Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A web-based knowledge management solution - a Directory - consolidates published law and guidance about a specific LA service into a single source, accessed by subject. LADL currently provides The Benefits Directory that covers Housing & Council Tax Benefit, and The Revenues Directory covering Council Tax & Non-Domestic Rates

Government Information Letters, Circulars and Bulletins - central government Guidance Manual, Guides & FAQ's - Management Information Statistics - tribunal decisions - Court of Appeal, High Court and European Court of Justice decisions - Inspection recommendations - Ombudsman reports - all relevant Regulations & Orders and any other source that provides a legally referenced analysis of the relevant law and guidance

Books are great for dipping in to, and are eminently portable! But a web-based knowledge management system takes advantage of functionality that a printed book lacks. The Directories are key-word searchable and updated regularly which cannot be achieved with a book. The Directories also help to identify the next step in the decision-making process by using prompts, hyperlinks and navigation tools

The Directories have wide appeal because they are for anyone who wants to understand the specific area of law and take advantage of published guidance in order to serve LA customers

Published law and guidance has been reorganised into The Benefits Directory subjects and The Revenues Directory subjects that cover the issue in a logical order

New publications are reviewed every day and the Directories are updated within 10 working days of legislation changes, and within 20 working days of all other sources of guidance issued

Access to the Directories is achieved via annual membership. Annual membership for a LA provides either unlimited access to any member of staff or access to selected LA staff and the price is based on its HB/CTB Administration Costs Subsidy and number of CT chargeable dwellings. Non-local authority customers are invited to contact us for details

The Regulations are accessible on-line by paragraph. A history of all changes made to these regulations since their coming into force date (HB/CTB) or 1st April 2009 (CT) or 1st January 2010 (NDR) is also provided so that the law at the time a decision was made can be reviewed, and compared on screen with current legislation

Published law and guidance is contained in upwards of a dozen sources per service, all of which need to be reviewed regularly to ensure being up-to-date with industry issues. The Directories review these sources every day and incorporate any changes to guidance and best practice recommendations into one source

The Directories interpret law and guidance in the same way as other sources, but they provide legal and other references to support their interpretation. Many references are hyperlinked for instant consultation

Publications issued by government departments, Audit Commission, Ombudsman and Tribunual Judges do not confine themselves to an interpretation of the law, but also make administrative recommendations based on the policy intentions of the law. The Directories incorporate these recommendations as good practice throughout. LA strategies also contribute to the body of good practice and, where published, are included for the benefit of the wider practitioner community

The Directories' menu structure is as logical as can be determined. With all aspects of an issue consolidated into one of the discrete sections, users quickly find the help they need. The search facility also permits speedy recovery of information by allowing searches across the Directory or within discrete areas

Supervisors and managers are distracted from their performance improvement duties every time they are asked a question. Many of these questions are asked by staff who know the answer and are seeking confirmation. The Directories provide this confirmation and empower staff by helping to develop their confidence in the subject matter

The Directories are aimed at users who need to be reminded about an aspect of the law and guidance in a 'live' setting, eg when making an administrative decision, ensuring all aspects of a situation are considered, providing advice to customers and other stakeholders. The Directories' material can be used to help develop staff via training courses, desk aids, decision sheets etc

Whilst published law and guidance is the life-blood of many LA services it often covers several issues in one document. Consequently, many publications cover the same issue but from different angles. The Directories consolidate all law and guidance by subject so that users do not need to review several documents in order to appreciate the whole issue

The best way to review the Directories is via a no obligation, in-house demonstration where we show their content and functionality and discuss how they can improve the performance of your services. All we need is just over an hour to demonstrate to staff from a selection of service disciplines. To book a demonstration please contact us direct to secure a convenient date and time. Alternatively you can see a demo when we are exhibiting.  Our exhibiting dates are on our contact page.