OCN Digital Constitution Management System
Transforming the council constitution into a living, accessible, and authoritative tool
Why it matters
Every local authority depends on its constitution to set out how decisions are made and how accountability is secured. Yet in most councils, constitutions are published as one or more PDFs running to hundreds of pages. These are hard to search, difficult to update, inaccessible to many readers, and rarely understood by anyone—members, officers, or the public.
What it is
⚙️ Drafting and Change Control
Work in LEOS, a fully versioned legislation editor based on Akoma Ntoso. Draft, review, and approve structured changes with a complete audit trail and a definitive record of every version.
🌐 Published, Definitive Constitution
Publish an accessible, structured HTML constitution with a permanent URL for every clause, powerful search, and two views: the formal reference text and easy‑to‑read audience lenses.
Save Time and Deliver Measurable Efficiencies
- Officers save hours on every update, whether small changes or large periodic revisions.
- Members and officers across the organisation spend less time searching for rules, clarifying responsibilities, or asking Democratic Services for guidance.
- New councillors get up to speed faster, reducing the training and support burden.
Taken together, these improvements equate to thousands of pounds of savings each year for a typical council, alongside the less tangible—but equally important—benefits of smoother governance and reduced frustration.
Improve Accessibility and Transparency
🔗 Permanent, Citable URLs
Every clause lives at a stable URL you can cite in emails, minutes, webpages, and chats. Links remain valid across updates, so references never break.
🔍 Full-Text Search
Discovery is quick, precise, and reliable across the whole document.
🕒 Version History
Track changes over time, compare versions, and cite wording with confidence.
♿ WCAG-Compliant
Readable for everyone, including people with visual or cognitive impairments.
Strengthen Public Engagement and Trust
📝 Plain-Language Lenses
Summaries tailored for residents, councillors, and officers.
🧭 Clearer Presentation
Rights, processes, and decision-making are easier to understand and engage with.
🪟 Transparency by Design
Improvements that reinforce accountability and support better civic participation.
🔗 Reliable Cross‑References
Clickable internal references and smart external links help readers jump to the right place, building confidence and saving time.
Why Councils Choose OCN
🧩 Open Standards
Built on Akoma Ntoso and LEOS for future‑proof compatibility.
📘 Single Source of Truth
Accurate, authoritative, and accessible across the organisation.
🏛️ Designed for Local Government
Reflects best practice in governance, compliance, and public engagement.
🔄 End‑to‑End Workflow
Edit in LEOS, publish automatically to definitive HTML, and retain a full audit trail for robust governance.
🤖 Build the Foundation for AI Efficiencies
AI delivers value when the underlying information is high‑quality, referenceable, and easy to access. OCN helps create that foundation—turning key documents into consistent, citable, accessible content as part of a wider data transformation—so councils can confidently unlock AI‑enabled improvements when ready.
Make your constitution a true working tool
Easier to maintain, easier to use, and more reliable for members, officers, and residents alike.