Request reference: 8908
Issue date: 20.03.23
Request received:
In relation to planning application 75212: Emails pertaining to: 1. The valuation of Rackenford Cross and any associated documents on the cost of said valuation calculated by the Valuer 2. Planning permission emails regarding affordable housing at the same site, and parish council feedback on affordable house 3. Additionally any record of common land donated by [name redacted] previously of [address redacted] c 20 years ago. Now considered to be biodiversity buffer zone and part of Rackenford Common
Response provided:
1. Applicant provided with copies of emails that the Council considers to fall under the scope if the request, with some personal data redacted throughout 2. As 1 above 3. No information has been identified in relation to this and therefore for the purposes of the Regulations the Council does not consider that it hold this information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Regulation 13
Request reference: 8920
Issue date: 01.02.23
Request received:
The following for the years 2012 -2022: For formal enforcement of noise nuisance complaints, how many of the following have you issued each year: Abatement Notice (under Environmental Protection Act 1990) Community Protection Warning (CPW) (under Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014) Community Protection Notice (CPN) (under Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014)
Response provided:
Year Abatement notice CPW CPN 2012 0 N/A N/A 2013 0 N/A N/A 2014 5 0 0 2015 4 3 1 2016 1 0 0 2017 2 2 0 2018 2 8 1 2019 1 4 1 2020 0 5 2 2021 2 3 2 2022 0 7 2
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8927
Issue date: 08.03.23
Request received:
Back Office Applications
Response provided:
Response provided to applicant within completed tables in a word document which is available upon request
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8930
Issue date: 08.03.23
Request received:
CCTV has been installed within South Molton town All items below are required specifically where they directly relate to the fact finding, procurement, installation, commissioning or maintenance of the CCTV Please provide copies of any correspondence between North Devon Council, South Molton Town Council, the suppliers of the CCTV solution, the Police (where not sensitive) and contractors Please also provide any documentation you hold including but not limited to: business cases, governance, business benefits and minutes from meetings In relation to the CCTV cameras themselves: 1) The location of the camera 2) Where the camera points to 3) The purpose of the camera being installed at the chosen location 4) When the camera was or is planned to be installed 5) When footage from the camera began being recorded, or will be recorded 6) When the camera was available, or will be available to provide live footage to the Police 7) When the camera was available, or will be available to provide recorded footage to the Police 8) When the camera was or will be connected to North Devon District Council 'hub'
Response provided:
Applicant provided with copies of two emails held that fall within the first part of the request. It was confirmed to the applicant that no other correspondence is held The relevant documentation can be found on our website under committees and minutes The relevant reports are: Strategy and Resources - 23 February 2023 Strategy and Resources - 2 September 2019 No other documentation is held 1,2,3 and 4. This information has already been disclosed to you directly by South Molton Town Council and is publicly available via the whatdotheyknow.com website 5,6,7 and 8. The contractual arrangements between South Molton Town Council and North Devon Council are currently being finalised. Once complete the North Devon Council website will be updated, the link enabled and services such as the processing of Authority to View (ATV) requests from police, Subject Access Requests (SARs) from members of the public will be processed by our SIA trained CCTV staff and will take place at the hub South Molton Town Council have not requested a monitoring service but instead the option of recordings being reviewed if required and requested through the formal channels (within the 28 day retention period) no live footage will therefore be available
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8937
Issue date:
Request received:
Please note: This FOI request refers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) definition of violence at work 'Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. This can include verbal abuse or threats as well as physical attacks.' 1. Do you have a policy/policies in place to protect staff from violence at work? 2. Are these policies built into the commissioning process for organisations delivering outsourced services on your behalf? 3. Have you updated your violence at work policies to reflect the increased number of home, remote and flexible workers? 4. If you collect data on violent incidents, how many violent incidents towards staff did you record in the following years: 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 5. Do you collect equalities data relating to violent incidents towards staff? 6. If so, how many violent incidents did you record for each of the following groups over the following years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/21 broken down by: BAME Staff Disabled staff LGBT plus staff Women staff 7. Is advice, support, or counselling available for staff who are victims of violence at work? 8. Of those staff who were victims of violent incidents, how many took up the offer of the following in the years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22: Advice Support Counselling 9. Is the Council signed up to UNISON's End Violence at Work Charter?
Response provided:
1. Yes 2. The Council outsources debt recovery for Revenues and Benefits and Parking but these are with a specialist organisation which has their own necessary policy in place 3. No 4. The following in terms of actual physical violence and does not include verbal aggression and/or threats of violence: 2019/20 = One 2020/21 = One 2021/22 = Four 5. No, however the Council is able to distinguish from it records if the incident involved male, female or a disabled member of staff 6. As follows: BAME staff - Not known/recorded in each of the requested years Disabled staff -Zero in each of the requested years LGBT plus staff -Not know/recorded in each each of the requested years Women staff -2019/20 = One 2020/21 = Zero 2021/22 = Two 7. Yes 8. All given advice and support, however counselling is not known as the Council has a self-referral service in place which is confidential 9. No, the Council is not, but it does meet all of the standards of the charter
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8938
Issue date: 08.03.23
Request received:
Contaminated Land Search Enquiry - Hazeldene, Victoria Road, Barnstaple, EX32 9HP
Response provided:
Applicant provided with some information held and also directed to contact the Environment Agency and Devon County Council regarding any information that they may also hold in relation to the site or land in the vicinity Furthermore, the Council confirmed that it has not yet fully inspected its area to identify sites of contaminated land as required by Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. As such, it is not possible to say whether or not this site will be classified under this legislation. At this time, it is considered unlikely that this site would be the subject of inspection under this legislation in the future
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8944
Issue date: 16.03.23
Request received:
1. Does the Council provide a Dog Warden Service? 2. Does the Council have an in-house team that provides Dog Warden Services? 3. Does the Council contract Dog Warden Services to an external provider? 4. If the Council uses an external provider: - What is the name of the provider? - What is the start date of the contract? What is the end dated of the contract? - What is the value of the contract? If multiple external providers are used, please provide this information for each of them 5. Does the Council collaborate with other Local Authorities on Dog Warden Services? If so, please name them 6. Does the Council house dogs seized by its Dog Warden or contractor(s) providing Dog Warden service) at the Council's own kennel facilities? 7. Does the Council house dogs seized by its own Dog Warden or contractor(s) providing Dog Warden services in external kennel facilities? 8. If the Council uses external facilities: ' What is the name of the provider? ' What is the start date of the agreement with them? ' What is the end date of the agreement with them? ' Is there a set value of the agreement with them? If yes, please provide it. If no, please provide details of the payment schedule ' Please provide the Local Authority license number for their kennelling/dog boarding services ' Is the provider a rescue and rehoming centre? If yes, please provide its charity number if available If multiple external providers are used, please provide this information for each of them 9. Do you rehome dogs seized by your dog warden (or the contractor(s) providing your dog warden service) after their seven statutory days? 10. Do you rehome dogs to members of the public yourselves? 11. Do you rehome dogs via a rescue organisation/ charity? If so, please give details of which ones 12. Do you rehome dogs in any other way? If so, please provide details
Response provided:
1. Yes 2. Yes 3. No 4. Not Applicable 5. No 6. No 7. Yes 8. Applicant provided with a link to the Council's current contract for Dog Kennelling which provides some of the requested information The Council considers that making any further information available, such as the addresses of the facilities would or would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. In this case, releasing the addresses of the facilities which stray dogs are taken to could lead to some owners attending and demanding the return of their dog(s) without going through the correct returns procedure. Before a dog is release, the owner must pay any kennelling fees that have been incurred Under the Public Interest Test, the Council considers that withholding the addresses of these establishments enables the process to be completed without the interference of other parties and allows the animals to be looked after in a safe environment for the duration of their stay. It is in the interest of the public to preserve this service which may be endangered if the full addresses were to become public knowledge 9. No 10. No 11. Yes, Dogs Trust 12. No
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Section 31 of Act
Request reference: 8946
Issue date: 06.03.23
Request received:
In the Council's capacity as a Housing Benefit administrator, can you provide the twenty highest weekly Housing Benefit claims in payment in respect of exempt accommodation particularly specialist supported housing i e supported living in North Devon If available, can you provide the following additional information: confirmation of the split between lease or core rent and service charges confirmation whether the payments relate to self-contained or shared accommodation confirmation whether the payments relate to an apartment, bungalow or house
Response provided:
1. £383.24 Per Week, Flat, Self Contained, Core Rent 62/38, Eligible or Ineligible Service 2. £373.60 Per Week, House, Self Contained, Core Rent 70/30 Eligible or Ineligible Services 3. £376.96 Per week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 55/45, Eligible or Ineligible Services 4. £357.15 Per Week, Flat, Self Contained, Core Rent 64/36, Eligible or Ineligible Services 5. £358.02 Per week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 55/45, Eligible or Ineligible Services 6. £358.02 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 55/45 Eligible or Ineligible Services 7. £358.02 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 55/45 Eligible or Ineligible Services 8. £347.97 Per week, House, Self Contained, Core Rent 65/35 Eligible or Ineligible Services 9. £344.08 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 68/32 Eligible or Ineligible Services 10. £344.08 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 68/32 Eligible or Ineligible Services 11. £344.08 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 68/32 Eligible or Ineligible Services 12. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 13. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 14. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 15. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 16. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 17. £321.06 Per Week, House, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 34/66 Eligible or Ineligible Services 18. £316.67 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 70/30 Eligible or Ineligible Services 19. £316.67 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 70/30 Eligible or Ineligible Services 20. £316.67 Per Week, Bungalow, Shared Accommodation, Core Rent 70/30 Eligible or Ineligible Services
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8949
Issue date: 02.03.23
Request received:
Information relating to any changes to the council tax reduction/support scheme in North Devon from April 2023 Details of the council tax reduction scheme (sometimes known as council tax support) for working-age claimants for 2023/24 If the Council has made any changes from the scheme operated in 2022/23, please identify those changes If the Council has already published the 2023/24 council tax reduction/support scheme policy document, please provide a link/copy
Response provided:
The Council's Revenues team confirms that it has made the following revisions to the CTR Scheme: Uprating income bands and discount amounts provided to applicant in word format (available upon request) Added a disregard for emergency increases in national benefits plus certain crisis payments paid to taxpayers The revised scheme will be published on the Council's website from 1 April 2023, however the current scheme is linked below in order that you can compare income bands/discount amounts: Council Tax Reduction
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8950
Issue date: 07.03.23
Request received:
Details in respect of the councils temporary agency usage, the details required are: 1. Current Model of Recruitment e g is it a PSL (Preferred Supplier List), Neutral or master Vend 2. The End Date of the recruitment models contract listed above 3. All the Supplier Names who supplied temporary staff to yourself in the dates between 06 April 2021 and 05 April 2022 (or a recent year if that is easier) 4. The Actual spend value each Supplier in the above period 5. The Dates the above where work/Invoiced and paid (If available) 6. The area the above was Expensed/costed too (If available) 7. The Purpose of spend (If available) 8. The Category Internal Name (If available) 9. Any Extras that may be on record (If available)
Response provided:
1. Neutral Vendor 2. Applicant referred to the Council's Contract Register for this information with its current supplier Comensura 3. and 4. as follows: Comensura Ltd = £828,208 Cordant People Ltd = £46,692 G2 Recruitment Solutions ,Division of G2V = £48,613 M5 Hideaway Ltd = £7,215 The Oyster Partnership Ltd = £3,860 Vivid Resourcing, Division of G2V Recruitment Group Ltd =£30,061 Total = £964,649 5. and 6. Not Available 7. As follows: Car Parks = £11,510 Customer Services = £7,215 Communications = £164 Environmental Health, Housing = £99,639 Food Safety = £7,697 Recycling = £451,414 Development Control = £156,350 Domestic Refuse = £99,155 Dog Bins = £12,464 Vehicle Workshop = £16,511 Toilet Cleaning = £102,529 Total = £964,649 8. and 9. Not Available
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8952
Issue date: 15.03.23
Request received:
On 19 December 2022 the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities released details of the provisional local government finance settlement for 2023/24 I would therefore like to request: 1. The change to your Core Spending Power (CSP) for 2023/4 over 2022/3 as a result of the local government finance settlement 2. The impact of inflation on the council's 2022/3 budget, as measured against the original 2022/3 budget 3. The estimated impact of inflation on the council's budget for 2023/24 4. How much you had originally forecast the inflationary increase in costs to be for a) 2022-3 and b) 2023-4 in percentage and actual terms 5. Details of any loans (PWLB or money market) taken out by the council after 30/9/22 and the loan provider, terms and time period for these loans
Response provided:
1. Applicant provided with an Excel spreadsheet, showing the Council's increase to be 4.6% 2, 3 and 4. Applicant provided with a copy of the Council's budget report and appendices 5. The Council has not taken out any new borrowing since September 2022
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8953
Issue date: 07.03.23
Request received:
CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3FU
Response provided:
Applicant provided with the information, where held and also directed to the Council's website for some of the information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8955
Issue date: 16.03.23
Request received:
1. How many people, currently (Feb 2023) awaiting asylum, are being housed in contingency accommodation in your district? 2. How many people awaiting asylum were housed in contingency accommodation in your district in March 2020?
Response provided:
1. Clearsprings are currently using a hotel in the NDC area, however this is a temporary arrangement and does not involve NDC in the lease agreements 2. Zero
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8956
Issue date: 07.03.23
Request received:
CON29 information relating to a property at EX32 8BN
Response provided:
Applicant advised that no information is held
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8958
Issue date: 17.03.23
Request received:
Please could you advise me as to any planning requirements for permission to operate a short term holiday let in the Council's area. For example properties and rooms that may appear on online portals such as Airbnb, Booking dot com etc This is also often known as Serviced Accommodation. It is generally full furnished rooms or properties with cooking facilities etc It may be let out for a single night, or it could be let for a much longer period of time This question excludes apart-hotels, hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast and similar properties clearly defined in the Use Class Order 1) Which planning use class should the property be operating in? Should it be C1, C3 or Sui Generis for example? Or can it operate in more than one? 2) Is planning permission required? if the property is not operating in that Use Class? 3) Does that Use Class change if a certain number of nights are occupied during the year? Or is planning permission required if a certain number of nights is exceeded per annum even if operating in the correct Use Class? 4) Does your answer vary if it is a full unit such as a house or flat, as opposed to an annexe or a room or two within a C3 dwelling? If yes, how would the partial or full holiday let differ? 5) Are there any other rules that serviced accommodation or short stay holiday let providers advertising on Airbnb etc., adhere to in addition to any number of nights per annum (question 3) within your area?
Response provided:
The Council confirmed that it in this instance it is unable to provide the applicant with a response to the specific questions as it does not consider that it falls under the remit of the Freedom of Information Act as recorded/held information by the Council The Council's Planning department advises that it considers the questions to be technical planning questions of which there is no definitive answer held for each. It would depend upon the individual merits and circumstances of the matter to be taken into consideration, on a case by case basis
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8959
Issue date: 09.03.23
Request received:
The applicant requested information regarding the total amount of funds allocated and/or budgeted in relation to the coronation of HM King Charles III. This may include funds for, but not limited to, events expenditure such as street parties or The Coronation Big Lunch, hiring of equipment expenditure, hiring of staff, insurance, advertising, or security expenditure
Response provided:
It was confirmed to the applicant that the Council has not budgeted or allocated any funds in relation to the coronation of HM King Charles III as it is not intending to hold any type of party or celebration However, Town and Parish councils tend to organise such events. As they are responsible for the answering of their own information requests you may wish to consider submitting your request to all Town and Parish council's in the North Devon area
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8960
Issue date: 23.03.23
Request received:
1. Do you have a policy/strategy on how you use your data? (Outside of data protection and data privacy covered under general legislation) (select one) a) We have no strategy around data b) Our data strategy is covered by the IT strategy c) Our data strategy is an essential part of our IT strategy and clearly supporting our organization's goals d) Our data strategy encompasses all of our departments and is aligned to our organization's goals e) The data strategy is a key part of business model & company strategy f) Our data policy is covered by the trust or wider departmental organisation we belong to 2. (If yes) What considerations are included in your data policy/strategy? (scaled based on maturity - from Well established, Working on, No intent to include) Data sovereignty Data interoperability Data security Data skills Data availability Data ethics and responsibility Inter-departmental/agency collaboration Citizen outcomes/Tax payer value Data retention 3. Do you have a dedicated resource aligned to your data initiatives (excluding data protection)? (select one) a) There is no specific budget for data initiatives available b) Some data initiatives are covered by IT budgets c) Budgets for specific data initiatives are managed in the IT department with contributions from other departments d) There is a cross-departmental budget for our data strategy which is provided centrally e) The executive office decides on the data strategy for our whole organization, including strategic budget allocation 4. Do you have these roles within your organisation? (options - Yes, No, Partially, Plan to hire) a) Data analyst b) Data scientist c) Data engineer d) Machine Learning engineer 5. Do you outsource these roles? (options - Yes, No, Partially, Plan to outsource) a) Data analyst b) Data scientist c) Data engineer d) Machine Learning engineer 6. Who is responsible for setting your data strategy? (Understanding how senior the ownership is within the organisation) (select one) a) Level 1: CEO b) Level 2: CDIO, CIO, CTO, CxO c) Level 3: Senior Manager (Director/VP) d) Level 4: Delegated to departmental/line managers without organization-wide responsibility e) Level 5: Implicit throughout the organization 7. What percentage of your data is stored: (scaling percentage 0%, 0-10%, 10-25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, 75-100%, NA) a) On-premise b) Private Cloud c) Public Cloud 8. What percentage of your data is stored: (scaling percentage 0%, 0-10%, 10-25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, 75-100%, N/A) a) With UK providers b) With USA providers c) With European providers d) Other 9. Post Brexit will your organisation store more data in the UK or less data in the UK? (select one) a) More b) No change c) Less 10. When developing your data storage strategies what are your main considerations? (Scale on importance) a) Data sovereignty b) Data gravity c) Data security d) Storage latency 11. What is the maximum period you would hold data for? (If there are varying period for different types of data, please provide more information) 12. What is the process for identifying obsolete data in your organisation? 13. How mature is your architecture in managing your data end-to-end, from ingestion / generation to final consumption? (**Need a descriptor to define mature) (select one) a) Our data is only available in the respective application b) We capture and share data from multiple applications through data warehouses c) A central data lake holds all of our data at rest d) A central data hub connects data producers and consumers for both analytics and operational use cases, and holds both real-time data and data at rest e) We have a central data hub which also includes external data sources f) We put everything into a data lake and then classify into data warehouses 14. At what level does data add value to your organisation? (select one) a) Application b) Team c) Departmental d) Organisational e) Cross-organisational 15. What level of analytics methodologies do you master and support? (two boxed answer -currently use, currently master) a) Spreadsheet-based analytics b) Business intelligence/canned reporting c) Statistical analytics and machine/deep learning on big data at rest d) Statistical analytics and machine/deep learning with real-time data e) Formal methods such as CRISP-DM, KDD or SEMMA 16. How far does your analytics architecture span across your organization? (select one) a) Our analytics remains local and/or within application boundaries b) Our analytics use cases can include data from multiple applications c) Our analytics use cases can consume data sources from all relevant applications d) In addition to consuming data sources from all relevant applications, our analytics use cases also consume real-time data e) Our analytics use cases consume data from data warehouses/data lakes, f) In addition to consuming real-time data, our analytics use cases also leverage external data 17. What are the biggest obstacles in your organization to creating value from data and implementing a data-centric strategy? (select all that apply) a) Our top management does not see data value creation as a strategic priority b) There are cultural barriers to adopting a data-centric approach c) We don't have enough budget d) We don't have the required skills e) There is no clear accountability for data strategy, governance and processes f) We don't have access to the required technologies, tools and platforms g) We struggle to access external data in an efficient and trustful way h) Regulatory uncertainties with regards to data ownership and data privacy i) We don't have enough data j) Our data quality is too low k) Our data is buried in silos l) We have no operating model for managing AI solutions in production 18. Do you have a policy for open data or transparency data (select one) a) Only an open data strategy b) Only a transparency data policy c) Both d) Neither - do not have any e) Under an existing IT or data strategy e) In the implementation process or drawing up a strategy 19. Do you outsource your open data service? (select all that apply) a) We outsource our open data service b) We use data.gov.uk c) We use a local company to host the data d) We use internal software 20. Do you have definitive protocols for managing your data in terms of (select all that apply) a) Lineage b) Provenance c) Heritage d) Not sure
Response provided:
a) N/A a) a) - No, b) No, c) No, d) No N/A N/A a) 50-75% b) 0% c) 10-25% a) 75-100% b) 0% c) 0% d) 0% b) N/A 11 and 12. Financial data is normally held for at least 7 years, some data needs to be held indefinitely. Data owners are asked to identify their retention periods a) a) a) a) c), e), h) and k) d) d) d)
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8961
Issue date: 02.03.23
Request received:
1. How many formal complaints have you received from citizens from 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022 (inclusive)? Here complaints are defined as any expression of dissatisfaction with the council's services whether justified or not 2. How many of the above formal complaints have been escalated to another stage? 3. If possible, how many formal complaints have you received from citizens from 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021 (inclusive)? 4. How many of the above formal complaints have been escalated to another stage?
Response provided:
1. 546 2. 53 3. 497 4. 56
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8962
Issue date: 02.03.23
Request received:
Construction costs for New Tarka Leisure Centre: The final construction cost figures for this project, in an elemental breakdown, including design and project management fees etc
Response provided:
The Council has added the cost build breakdown as requested to its Contract Register: North Devon District Council Leisure Facilities
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Section 21 of Act
Request reference: 8963
Issue date: 01.02.23
Request received:
Following on from a letter dated the 2 February by Baroness Scott encouraging councils to apply for funding of up to £10,000 from the National Lottery to host Coronation parties, I would like to ask: 1. Has your council applied for funding from the National Lottery to host a Coronation party? If yes, please give details on how much was awarded and for what 2. Will your council be having a Coronation party which is organised by the council; meaning paid for, hosted, and attended by a council representative, for example a mayor or council leader?
Response provided:
1. No, North Devon Council has not applied for a Lottery Grant for a Coronation Party and it is not looking to do so 2. No, North Devon Council is not planning to host a Coronation Party itself Town and Parish councils tend to organise such events. As they are responsible for the answering of their own information requests you may wish to consider submitting your request to all Town and Parish council's in the North Devon area. You can find their contact details on our website
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8964
Issue date: 21.03.23
Request received:
1. Details of all A2 installations and Part B permits in the Council area, including the following information if available: the reference for the permit, the name and address of the permit holder, the address for which the permit is granted, the grid reference, the date of issue, the process undertaken, and the current status of the permit, in Excel or CSV format 2. Details of any enforcement notices issued relating to breaches of the terms of the above permits since 1st January 2016. Where none have been issued we would be grateful if you could confirm as such 3. Details of any sites designated as contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We require the address, grid reference, and site boundaries for all sites within the Council area that have been designated under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If there are no such sites please could you confirm as such If possible GIS data (shape file or tab) would be preferable, or an Excel or .csv file but we would be grateful for this information in whichever format is easiest for you to provide
Response provided:
1. Applicant informed that most of this information is published within a dataset which is updated annually (sixth dataset listed in table): LAPPC (Part A2 and Part B Permits) Public Register The only information that this does not provide is the grid reference which is not held/recorded. The date of issue is held but separately and it would require a manual search to provide this additional information. It has been confirmed by Environmental Protection that they will be able to add a new column to the dataset including this date when it is next updated which will be from July 2023 onwards 2. There have been no enforcement notices issued since 1 January 2016 to date 3. Environmental Protection confirms that there are currently no entries on its Contaminated Land register, as advised on the Council's Contaminated Land page on its website
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8965
Issue date: 29.03.23
Request received:
The number of dogs seized and placed by your dog pound for the last 5 years. Additionally please include where animals have been returned, re-homed or put down, broken down by month and year
Response provided:
Applicant provided with this information in Excel format, which is available upon request
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8966
Issue date: 15.03.23
Request received:
1. Which ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) or Finance system is currently used? 2. What was the total value of the contract? 3. When does your contract expire? 4. Do you have any planned upgrades of the software? If so, when? 5. Are you planning to go to market for a different ERP/ Finance system? If so, when? 6. Who is the person responsible for your ERP/Finance system? Please provide full name, title and contact
Response provided:
1. The Council does not have an ERP system Details of the Council's Financial system with Civica can be found on our Contract Register 2. Please refer to the link above for this information 3. As 2. above 4. Only Planned upgrades to the latest versions of software in August 2023 5. No current plans, however options will be reviewed in line with contract terms 6. Please refer to the link above for this information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8967
Issue date: 31.03.23
Request received:
1. We are looking to find out if the council has done either of the models below for housing ' Sale and Leaseback -Leaseback, short for sale-and-leaseback, is a financial transaction in which one sells an asset and leases it back for the long term; therefore, one continues to be able to use the asset but no longer owns it ' Income Strip -At its simplest, an income strip investment combines a strong tenant covenant, with a long-term lease and a forward funding arrangement to give an investor a stable and secure income stream. The strong tenant covenant frequently comes from the public sector such as local councils, and the long-term lease often runs between 30 and 50 years 2. Can you advise of weekly rents paid for the following? 1. Temporary accommodation for homeless relief 2. Extra care housing (not including any service charge elements, just the core rent) 3. Housing or beds for adults with complex care needs 3. Does the council own any land or disused buildings that they would be prepared to sell and or re purpose?
Response provided:
1. No sale and leaseback and income strips for housing purposes 2. 1) Applicant provide with this information in Excel format (which is available upon request) 2 and 3) This will fall under the remit of Devon County Council's as Adult Social Care falls under their responsibility 3. The Council's Estates department confirms that it does not have any sites at this time
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8968
Issue date: 06.03.23
Request received:
From a previous FOI request in 2020, it was confirmed that North Devon Council had migrated to O365 and the FromSA Sku had been used. This Sku will have been applied to take advantage of the discounts available What was the year and approximate date that the migration took place?
Response provided:
The Council's ICT department confirms that it migrated mailboxes to Office 365 in 2018 (around November 2018), but the Microsoft contracts/licensing would have been in place a couple of years prior to that date
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Request reference: 8970
Issue date: 08.03.23
Request received:
1. The number of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) from Vietnam currently registered in your jurisdiction 2. The number of Vietnamese UASCs in your jurisdiction who are under 18 and, separately, between 18-25 years old 3. The percentage of UASCs who have left their English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses before completion in the past year (i e since January 2022) 4. The percentage of Vietnamese UASCs who have left their English courses before completion since January 2022 5. The number of Vietnamese UASCs who left their ESOL courses early since January 2022 to work in nail bars 6. A breakdown of the living arrangements for Vietnamese UASCs who left their Supported Living Placements since January 2022? Please send as a categorised breakdown i e X in council homes, X in private rental accommodation
Response provided:
Applicant direct to Devon County Council for this information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8971
Issue date: 17.03.23
Request received:
CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 8ET
Response provided:
Applicant advised that no information is held
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8972
Issue date: 22.03.23
Request received:
1. How many employees do you have? 2. How many printers (A4, A3 single function or multi-function) do you have? 3. How many print servers do you have? 4. Do you use any print management software (Equitrac, SafeQ, PaperCut, PrinterLogic etc)? 5. Who supplies your printers, software and servers? 6. If so, which do you use? 7. What is the job title of the person responsible for printers
Response provided:
1. 429 2, 25 as part of the Council's MFD contract 3. Two 4. Papercut 5. Kyocera are the vendor 6. Kyocera devices 7. ICT Manager
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8974
Issue date: 17.03.23
Request received:
CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3QN
Response provided:
Applicant provided with the information, where held and also directed to the Council's website for some of the information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8975
Issue date: 10.03.23
Request received:
Follow on request from FOI 8968: 1. What version and quantity of perpetual desktop Microsoft licences were the council using prior to migrating to O365/M365? 2. Were these perpetual licences owned outright by the council or were they purchased in an Enterprise Subscription Agreement meaning the council never actually owned them? 3. If the council did own the licences, did the council relinquish these perpetual licences when they migrated?
Response provided:
1. Before the Council migrated to O365 in 2018, it was already on an Microsoft E3 agreement 2. The Council signed its first Microsoft E3 agreement in 2015. Before that it had perpetual Microsoft licences 3. The Council relinquished most of it perpetual licences when it moved to an E3 agreement
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8977
Issue date: 16.03.23
Request received:
1. For the last financial year for which data is available, how much is owed overall in council tax arrears, broken down by year? 2. For the last financial year for which data is available, how many households are in council tax arrears, broken down by year? 3. For the last financial year for which data is available, how many applications for a special repayment plan to pay council tax have the council received, broken down by year? 4. For the last financial year for which data is available, how many referrals have the council made to bailiffs in order to collect unpaid council tax, broken down by year?
Response provided:
1. Total arrears at 31.3.2022 = £5,690,278.50 Breakdown by year: 2021/2022 £2,395,435.96 2020/2021 £1,218,678.04 2019/2020 £856,580.37 2018/2019 £532,108.62 2017/2018 £347,632.73 2016/2017 £200,974.98 2015/2016 £48,555.00 2014/2015 £30,675.84 2013/2014 £18,333.37 2012/2013 £13,929.55 2011/2012 £10,393.81 2010/2011 £8,290.03 2009/2010 £4,535.11 2008/2009 £2,469.37 2007/2008 £1,685.72 2. Number of households not held only the number of accounts, an account can be included for each financial year. An individual or household could also have more than one account Number of accounts: 2021/2022 - 5184 2020/2021 - 2047 2019/2020 - 1664 2018/2019 - 1132 2017/2018 - 781 2016/2017 - 521 2015/2016 - 111 2014/2015 - 63 2013/2014 - 31 2012/2013 - 18 2011/2012 - 10 2010/2011 - 10 2009/2010 - Four 2008/2009 - One 2007/2008 - One 3. This information is not recorded 4. In 2021/22 5,493 cases were sent to the Enforcement Agent. This information is not held in a way that enables it to be broken down by year
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8978
Issue date: 20.03.23
Request received:
List of NDDC owned/controlled freehold and leasehold property - 1980 - 2019
Response provided:
Applicant advised that the Council does not already hold a definitive list of council owned/controlled (freehold and leasehold) property from 1980 through to 2019 and that it is not possible to be able to provide a definitive list due to the way in which the information has been recorded and maintained over years covering the requested period It would require the Estates department to carry out a manual search through all of the information held to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the information you seek (subject to what information is still held historically) from both hard copy/printed files and electronic files What makes this request difficult to answer is that over the years different systems and applications have been used to record land and property matters; there is no one system or filing method that holds all of the information in way that it can be easily found and gathered, so all of these applications and hard copy documents would need to be gone through manually and cross referenced to ensure their accuracy (as far as reasonably possible) and then collated into a list/single document
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Sections 12 and 16 of Act
Request reference: 8979
Issue date: 14.03.23
Request received:
All Section 106 agreements the Council holds under the address Mole Bridge Lane, South Molton, EX36 3DT
Response provided:
Applicant advised that the Council holds no Section 106 agreements under the requested address Applicant advised that requests for copies of Section 106 Agreements can be made directly to Land Changes under day to day business; there is no formal requirement to make a request for these agreements under the FoIA
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Request reference: 8980
Issue date: 15.03.23
Request received:
Details of any awareness campaigns in place in relation to the new requirements under the Election Act 2022 to present photo ID at polling stations. In the Council's response, please provide as much of the following detail as possible without exceeding the cost limit a) What is the total budget that is to be spent on awareness campaigns, ii) what is the spend up to the 28th February 2023? b) How much of the total budget is local authority funded and how much is funded by central government? c) How many days have council staff spent on the awareness campaign? d) What assessment did you make of the number/percentage of residents who were unaware of the requirement to present photo ID at polling stations before your campaign started? e) What target have you set for the number/percentage of residents who are aware of the need for Photo ID, ii) how are you measuring it and iii) what is your latest estimate of the number/percentage of residents who are aware of the need for photo voter ID? f) Which, if any, groups have been identified as the most difficult to communicate the new requirements under the Election Act 2022 to? g) How much extra time has been set aside for training polling station staff who will be present at the local election polling stations on the 4th May 2023 on the new requirements under the Election Act 2022 to present a photo ID at polling stations? h) What additional planning have you undertaken with the local police force to ensure that polling stations staff are kept safe in the event that voters raise concerns regarding having to show photo ID? i) What guidance have you received from central government regarding the safety of polling station staff on polling day? j) How many questions or complaints from residents have you received regarding the new requirements for Voter ID under the Election Act 2022?
Response provided:
The Council confirmed that it does not hold any of the information requested. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council confirms that in this instance, information held by the Returning Officer or Electoral Returning Officer does not fall under the remit of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 The registration of electors is governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983 as amended. Under Section 8 of the Act, the Council must appoint an officer of the Council to be the registration officer for any constituency or part of a constituency coterminous with or situated in the Council's area. The Chief Executive for North Devon Council is the appointed officer for the registration area of North Devon Their appointment as Electoral Registration Officer is separate to their appointment as Chief Executive and, although appointed by the Council, the Electoral Registration Officer's responsibilities and duties are personal. An example of this is that the register of electors is deemed to be the property of the Electoral Registration Officer, not the local authority The Electoral Registration Officer does not carry out the duties on behalf of the Council but in his own personal capacity. A list of public bodies and local authorities that are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act is included in Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act does not list any person appointed under the Representation of the People Act 1983. It follows that the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer or any other person appointed under the Act are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8981
Issue date: 17.03.23
Request received:
Confirmation of the registered food business owner of Chicos, 55 High Street, Barnstaple EX31 1BZ
Response provided:
A copy of the completed Food Registration form was disclosed, with all personal information relating to the licence holder redacted
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Section 40 of Act
Request reference: 8982
Issue date: 29.03.23
Request received:
A complete and most-recently updated list of all business (non-residential) property rates data, including the following fields: 1: Billing Authority Property Reference Code (linking the property to the public VOA database reference) 2: Firm's Trading Name (i e property occupant or ratepayer) 3: Full Property Address (Number, Street, Postal Code, Town) 4: Occupation/Vacancy status 5: Date of Occupation/Vacancy 6: Rateable Value 7: VOA Code 8: VOA Description 9: SIC Description 10: Scat Code 11: Scat Code Description 12: Liability Start Date 13: Discretionary Relief percentage 14: Discretionary Relief St Date 15: Retail Relief Previously Claimed (TRUE/FALSE) 15: Mandatory Relief percentage 16: Mandatory Relief Start Date 17: Exemption Granted (TRUE/FALSE) 18: Exemption Start Date 19: Full Sbr 20: Buffer Sbr 21: Lower Multiplier 22: The value of any over payment made 23: The years(s) in which any payment may have been made 24: The value of write back which remains unclaimed 25: The years(s) in which write back was made (if available) If you are unable to provide an absolute 'Occupation/Vacancy' status, please provide the Exemptions and/or Reliefs that a particular property may be receiving NOTE: While FOI's are meant to be requestor blind, the data is actively used by national government and UK universities to inform the economic response to COVID-19 Most recently, the data was used by MHCLG for the assessment of support to local authorities via the levelling up fund Please provide these data as machine-readable as either a CSV or Microsoft Excel file, capable of re-use, and under terms of the Open Government Licence (reuse for all purposes, including commercial)
Response provided:
The majority of the requested information is published quarterly within the Council's Business Rates datasets, other than the following: 7: VOA code -held but not included as we include the property description 9: SIC Description -not held by the Council 10: Scat Code -held for most properties but not included 11: Scat Code Description - held for most properties but not included 14: Discretionary Relief St Date -the report to extract all the NDR data does not include the relief start date. To provide this data would require manually looking up each account and manually entering the start date on the spreadsheet 15: Retail Relief Previously Claimed (TRUE/FALSE) -we show if Retail Relief is awarded but not as TRUE/FALSE 16: Mandatory Relief Start Date - the report to extract all the NDR data does not include the relief start date. To provide this data would require manually looking up each account and manually entering the start date on the spreadsheet 17: Exemption Granted (TRUE/FALSE) -we show this if an Exemption is awarded but not as TRUE/FALSE 18: Exemption Start Date - the report to extract all the NDR data does not include the exemption start date. To provide this data would require running a separate report, then manually cross referencing the reports to establish the start date and manually entering the start date on the spreadsheet 19: Full Sbr and 20: Buffer Sbr -not held but an SBR indicator (yes or no) is included. Can be determined from the level of SBR from the property RV 21: Lower Multiplier -not held but can be determined from the property RV22: The value of any over payment made -we do not publish this data only a quarterly data set showing the number and amount of any current credits and the number and amount of any amounts refunded (see link provided above) 23: The years(s) in which any payment may have been made -as above 24: The value of write back which remains unclaimed and 25: The years(s) in which write back was made (if available) -To provide this data would require a search of records going back to 1993 manually looking up each account and manually entering the start date on the spreadsheet. A manual check would be required of all accounts that had a 'write on' to ensure it had not been reversed, in order to validate the accuracy of the accounts identified in the 'write on' report. To identify the cases they would need to run a transaction report for each individual year (going back to 1 April 1993, which is as far back as the information is held) and the accounts on each report would have to be checked manually The transaction report only gives details of the account number and the amount of the write on/off so once the relevant accounts had been identified the company name, address and amount of credit would have to be entered manually into a spreadsheet which again would require looking at each account individually Going forward, Revenues confirms that they will be able to include the information requested under 7, 10 and 11 within future published datasets Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for Local Authorities is set at £450 by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours at £25 per hour in determining whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and collating the information It has been estimated by the Revenues that it would far exceed 18 hours to provide the requested information that would require a manual search of all accounts/records. For example, 24 and 25 are estimated to take approximately 1,500 hours alone The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Revenues team and therefore we are unable to process these parts of your request any further. As set out in the previous paragraph, the Council has the right to refuse to provide the information in accordance with Section 12 of the Act
Exemptions/Exceptions:
Section 12 of Act
Request reference: 8984
Issue date: 29.03.23
Request received:
CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 8BX
Response provided:
Applicant provided with the information, where held and also directed to the Council's website for some of the information
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8985
Issue date: 20.03.23
Request received:
This FOI request arises out of a report that a washing-machine-sized data centre is being used to heat a Devon public swimming pool. I understand the Exmouth pool uses 222,000 kWh of gas to heat the pool a year. Deep Green provides 139,284kWh a year of heat for free from its data centre. This equates to 62% of the heating needs of the pool. This translates to a cost saving of £20,391 a year for the pool and a carbon saving of 25.8 tonnes. Please advise: 1. Whether you use similar technology in any swimming pools you own, fund or manage and if so any estimates you have of annual financial and carbon savings as a result 2. Whether you have any plans to use similar technology in any swimming pools you own, fund or manage and if so any estimates you have of annual financial and carbon savings you expect to achieve as a result
Response provided:
1. No, at this time the Council does not. The Council only became aware of this technology when the news broke in the national press last week 2. At this time the Council does not have enough information to know if a similar project is feasible in North Devon, however Parkwood Leisure that manages the Council's swimming pools are looking into it
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8986
Issue date: 21.03.23
Request received:
This is an information request relating to the MIPIM conference held in Cannes from 14th to 17th March 2023 Please include the following information: Did any members of the organisation attend MIPIM in an official capacity? If so, how many attended and what are their job titles? If so, what was the total spend by the organisation on attending the conference? (please make clear how much was spent by the organisation itself, and how much it received, if any, in sponsorships or grants) How much was spent on flights? (please provide information on the airline, and the class) How much was spent on accommodation? (Please provide the name and address of the hotel) How much was spent on food and subsistence? (Please provide receipts for any restaurants, cafes or bars visited) How much was spent on conference costs? For example, tickets to the conference, any stands set up at the conference
Response provided:
The Council confirmed to the applicant that no North Devon Council employees attended this conference earlier this month
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8987
Issue date: 22.03.23
Request received:
Provision of the Local Plan Policies map for the Council in shape file format
Response provided:
Information fully provided to the applicant in shape file format, which is available upon request
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8993
Issue date: 29.03.23
Request received:
In relation to NDR debt recovery and the enforcement options available once a liability order has been obtain: 1. Does the Council ever use alternative method of recovery through a court of competent jurisdiction (Regulations 10(2) and 20(1) Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1989 S.I.1989/1058)? Between 2018/19 and 2023/24 a. If yes how many/percentage per year? b. How many/percentage were successful? 2. Liability Orders a. How many NDR debt Liability Orders have been applied for in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. How many Liability Orders have been granted per year for NDR debt in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? 3. Enforcement Agents a. How many NDR debts have been sent to Enforcement Agents in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. How much NDR debt was collected via Enforcement Agents in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? 4. Security for Unpaid Rates Non-Domestic Rating a. If used how many per year in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. What are the average costs to pursue this method? c. How many of the debts subject to this method of recovery have been collected in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? 4. Insolvency a. If used how many in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. If used does the Council use an external company to undertake this work? c. What was the average cost for undertaking each insolvency action? 5. Commitment to Prison Inquiry into Means and Conduct a. How many in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. What percentage of these resulted in debt successfully recovered? 6. S49 Powers to reduce or remit liability a. How many times has this been implemented in each year 2018/19 -2022/23? b. What was total sum/percentage of this 'relief' in each year 2018/19 -2022/23?
Response provided:
1. No, a) N/A b) N/A 2. a) 2018/19 = 222 2019/20 = 226 2020/21 = 68 2021/22 = 208 2022/23 as at 29.03.23 = 226 2018/19 - 2022/23 (as at 29.03.23) = 950 2. b) 2018/19 = 222 2019/20 = 226 2020/21 = 68 2021/22 = 208 2022/23 as at 29.03.23) = 226 2018/19 - 2022/23 (as at 29.03.23) = 950 3. a) 2018/19 = 109 2019/20 = 124 2020/21 = Zero 2021/22 = 243 2022/23 = 125 2018/19 - 2022/23 (as at 29.03.23) = 601 3. b) 2018/19 - £120,111.00 2019/20 - £181,452.00 2020/21 - £24,588.00 2021/22 - £372,225.70 2022/23 - £148,634.58 2018/19 - 2022/23 (as at 29.03.23) = £847,011.28 4. a) b) and c) = N/A 4. Insolvency a) b) and c) = N/A 5. a) None b) N/A 6. a) None b) N/A
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8995
Issue date: 29.03.23
Request received:
For the period between June 2022 and January 2023, please provide the statistics as follows: The average number of days taken to make payments of invoices, measured from the date of receipt of invoice or other notice to the date the cash is received by the supplier The percentage of payments made within the reporting period which were paid in 30 days or fewer, between 31 and 60 days, and in 61 days or longer The percentage of payments due within the reporting period which were not paid within the agreed payment period
Response provided:
Average number of days to make payment: 17 days Up to 29 days = 90.29% Between 30 and 59 days = 5.76% Between 60 plus = 3.95% 9.71% of invoices were paid after standard terms
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 8996
Issue date: 28.03.23
Request received:
Whether there are any asylum seekers being accommodated in hotels within the Council's local authority area? To be clear, I am not asking you to provide any information that would directly identify, or reveal the specific address or ward area in which asylum seekers are being housed I would only like to know whether your local authority area is currently accommodating asylum seekers in a hotel or hotels, or not
Response provided:
One hotel in the North Devon Council area is currently being used to accommodate asylum seekers
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None
Request reference: 9004
Issue date: 31.03.23
Request received:
1a. Has the council made any assessments on the potential impact that the requirement for voters to show identification will have, for example on voter turnout or on staffing needed? 1b. If so, please provide a copy of or link to the document(s)
Response provided:
1.a) Yes 1.b) Copy of PDF document 'Elections 2023 Communications Plan' provided to applicant (which is available upon request)
Exemptions/Exceptions:
None