Payment service
Payment service
Our payment service, also known as the Financial Transaction Service (FTS), processes all planning application fee payments on behalf of local authorities providing certainty and consistency to both sides of the transaction. The service was introduced in September 2018.
Key benefits
Local Authorities only receive planning applications when either no fee is due, or the application fee payment has been confirmed. This alters the focus of the submission process to ensure that applicants and agents pay fees promptly in order for their applications to be submitted.
Upon receipt of a planning application from the Planning Portal, local authorities can be confident in beginning their validation process, knowing that the application fee has been paid and the funds are on their way to them.
By processing the application fee transaction, we also absorb any associated costs in the process (e.g. credit card payment fees), ensuring that 100% of the planning application fee is passed to the local authority and that valuable staff resources are not spent on reconciliation of cheque payments or other such processes.
Applicants and agents also benefit by having an improved standard range of payment options, with the same methods and details used for every planning application made via the Planning Portal, regardless of which local authority they are applying to.
Nominate
Nominate (previously known as Payment ReDirect) is a payment option that allows users to nominate someone else to pay for a planning application.
Use of the service has greatly increased since the introduction of our payment service (FTS) and has been positively received as it facilitates prompt payment for applications by working simultaneously with the submission of applications only after the correct fee has been received.
'Offline' payment methods
As there will always be some payments that cannot be made online, rather than placing the burden on local authorities to process and reconcile offline payments, we:
- Provide a telephone payment service to support submission of applications.
- Provide facilities to allow application fees to be paid by bank transfer or cheque.
Instead of there being a different point of contact for each type of payment to each local authority, our services provide consistent details for every payment.
We also wait for payments by bank transfer and cheque to be confirmed before allowing the application to be submitted, encouraging prompt payment, and removing the need for application processing to be put on hold whilst waiting for such payments to arrive and be processed.
Passing the fees to local authorities
As dictated by legislation, all refunds must be issued directly by the party that received payment, to the payee via the same payment method.
We therefore manage the process of issuing refunds based on confirmation from the local authority that one is due.
Requests for a refund to be issued can be raised via our service desk.
If funds have already been passed to the local authority from us, then the refund to us will also be handled as part the request.
Our service charge
All applications submitted through the Planning Portal which attract a planning fee of over £60 will use our payment service. The charge for the service is £58.33 +VAT.
The income from the service charge will be retained by the Planning Portal to cover the costs of delivering the payment service and additionally help sustain the Planning Portal’s entire suite of content and services, including 1App, ensuring that the benefits we provide to local authorities continue and grow.
This concept of adding value, and not just an arbitrary charge, is a key tenet of our business model.
As part of this, we are committed to a roadmap of improvements that will:
- keep our services current and compliant
- allow an increasing range of consent types to be applied for online
- enhance all aspects of the process, from collaborative working and professional functions to supporting documentation and management of local level requirements
- increase the quality of our data outputs for local authorities, sector professionals and applicants
Find out more
You can find further information in our FAQs1 which we will continue to update if new questions arise.
For anything which is not covered please contact our Support Team on 0333 323 4589 or by email at support@planningportal.co.uk2.
Y Gwasanaeth Trafodiadau Ariannol
Mae ein gwasanaeth taliadau, sef y Gwasanaeth Trafodiadau Ariannol, yn prosesu'r holl daliadau ffioedd ceisiadau cynllunio ar ran awdurdodau lleol sy'n rhoi sicrwydd a chysondeb i ddwy ochr y trafodiad. Cyflwynwyd y gwasanaeth ym mis Medi 2018.
Buddiannau allweddol
Dim ond pan na fydd ffi yn ddyledus, neu pan fydd taliad ffi y cais wedi'i gadarnhau y bydd Awdurdodau Lleol yn cael ceisiadau cynllunio. Mae hyn yn newid ffocws y broses gyflwyno i sicrhau bod ymgeiswyr ac asiantau yn talu ffioedd yn brydlon er mwyn i'w ceisiadau gael eu cyflwyno.
Ar ôl derbyn cais cynllunio o'r Porth Cynllunio, gall awdurdodau lleol fod yn hyderus wrth ddechrau ar eu proses ddilysu, gan wybod bod ffi y cais wedi cael ei thalu a bod yr arian ar ei ffordd iddynt.
Drwy brosesu trafodiad ffi y cais, rydym hefyd yn ysgwyddo'r cyfrifoldeb am unrhyw gostau cysylltiedig yn y broses (e.e. ffioedd talu cardiau credyd), gan sicrhau bod holl ffi y cais cynllunio yn cael ei throsglwyddo i'r awdurdod lleol ac na chaiff adnoddau staff gwerthfawr eu gwario ar gysoni taliadau siec neu brosesau eraill o'r fath.
Mae ymgeiswyr ac asiantiaid hefyd yn elwa drwy gael amrywiaeth well o opsiynau talu, gyda'r un dulliau a manylion yn cael eu defnyddio ar gyfer pob cais cynllunio a wneir drwy'r Porth Cynllunio, ni waeth pa awdurdod lleol y byddant yn gwneud cais iddo.
Nominate
Opsiwn talu yw Nominate (Payment ReDirect gynt) sy'n galluogi defnyddwyr i enwebu rhywun arall i dalu am gais cynllunio.
Mae'r defnydd o'r gwasanaeth wedi cynyddu'n fawr ers i ni gyflwyno ein gwasanaeth taliadau ac mae wedi cael ymateb cadarnhaol am ei fod yn hwyluso taliadau prydlon ar gyfer ceisiadau drwy weithio ar yr un pryd â'r broses o gyflwyno ceisiadau dim ond ar ôl i'r ffi gywir gael ei derbyn.
Dulliau talu ‘all-lein’
Gan y bydd rhai taliadau na ellir eu gwneud ar-lein o hyd, yn hytrach na rhoi'r baich ar awdurdodau lleol i brosesu a chysoni taliadau all-lein, rydym yn gwneud y canlynol:
- Darparu gwasanaeth taliadau dros y ffôn i gefnogi'r broses o gyflwyno ceisiadau.
- Darparu cyfleusterau i sicrhau y gellir talu ffioedd cais drwy drosglwyddiad banc neu siec.
Yn hytrach na bod pwynt cyswllt gwahanol ar gyfer pob math o daliad i bob awdurdod lleol, mae ein gwasanaethau yn rhoi manylion cyson ar gyfer pob taliad.
Rydym hefyd yn aros i daliadau drwy drosglwyddiad banc a siec gael eu cadarnhau cyn galluogi i'r cais gael ei gyflwyno, gan annog taliadau prydlon, a dileu'r angen i oedi'r broses o brosesu ceisiadau wrth aros i'r cyfryw daliadau gyrraedd a chael eu prosesu.
Pasio'r ffioedd i awdurdodau lleol
Yn unol â'r ddeddfwriaeth, rhaid i bob ad-daliad gael ei wneud yn uniongyrchol gan y sawl a gafodd y taliad, i'r talai drwy'r un dull talu.
Felly, rydym yn rheoli'r broses o wneud ad-daliadau yn seiliedig ar gadarnhad gan yr awdurdod lleol bod ad-daliad yn ddyledus.
Gellir gwneud cais am ad-daliad drwy ein desg gwasanaeth.
Os bydd arian eisoes wedi'i drosglwyddo i'r awdurdod lleol gennym ni, yna caiff yr ad-daliad i ni hefyd ei drin fel rhan o'r cais.
Ein tâl gwasanaeth
Bydd pob cais a gyflwynir drwy'r Porth Cynllunio lle ceir ffi cynllunio o fwy na £60 yn defnyddio ein gwasanaeth taliadau. Y tâl ar gyfer y gwasanaeth yw £58.33 +TAW.
Caiff yr incwm hwn o'r tâl gwasanaeth ei gadw gan y Porth Cynllunio i gwmpasu costau darparu'r gwasanaeth taliadau a hefyd i helpu i gynnal cyfres gyfan y Porth Cynllunio o gynnwys a gwasanaethau, gan gynnwys 1App, gan sicrhau bod y buddiannau a gynigir gennym i awdurdodau lleol yn parhau ac yn tyfu.
Mae'r cysyniad hwn o ychwanegu gwerthu, ac nid dim ond tâl mympwyol, yn un o egwyddorion allweddol ein model busnes.
Fel rhan o hyn, rydym wedi ymrwymo i gyflawni map ffordd o welliannau a fydd yn gwneud y canlynol:
- sicrhau bod ein gwasanaethau yn gyfredol ac yn gydsyniol
- sicrhau y gellir gwneud cais am amrywiaeth gynyddol o fathau o gydsyniad ar-lein
- gwella pob agwedd ar y broses, o gydweithio a swyddogaethau proffesiynol i ddogfennau ategol a rheoli gofynion ar lefel leol
- gwella ansawdd ein hallbynnau data ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol, gweithwyr proffesiynol yn y sector ac ymgeiswyr
Rhagor o wybodaeth
Mae rhagor o wybodaeth yn ein Cwestiynau Cyffredin3 y byddwn yn parhau i'w diweddaru os bydd cwestiynau newydd yn codi.
Am unrhyw beth na chaiff ei gwmpasu cysylltwch â'n Tîm Cymorth ar 0333 323 4589 neu dros e-bost yn support@planningportal.co.uk4.
- https://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/Uploads/PPQ_LPA_Guidance_and_FAQs.pdf
- mailto:support@planningportal.co.uk
- https://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/Uploads/PPQ_LPA_Guidance_and_FAQs.pdf
- mailto:support@planningportal.co.uk