Disclosure Log - December 2022

Information provided to the applicant where held via WeTransfer link due to volume of information that was disclosed, which is available upon request

Self and custom build housing provision

Information provided to the applicant in Excel format, which is available upon request

Provision of the Council’s HMO Register in Excel format including the UPRN (Unique Property Reference Number) for each property. Record to include:

1. the address of the licensed HMO or house

2. the number of rooms in the licensed HMO providing sleeping accommodation

3. the maximum number of persons or households permitted to occupy the licensed HMO under the conditions of the licence

4. the name and address of the licence holder

5. the date of the licence

6. the date of the expiry of the licence

Information provided to the applicant in Excel format, which is available upon request

For the year ending March 31 2022, please provide your organisation's approximate total annual cost expenditure for grid supplies of: 

•         Electricity

•         Natural gas 

Please provide the current total number of supplies (billed meter points) for;

• Half Hourly metered electricity

• Non Half Hourly metered electricity

• Natural gas 

The following questions relate to your main supplier or main contracts,  I do not require details of suppliers for a small number of miscellaneous supplies) 

Please provide the name of your current primary licenced retail suppliers for:

• Half Hourly metered electricity

• Non Half Hourly metered electricity

• Natural gas 

Please provide the relevant reference number or similar reference detail of the OJEU framework or tender exercise through which supplies were procured for: 

• Half Hourly metered electricity

• Non Half Hourly metered electricity

• Natural gas 

If the procurement route is facilitated by a Public Sector Buying Organisation (PBO) (e g CCS, YPO, etc), please provide the name of the PBO facilitating your contract for:

• Half Hourly metered electricity

• Non Half Hourly metered electricity

• Natural gas 

Please provide contact details for the procurement manager at your Organisation responsible for these call-offs or awards of energy supply contracts, or where this person is no longer employed by your Organisation, for the relevant procurement manager currently in post. please provide their: 

•         Name

•         Job Title

•         Email Address 

Please provide contact details for the operational Manager at your Organisation primarily responsible for day to day management of these supplies and costs. This would usually be an Energy Manager, Estates/Facilities Manager, or similar. Please provide their: 

• Name

• Job Title

• Email Address

Information provided in table response format, which is available upon request

An address list of properties with planning consent of Use Class C4 – Small HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation), including in this list:

- The properties UPRN (Unique Property Reference Number)

- The date of the Planning Permission

- The Planning Permission Reference

Applicant advised that the Council's Planning department provides the following information: 

In accordance with Section 21 of Act, it is possible for you to be able to find some of this information yourself via the Council's Planning Tracker: https://planning.northdevon.gov.uk/Search/Advanced by typing in "house in multiple occupation", "multiple occupation" or C4" or any permutation of these the "proposal box 

However, Planning does raise the following: 

1. The information is only searchable for records back to 1987. Before that date it would be a case of Planning having to check all records they hold manually of which there are many thousands without even taking into account the pre-1974 records. This exercise would most certainly exceed the 18 hour cost limit under Section 12 of the Act 

2. There may be applications that are relevant to the enquiry but do not include any of those key words in the description of the proposal. Please note that Planning do not always capture those helpful phrases and HIMO's aren't a selectable "Application Type"

Unfortunately Planning does not have any other way to be able to easily interrogate its system, other than what has been suggested above

Planning also confirms that the UPRN is not recorded with the Planning system

Information regarding software contracts that the Council uses for the following fields: 

Primary Customer Relationship Management Solution (CRM):

For example, Salesforce, Lagan CRM, Microsoft Dynamics; software of this nature 

The organisation’s primary corporate Finance Software Solution:

For example, Agresso, Integra, Sapphire Systems; software of this nature 

1. Name of Supplier: Can you please provide me with the software provider for each contract? 

2. The brand of the software: Can you please provide me with the actual name of the software. Please do not provide me with the supplier name again please provide me with the actual software name 

3. Description of the contract: Can you please provide me with detailed information about this contract and please state if upgrade, maintenance and support is included.  Please also list the software modules included in these contracts 

4. Number of Users/Licenses: What is the total number of user/licenses for this contract?

5. Annual Spend: What is the annual average spend for each contract? 

6. Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract please include any available extensions within the contract 

7. Contract Start Date: What is the start date of this contract? Please include month and year of the contract. DD-MM-YY or MM-YY 

8. Contract Expiry: What is the expiry date of this contract? Please include month and year of the contract. DD-MM-YY or MM-YY

9. Contract Review Date: What is the review date of this contract? Please include month and year of the contract. If this cannot be provide please provide me estimates of when the contract is likely to be reviewed. DD-MM-YY or MM-YY

 10. Contact Details: I require the full contact details of the person within the organisation responsible for this particular software contract (name, job title, email, contact number)

Primary Customer Relationship Management Solution (CRM):

1. As follows:

CRM – GRANICUS-FIRMSTEP Ltd, as published on the Council's contract register

Primary Corporate Finance Software Solution: Civica UK Ltd, as published on the Council's contract register

2. As follows:

Granicus gov.Service and gov.Self

Civica.co.uk

3. For both contracts, this information is published under the Details section of the contract as published via the link above

4. For both contracts, unlimited users

5. Granicus = £40K, Civica = £32K

6. For both contracts, this information is published under the Details section of the contract as published via the link above

7. As 6. above

8. As 6. above

9. As 6. above

10. For both contracts, this information is published under the Primary Contact section of the contract as published via the link above

Information related to the supply, storage, and purchase of polythene sacks and Wheeled steel and plastic containers, which would usually be handled by the Environmental section or Waste Management team/Street scene 

Polythene Sacks

1. What type of polythene sacks do you currently use for your Environmental/Waste services/Street services such as Commercial Waste/sweeping/clinical/recycling 

2. Please supply full specifications for all sacks (sizes/colours/thickness) 

3. Which departments use each type of sack 

4.Where are the sacks stored (depot etc) 

5. How many pallets can be stored on site 

6. How often do you purchase each type of sack and in what quantities per annum 

7. Please provide current supplier details for all sacks 

8. Please provide all associated current prices per 1000 sacks or alternative quantities if purchased in lesser quantities 

9. Are sacks purchased as part of a tender or spot/quote purchasing 

10. Please provide contact details of the person(s) in charge of the purchasing of polythene sacks 

11. Do you have an annual budget for sacks? if so, what is the overall value 

12. If purchased via tender process when is the next process planned for 

Containers (Plastic or Steel, including caddy’s) 

13. What type of Containers do you currently use for your Environmental/Waste services 

14. Please supply specifications for all containers 

15.Which departments use each type of container

16. Where are the containers stored (depot etc) 

17. How many containers can be stored on site 

18. How often do you purchase each type of container and in what quantities 

19. Please provide current supplier details for all containers (table) 

20. Please provide all associated current prices per container 

21. Are containers purchased as part of a tender or spot purchasing 

22. Please provide contact details of the person(s) in charge of the purchasing of containers 

23. Do you have an annual budget for containers? if so, what is the overall value 

24. If purchased via tender process when is the next process planned for

1. The pay and grading structure used by your authority for NJC workers only, including any local extension of the pay spine

2. The basic pay and gender distribution of NJC workers only employed by the Council for each pay point you use, including any local extension of the pay spine, as below: Please do not include school support staff

3. Has the Council adopted/followed the Living Wage rate as set by the Living Wage Foundation? If yes, go to Q4. If no go to Q7

4. Which Foundation Living Wage rate have you adopted?

London - £11.05/hour

Outside London - £9.90/hour

Other (please specify rate) £

5. How are you implementing the Foundation Living Wage rate?

• As a supplement
• Integrated into your grading structure
• Other (please specify)

1. Pay structure provided in Excel format (available upon request)

2. Pay and gender spreadsheet provided (available upon request)

3. No

4. N/A

5. N/A

6. N/A

7. No

8. N/A

9. Gender pay gap information is on the website Gender Pay Gap

10. The Council does not record this at this time

Housing Accommodation of teens

Information response provided in table format within response email which is available upon request

The applicant requested the following information on homelessness amongst 18-24 year olds in questions 1-3 for the past 5 years - per year

Within your local authority, how many 18-24 year olds:

1. Presented themselves as homeless, or at risk of homelessness

2. Were subsequently assessed under the Housing Act 1996

3. Were subsequently accepted as statutorily homeless and owed a duty

Information response provided in Excel format, which is available upon request

Please provide the following for each of the financial years 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, and 2022/2023 so far (from the beginning of the current financial year until 15 November 2022): 

1. Number of households in council tax arrears 

2. The total amount of council tax owed by these households 

3. The number of cases of council tax debt passed to bailiffs (note these are also called 'enforcement agents') and the overall amount of council tax which was owed (just in relation to the cases which were passed to bailiffs) 

4.Total amount recovered by bailiffs

5. The total amount in bailiff fees and court costs added to these council tax arrears 

6. The names of enforcement agencies employed by the council. (If multiple, please detail % split of cases allocated if the information is available) 

7. How much are the fees that can be added on to council tax debts to cover bailiff and court order costs, and how are these calculated? (Is there a percentage or flat fee?)

8. Number of bankruptcy proceedings started against individuals who owe you council tax

1. 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

2019/2020 at 31.03.2020 (for all years) - 11,112 accounts

2020/2021 at 31.03.2021 (for all years) - 12,677 accounts

2021/2022 at 31.03.2022 (for all years) - 11,578 accounts

2022/2023 – see below*

1. The total amount outstanding at 31 March for the relevant year is for all financial years

2019/2020 total amount outstanding at 31.03.2020 (for all years) - £4,482,503.84

2020/2021 total amount outstanding at 31.03.2021 (for all years) - £5,938,264.94  

2021/2022 total amount outstanding at 31.03.2022 (for all years) - £5,590,278.50   

For the current year 2022/2023 I can only provide the total amount outstanding for all years at 30.11.2022 - £3,418,178.33

*The number of accounts is not held. This can only be provided at yearend i e 31 March

Questions 3,4,5,6

3. The number of cases of council tax debt passed to bailiffs (note these are also called 'enforcement agents') and the overall amount of council tax which was owed (just in relation to the cases which were passed to bailiffs)

Note that not all LO’s received will be enforced because council guidelines may require them to be returned without action

4. Total amount recovered by bailiffs Note that some debt recovered may relate to arrears from previous years

5. The total amount in bailiff fees and court costs added to these council tax arrears Note some fees recovered may relate to arrears from previous years

Marstons Enforcement Agents

2018/19:

Number of Bailiff referrals = 1,638

Total value of debt referred = £1,052,681.23

Value of arrears recovered = £469,305.99

Fees = None

2019/20:

Number of Bailiff referrals = 1,561

Total value of debt referred = £424,117.97

Value of arrears recovered = £448,320.28

Fees = None

2020/21:

Number of Bailiff referrals = 45

Total value of debt referred = £26, 503.58

Value of arrears recovered = £136,886.93

Fees = £29,209.55

2021/22:

Number of Bailiff referrals = Zero

Total value of debt referred = Zero

Value of arrears recovered = £32,546.47

Fees = £7,970.78

*Fee data pre-May 2020 is not available

** These figures are for amounts remitted in year regardless of when the case was sent to us and not collected by batch. For example, case received 30/03/2019 payment received April 2020 – this would show as ‘recovered’ in April 20 

Ross and Roberts Enforcement Agents

Client: North Devon District Council

Scheme: CTAX

Period: 4. 2019/20

Cases received: 564

Debt Value: £392,493.04

Client Remitted: £132,170.67

Fees Remitted: £42,297.55

Dukes Enforcement Agents

1.The number of cases of council tax debt passed to bailiffs (note these are also called 'enforcement agents') and the overall amount of council tax which was owed (just in relation to the cases which were passed to bailiffs)
Allocated to EA’s

• 2019/2020 – 0 Cases received
• 2020/2021 – 0 Cases received
• 2021/2022
• Cases passed to enforcement agents = 651
• Overall amount which was owed = £566,634.43
• 2022/2023 so far (from the beginning of the current financial year until 15 November 2022):
• Cases passed to enforcement agents = 617
• Overall amount which was owed = £ 559,224.65

2.Total amount recovered by bailiffs

• 2019/2020 - £0.00
• 2020/2021 - £0.00

• 2021/2022 – £1,078,932.82
• 2022/2023 so far (from the beginning of the current financial year until 15 November 2022): £571,751.22

3.The total amount in bailiff fees added to these council tax arrears

• 2019/2020 - £0.00
• 2020/2021 - £0.00
• 2021/2022 - £337,879.38
• 2022/2023 so far (from the beginning of the current financial year until 15 November 2022): £59,901.20

7. £45.00 court costs to cover issue of summons and £20.00  to cover issue of Liability Order - flat fee

£75.00 Compliance fee – enforcement agents flat fee in line with regulations

£235.00 Enforcement fee - enforcement agents flat fee in line with regulations

8. None

1. Details of all council housing/buildings that remain empty in North Devon (all public buildings and properties vacant for 3 months or more)

2. Please also confirm the number of immigrants welcomed into the area annually within the last 5 years (split by numbers of men women and children)

The Council’s Estates department provides the following: 

Vacant Buildings as of December 2022 

Part of the Bus Station, however the Council does have interest from a third party for community use 

Watering Hole Public House – Not fit for occupation 

Old Town Station – this is under offer 

36 Boutport Street, Barnstaple – part of Future High Street Fund project, not fit for occupation 

Units in Green Lanes. Please refer to Carter Jonas Website Commercial property to rent in Green Lanes Shopping Centre, EX31 : Bristol : 20012536 (carterjonas.co.uk) 

2. The Councils Housing department provides the following: 

Homes For Ukraine 120 – this can change as we have seen some guests return to the Ukraine or move to other areas for work – April 22 – on-going 

Community Sponsorship – These are supported by those group in the community 

Dispersal Hotels – average of 140 this can change on a regular basis as a spot purchased hotel by Clearsprings – November 2022 

Afghan schemes Pledged 6 x units for families – We are looking at these units being accommodated early 2023

CON29 information relating to a property at EX33 1PL

Applicant provided with the information, where held and also directed to the Council’s website for some of the information

1. Do you use any social listening or media monitoring tools?

2. If so, what tools do you use?

3. How much do you spend annually on social listening and/or media monitoring tools?

4. When does your contract with your supplier end?

1. Yes

2. Hootsuite and Facebook Insights

3. No spend as both are free

4. There are no contracts in place for the tools as referred to above

1. (a) How many residential properties does the council currently own?

(b) What is the total value (or estimated value) of these properties? 

2. (a) How many residential properties does the council own which are currently vacant/ empty?

(b) What is the total value (or estimated value) of these properties? 

3. (a) How many residential properties does the council own which have been vacant/ empty for more than six months?

(b) What is the total value (or estimated value) of these properties? 

4. Please provide a list of all residential properties that the council currently owns which have been vacant/ empty for more than six months. For each property, please state: (i) the full address; (ii) the number of bedrooms; (iii) the amount paid for the property at time of purchase; (iv) the current estimated value, if known 

NB: if it is not possible to provide all of the information requested, please provide as much of it as possible

1. A) 13 B) £1,661,903

2. A) Four, inclusive of property at 3 below B) £397,600

3. A) One B) £192,000

4. As follows:

(i) Property at Bear Street Barnstaple, EX32 7DX

(ii) Seven bedrooms

(iii) £180,000

(iv) £192,000

North Devon Council’s housing stock was transferred onto North Devon Homes Limited on 21 February 2000

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 8ET

Applicant provided with the information, where held and also directed to the Council’s website for some of the information

1. The total number of applications made for homelessness due to domestic abuse

2. The total found to be owed a duty (split into the types of duty owed, if possible)

3. The total found to not be owed a duty I know that there is some data available on the live tables for homelessness, but these don't include total numbers of applications made for this reason

Information provided to the applicant in Excel format, which is available upon request

How much money has the Council spent on outside legal costs, pertaining to complaints against Elected Members, since January 2000 to date

From 2016 and 2022 to date, £7,259.50 (VAT £1,451) has been spent on outside legal costs, pertaining to complaints against Elected Members, this expenditure related to one Code of Conduct complaint in 2020-21 where external support was considered necessary

The Council no longer holds expenditure records prior to 2016, therefore the Council is unable to confirm whether there had been any applicable expenditure from 2000 to 2015

1. How many incidences of antisocial behaviour were recorded by your council in every year between 2010 and 2022

2. For the incidences mentioned above, how many resulted in:

a) ASB civil injunctions

b) Community protection notices

c) Public space protection orders

d) Closure powers

e) No further action

3. In how many instances did your local authority apply, or encourage the prosecution to apply, for a Criminal Behaviour Order?

Applicant provided with a response in Excel spreadsheet format which is available upon request

1. At present, what is the TOTAL crematorium charge (including use of chapel, waiting rooms and attendances, floral decoration, recorded or organ music, scattering/strewing of ashes, medical referee’s fee, and environmental surcharge) at each crematorium operated by the council? 

2. Does the crematorium fee include an ‘environmental charge’ associated with the cost of mercury abatement, and if so, how much is this environmental charge? 

3. What was the council’s total crematorium charge (as described in Q1): 

a)    in October 2022

b)    In October 2021

c)     In October 2017 

3. What was the council’s total crematorium charge (as described in Q1): 

a)    In October 2022

b)    In October 2021

c)     In October 2017 

4. Has the council transferred any crematoria to private sector businesses? 

Cemeteries 

5. How many cemeteries does the council own and operate? 

6. How much does the council charge for an adult burial, to include an exclusive right of burial, for the minimum period of use, in a standard lawn grave, and including any interment fee?     

7. Wat was the charge for the same provision of a grave as described in Q6: 

a)    in October 2022

b)    In October 2021

c)     In October 2017 

8. Are there any private sector cemeteries within the council’s boundaries and if so, please identify them and the company which operates them 

9. Has the Council transferred any cemeteries to private sector businesses? 

10. Please indicate whether the Council has had to restrict or cease burials in its cemeteries because of a lack of capacity and if so, what arrangements are there for burials?

1. £750. Please note that this includes an organist as well as recorded music

2. Yes, not separately costed

3. a) £750 b) £730 c) £640

4. No

Cemeteries

5. Two

6. £1,294

7. a) £1294 b) £1,268 c) £1,136

8. No

9. No

I would like to make a request for historical data relating to energy consumption of Christmas lighting installed on the square and high street of Barnstaple

Please could you let me know the total electricity consumption (kWh) of the lighting installations for each December between 2016 and 2021

If that information is not available, please could you provide an answer for at least ONE of the following

- What was the total power consumption (kWh) of the Christmas lighting installations between 1st and 31st Dec 2021

- How much of the North Devon Council 2021/2022 budget was allocated to cover the electricity costs of the lighting installations between 1st and 31st December 2021

- How much of the North Devon Council 2021/2022 budget was allocated to cover operating costs of the lighting installations between 1st and 31st December 2021, excluding costs relating to erection and removal (e g equipment hire, worker pay, etc)

Full details of Hackney carriages licenced by the Council

please (remembering that these vehicles operate on the public highway) the same details for Private Hire vehicle, as under:

Plate

VRM

Chassis

Operator

Information provided within an Excel spreadsheet to the applicant which is available upon request

1. Any data collected on who turns down support offered by local authority outreach teams. This could include demographic/circumstantial information (i e why they refuse/where they are staying) on who disengages and the number of people 

2. Any data collected on people who stay in squats, including the number of people who are arrested or cautioned for squatting in the local authority 

3. Any data collected on people residing in unconventional accommodation types such as temporary structures 

4. A breakdown of where people are counted in local rough sleeping snapshots (e g, cars, sheds, doorways) 

5. Data collected on the number of people staying in overcrowded and concealed households and any accompanying demographic information such as sex, age, ethnicity 

6. Data collected on the number of people who “sofa surf” or stay temporarily in the homes of others

1. This is not data that the Council’s Housing team specifically collects

2. As 1. above

3. As 1. above

4. Most recent November snapshot 2 x tents, 5 x doorways, 1 x car, 1 x car port

5. As 1. above

6. As 1. above

The applicant requested the following information in connection with utilities supplied to the current tenants of Osborne Hotel, Wilder Road, Ilfracombe, EX34 9AQ:

1. Confirmation of the name of the individual or legal entity liable to pay non-domestic rates in respect of the Site for the period 28/2/2022 to present

2. If more than one individual/entity was liable to pay non-domestic rates in respect of this Site during the above period, please can you confirm:

2.1. The name of each individual/entity

2.2. The period in respect of which that individual/entity was liable for the payment of non-domestic rates

1. DMC Apartments Ltd

This request is for the attention of the department that oversees the private rented sector and enforcement 

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Right Honorable Michael Gove has written to all councils in England following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak to enquire about activity taken over the last three years to address damp and mould hazards in the private rented sector. This includes specific activity covering the amount and nature of remediation and enforcement activity, civil penalty notices and prosecutions 

We understand that a further correspondence was sent out by the Department dated 25 November, requesting an initial response to be sent to them by 30 November 2022 from all local authorities

The applicant therefore requests a copy of this initial response sent by North Devon Council to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

1. Do you currently have an existing Allyship initiative/scheme/programme, specifically for your staff around championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion?

a) If yes, is it mandatory or voluntary membership?

b) How many staff are signed up to this initiative?

c) How many staff do you employ?

1. No

1. a) Through d) Not Applicable

Primate Licensing 2022

Information provided to applicant within Word document which is available upon request

1. How many Ukrainian refugee households has your council placed in contingency accommodation since March 2022?

2. How many Ukrainian refugee households has your council placed in dispersed accommodation since March 2022?

3. How many Ukrainian refugees has your council placed in dispersed accommodation since March 2022?

4. How many Ukrainian refugee households has your council placed in hotel accommodation since March 2022?

5. How many Ukrainian refugees has your council placed in hotel accommodation since March 2022?

1. One

2. Zero

3. Zero

4. Two

5. Three

1. Who are the contacts for planning and licensing training for councillors within the council?

2. What method of training do the council use (e g classroom, on demand or blended)?

3. Who do the council use to deliver the planning and licensing training for councillors?

4. How much have you spent on planning and licensing training per annum over the last 5 years?

1. Beverley Triggs

2. In person or virtual

3. Planning Advisory Service/Trevor Roberts Associate (previously), Institute of Licensing and internally

4. Planning £4,615, Licensing £207.00

1. How many people are currently on a waiting list for an allotment site managed by your local authority at the date of this FOI (12 December 2022)

2. How many people were on the waiting list a year ago (12 December 2021)

3) In addition, for each of the 10 individuals most recently awarded a plot (at the time of this FOI), please state:

a) The number of days that elapsed between first contact with the council (i e submitting an application) and receiving their plot

b) The average waiting time (in days) of those ten applicants

1. Two
2. One

The number of households within your council who, at or around 1st January 2023:

1. Are receiving Council Tax SMI Discount

2. Are receiving Council Tax SMI Exemption

On receipt of the appropriate application and having met the criteria of both receipt of a Qualifying Benefit and Certification by a Medical Practitioner stating when the person first had SMI,

Do you:

(A) Backdate to the date of receipt of both qualifying criteria?

Or (B) Backdate to the date Certified by the Medical Practitioner?

1. As at 19.12.22 the number of households that are receiving the Council Tax SMI disregard are 233

2. As at 19.12.22 the number of households that are receiving the Council Tax SMI exemption are 148

On receipt of the appropriate application and having met the criteria of both receipt of qualifying benefit and certification by a medical practitioner stating when the person first had SMI:

This authority would backdate to the date both qualifying criteria were met

An up-to-date list, including addresses, of all ‘warm banks’ which are run by North Devon District Council

An up-to-date list, including addresses, of all ‘warm banks’ that North Devon District Council holds information on

Applicant advised that North Devon Council does not run any Warm Banks; it has at the time of the response an application process for groups to apply for funding to run them

All information on Warm Banks which North Devon Council have knowledge of is contained on its website – this is for both North Devon Council funded and others;

Community Warm Spaces Fund

Warm spaces in North Devon