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Planning system failures at Havant and Bracknell raise wider concerns over local authority strategic cloud deployments
On 16 April 2026, press coverage by BBC Berkshire and the Daily Telegraph highlighted Bracknell Forest Borough Council’s troubled rollout of the Arcus planning system, prompting a detailed online apology to Bracknell Forest residents. This may be the first time that problems with local authority implementations of Arcus Global’s Built Environment ‘cloud solution’ have broken…
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HBC’s ‘Strategic Commissioning Programme’ comes under scrutiny
Why does this post matter? It matters because Havant Borough’s planning record has been compromised. The HBC Strategic Commissioning Programme appeared to have left the Borough’s planning archive so damaged at the point of the cutover in September 2025 that officers were forced into a series of reactive database ‘fixes’, almost certainly without a coherent…
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Just how late will HBC’s new Arcus planning system be?
According to the schedule that we disclosed in November, the original planned ‘Go live’ date for the new system was 1 April 2025. According to the latest disclosure from Havant Borough Council’s Information Governance Officer, the actual implementation date was 6 August 2025. What we now know is that 11 December 2025 is the date…
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Corruption of the HBC planning data continues
Havant Borough Council remains silent on its glaring failure to migrate over fifteen years of planning data, while administrative staff – apparently assisted by Arcus Global – compound the problem through ad‑hoc, unmanaged and inconsistent manual update activity. Over the last couple of months, HCS has tracked a steady stream of issues. The evidence from…
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A closer look at HBC’s ongoing ‘Place’ software rollout
This post considers a redacted copy of the Full Business Case that underpinned Havant Borough Council’s selection and ongoing implementation of the new generation of software support for its ‘Place’ services. These include the delivery of new IT systems covering Planning, Environmental Health, Enforcement and Licencing. The redacted Business Case was received in response to…
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New Planning Portal Issues log – Updated 4 November
We’ve taken another look at the new HBC public planning portal today and updated the HCS -Arcus Place Public Register issue log. There are no new visible fixes to report, but a few new issues have been added to the log. Despite repeated efforts, the council has declined to engage directly on these matters and…
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HBC Data Integrity. Picking up the pieces, joining up the dots
Seven weeks have now passed since council officers were offered professional consultancy on large-scale data recovery – free of charge and safeguarded by a non-disclosure agreement. In the time since that offer was made, the Capita outsourcing contract has lapsed, the Chief Executive has stepped down, and amid mounting complaints and Freedom of Information requests,…
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The Message to HBC is ‘When You’re in a Hole, Stop Digging’
This is a fairly weighty post. To download a four page printable copy of the text, click here. To recap In December 2023, Havant Borough Council signed a five-year contract worth up to £245,000 with Arcus Global to replace its ageing idox/Acolaid planning system with a cloud-based alternative. The new system, Arcus Built Environment –…
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Arcus Planning Public Register portal sees minor fixes applied
Taking a look through the new public planning portal this morning, we’re pleased to see that somebody appears to be taking note of the issues raised by HCS, with a couple of the more irritating nits now fixed. These would have been the easiest to fix and the ones which should never have been allowed…
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Update on Land Charges Service and Planning Services issues in Havant Borough
This update from Havant Civic Society outlines our current understanding of the ongoing disruption to Havant Borough Council’s Planning and Local Land Charges (LLC) service – a situation that continues to erode confidence in the borough’s digital infrastructure and governance. As many of you will know – particularly those currently buying or selling property in…
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HBC’s planning chaos exposes serious gaps in governance
Having spent a lifetime in the IT industry – delivering global business solutions and supporting the procurement needs of both corporate and government clients – the author of this piece regards cyber security and data resilience not as abstract concepts, but as second nature. These principles are the foundation of any credible digital infrastructure and…
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Havant’s Planning System Crisis: What Residents Need to Know
In recent weeks, Havant Borough Council has faced a serious disruption in its planning services – one that’s directly affecting residents, buyers, sellers, and solicitors across the borough. House moves are stalling, property searches are delayed, and the ability to access historic planning data has been compromised. In the absence of any communication from the…
Havant Civic Society 