export, we were easily able to add additional columns for summarising and analysing the comments.
Try the automation
Read an introduction to the automation.
If you’re an LPA IT specialist, learn how to install the automation.
For planning team members, find out how to access and export your data.
Share your feedback
If you implement the automation yourself, we’d like to hear your feedback and any suggestions for improvement. You can share your thoughts at digitalplanningteam@communities.gov.uk