Disclosure Log - February 2021

1.The number of prosecutions for dropping litter by the council, and the outcomes of those prosecutions, in each of the previous five calendar years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)

2. The number of fixed penalty notices issued for dropping litter by the council and/or private contractors employed by the council in each of the previous five calendar years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020)

3. The number of fixed penalty notices for littering which were paid, unpaid or cancelled (and/or other relevant statuses) at the end of each of the previous five calendar years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)

4. The amount of money collected from these fixed penalty notices for littering in each of the previous five calendar years (i2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)

5. The number of prosecutions brought for non-payment of the Fixed Penalty Notices for littering in each of the previous five calendar years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)?

6. The annual expenditure by the council on littering enforcement in each of the previous five calendar years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)

1.This information is published (where held) within the Council’s Prosecutions dataset, which is updated on a quarterly basis

2. This information is published within the Council’s Environmental fixed penalty notices dataset, which are published per calendar year

3. As 2. above

4. As 2. above

5. This information is published within the Council’s Prosecution dataset, which is updated on a quarterly basis, see link provided to 1. above

6. Unfortunately our Finance team have confirmed that they do not maintain any records of the specific costs in relation to littering enforcement as this forms just one of many duties carried out by the Enforcement Officers within Environmental Health, therefore the information is not considered to be held

Details of any pre-application planning enquiries in the last 5 years that have been submitted to the Council for the following addresses:

1. Penhill Farm, Fremington, Barnstaple, EX31 2NG

2. Land West of Mead Park, Bickington, Barnstaple, EX31 2PE, on the other western half of the same field where houses are being built under planning application number 64378, the area to the west of this planning application number

1. Applicant advised that no applications have been identified for this land for the requested period

2. Information relating to an enquiry under ref C113888 disclosed to applicant. This information is available upon request

1. Please state the number of Community Protection Notices (CPNs) and Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) issued by your local authority in the period November 2019-October 2020. If possible, please provide the texts of these CPNs or state their subject matter (for example, ‘waste’, ‘neighbour nuisance’, 'enforcement of social distancing')

2. Please state the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by your authority for the violation of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) in the year 2020. Please give the offences for which these FPNs were issued. If your authority has a dispersal PSPO, please state the number of directions to disperse issued by your officers

3. Please state whether your local authority has issued any fixed penalty fines to businesses for non-compliance with coronavirus regulations. If so, please state the offence(s) and the number and value of penalties issued

4. Please state if your local authority has employed Covid Marshals/Wardens for encouraging compliance with social distancing/lockdown regulations. If so, please state: a. the number of these wardens; b. whether they were recruited from local authority staff or from private companies; c. the roles of these wardens; d. how these wardens enforce non-compliance (for example, reporting non-compliance to council/police)

5. Please state if your local authority has a Street Warden or Neighbourhood Warden scheme. If so, please state the number of wardens employed, and if possible state their general responsibilities

6. Please state whether your local authority has created any Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in response to the Covid pandemic. If so, please state: a. The number of LTNs created; b. Whether you carried out public consultation or councillor scrutiny of LTNs before installation; c. The number of FPNs issued for the violation of these LTNs in 2020

7. Please state the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by your local authority for the offence of littering in the year 2020. Please state whether these FPNs were issued by a private company (and if so which company)

1. As follows:

Community Protection Notices issued 1 November 2019 – 31 October 2020

4 December 2019 - Failed to comply with a written warning - not to cause disturbance to other residents by loud music at any time at above address / not to cause or permit any shouting or other loud people noise at above address

23 December 2019 - Failure to comply with written warning issued on 3 September 2019 - "to immediately desist from leaving or putting food out at or near your home, in such a way that it is available to gulls or other large birds"

15 May 2020 - Clear up all rubbish, remove all food - including scraps, clear up all dog mess from all outdoor areas of home address

6 June 2020 - Only drive a vehicle in such a way as NOT to emit excessive noise / prevent dogs barking excessively at any time of the day / clear up dog mess daily

2 October 2020 - Not to cause or allow visitors to you property to cause noise disturbance through banging, slamming of doors, playing loud music/ television or shouting and swearing

Community Protection Warning Letters issued 1 November 2019 – 31 October 2020

15 November 2019 – Failure to control vegetation and keep house in state of good repair – pests

2 January 2020 – Feeding of gulls at or near home

11 March 2020 – Shouting and swearing

24 March 2020 – Dog barking noise

23 April 2020 – Continued drinking in Barnstaple town centre

23 April 2020 – Rodent possession in Barnstaple town centre

24 April 2020 – Vehicle and dog barking noise, odour from dog mess accumulation, and general Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

29 April 2020 – Smoke and fumes from domestic wood burner

1 May 2020 – Accumulation of mess, bad odour, rat infestation in garden

4 May 2020 – ASB in Barnstaple town centre

20 May 2020 – Gulls nesting on roofs

20 May 2020 – Smoke from bonfires burning waste

5 June 2020 – Noise, shouting, banging

9 July 2020 – Noise, shouting, banging

13 August 2020 – ASB

17 August 2020 – Noise – dog barking

9 October 2020 – Accumulation of domestic waste

2. In accordance with Section 21 of the Act, the details of Environmental Fixed Penalty Notices issued by North Devon Council employees (which includes those relating to the violation of PSPOs) are published annually via a dataset on the Council’s website

In accordance with Section 22 of the Act, the dataset with the 2021 data will be published in January 2022

3. Seven issued:

Three Regulation 18(1) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Collection of Contact Details etc. and Related Requirements) Regulations 2020 (as amended) (the Regulations). Regulation 8 offences

Three Regulation 4(1) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Obligations of Undertakings) (England) Regulations 2020 (as amended) (the Regulations). 2(1)(d) offences

One Regulation 11(1) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions)(All Tiers)(England) Regulations, Para 14 (1) Part 3 of Schedule 2

All the above FPNs carried a penalty of £1,000 (£500 for early payment (within 14 days)

4. Yes, North Devon Council employed ‘Place Makers’ to act as Covid Marshals. Two Place Makers were on duty at any one time from 7th December to 24th December, they were recruited from a local security company. The role was as follows:

To provide a warm, friendly welcome to residents and visitors returning to shop in the town centre with the aim of increasing public confidence in visiting the town centre. The Place Maker role was NOT to enforce COVID-19 regulations, or to have enforcement powers - those remained the remit of the police and the designated LA enforcement officers

The objectives of the scheme were to:

• Promote social distancing and encourage public compliance with COVID-19 public health measures
• Educate and explain COVID-19 secure guidelines in the public realm and for business premises
• Identify and support businesses and premises not following guidelines, escalating as appropriate

If the Place Makers witnessed any non-compliance they reported it to the Town Centre Manager via a digital log. Logs were considered each morning in a briefing session with the Police and Local Authority and any issues escalated and investigated as appropriate

5. No it does not

6. No it has not

7. In accordance with Section 21 of the Act, the details of Environmental Fixed Penalty Notices issued by North Devon Council employees (which includes those relating to littering) are published annually via a dataset on the Council’s website (as previously referred to above)

The Council policy for referral of Planning Application to Planning Committee

1. provide a copy of any policies and/or procedures regarding the referral of a planning application to Planning Committee

2. provide details of any criteria for how the discretion for a planning matter to be determined by Planning Committee rather than a planning case officer under delegated powers is exercised

3. Identify who is authorised to make such decisions/exercise this discretion

4. The number of requests made by each Councillor in:

          a) 2019 and

          b) 2020 for a matter to be referred to Planning Committee 

          c) in respect of each councillor the number of requests  granted and the number refused and in respect of                        refusal, the reasons given for refusal

In response to 1, 2 and 3, this information can be found in the Planning Code of Conduct and the Constitution

 4. The Council does not record this information centrally, however it was confirmed that Planning Committee Agendas which are published via the website and will contain the reason for applications being dealt with by the Committee rather than the decision being delegated to an officer is recorded at the beginning of each application report

Contract 1 

1. Current Lines/Voice Services (Analogue, ISDN VOIP, SIP etc) Provider- Please can you provide me with the name of the supplier for the contract

 2. Fixed Line- Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers

 3. Fixed Line- Contract Duration- the number of years the contract is for each provider

 4. Type of Lines- Please can you split the type of lines per each supplier? PSTN, Analogue, SIP

 5. Number of Lines- Please can you split the number of lines per each supplier? SIP trunks, PSN Lines, Analogue Lines

 Contract 2

 6. Minutes/Landline Provider- Supplier’s name (NOT Mobiles) if there is no information available please can you provide further insight into why?

 7. Minutes/Landline Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract please provide me with the rolling date of the contract

 8. Minutes Landline Monthly Spend- Monthly average spend on calls for each provider. An estimate or average is acceptable

  9. Minute’s Landlines Contract Duration: the number of years the contract is with the supplier

 10. Number of Extensions- Please state the number of telephone extensions the organisation currently has. An estimate or average is acceptable

 Contract 3

 11. Fixed Broadband Provider- Supplier’s name. if there is not information available please can you provide further insight into why?

 12. Fixed Broadband Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year is also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers

 13. Fixed Broadband Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each broadband provider. An estimate or average is acceptable

 Contract 4

 14. WAN Provider- please provide me with the main supplier(s) if there is no information available please can you provide further insight into why?

 15. WAN Contract Renewal Date- please provide day, month and year (month and year are also acceptable). If this is a rolling contract please provide me with the rolling date of the contract. If there is more than one supplier please split the renewal dates up into however many suppliers

 16. Contract Description: Please can you provide me with a brief description of the contract

 17. The number of sites: Please state the number of sites the WAN covers. Approx. will do

 18. WAN Annual Average Spend- Annual average spend for each WAN provider. An estimate or average is acceptable

 19. For each WAN contract can you please provide me with information on how this was procured, especially around those procurement that used frameworks, please provide me with the framework reference

 20. Internal Contact: please can you send me there full contact details including contact number and email and job title for all the contracts above

Contract 1

1. We have two dedicated links to GCI which support 43 concurrent calls
2. July 2024
3. Five years commencing July 2019
4. MPLS 100mb fibre connection
5. 2 x MPLS 100mb fibre connections – GCI

Contract 2

6. 16000 inclusive monthly minutes – GCI
7. January 2023 with option of 1+1 additional years
8. All-inclusive minutes bundle Included in contract, nominal fee of £200 for 16000 minutes
9. 3 years 1 plus 1
10. 333

Contract 3

11. We have a number of Broadband/Fibre lines. We currently use South West Comms and KCOM
12. These are on rolling contracts. ICT confirms that they do not hold any dates for these rolling contracts
13. South West Comms £4,000 per year, KCOM £19,300 per year

Contract 4

14. Capita
15. 31 August 2021
16. We have a contract supply WAN connections to seven locations
17. Seven
18. £44,340.00 This includes the WAN cost to the Crematorium (a joint North Devon Council/Torridge District Council service) which is recharged to them
19. The main procurement of the contract was undertaken by Devon County Council as part of a much larger contract. This was procured using the CCS framework RM1045. For more information please contact Devon County Council: accesstoinformation-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

20. ICT Help Desk, 01271 388232,

ictservicedesk@northdevon.gov.uk

1. Does the local authority keep a record of the amount of S106 healthcare contributions that have received/will be received from each local housing development when it has been built? If so please provide a copy of the latest S106 healthcare contributions data held by the local authority, indicating each development site’s planning application reference, number of dwellings and the amount of S106 healthcare contributions that have been received/will be received from each local housing development in this local authority’s area

2. Does the local authority keep a record of the amount of S106 education contributions that have been received/will be received from each local housing development when it has been built? If so please provide a copy of the latest S106 education contributions data held by the local authority, indicating each development site’s planning application reference, number of dwellings and the amount and type (early years, primary, secondary, SEN) of S106 education contributions that have been received/will be received from each local housing development in this local authority’s area

3. Please provide a copy of, or a link to, the most up to date Infrastructure Funding Statement (“IFS”) held by this local authority. If an IFS is not currently available please confirm the date when it will be published

4. Please provide a copy of all the developer contributions data that has been submitted by this local authority to the government since Sept 2019, according to the MHCLG “Publish your developer contributions data” guidelines set out here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/publish-your-developer-contributions-data

1 and 2. The Council received a contribution for £80K in 2016/17 for the Fremington Army Camp application which was paid to Fremington Medical Centre in June 2017. For any further information regarding these payments and also Education contributions this would be a matter for Devon County Council.  Applicant directed to contact Devon County Council’s FOI team for this information: accesstoinformation-mailbox@devon.gov.uk  

3 and 4. Applicant referred to the following link the page on the Council’s website where this information is published: http://northdevon.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/section-106-community-infrastructure-levy-and-other-planning-obligations/infrastructure-funding-statements-ifs/  

Disabled Facilities Grants - 2019/20

1.a) How many complaints have you received of alleged workplace covid-19 violations between 23/3/2020 to 20/1/2021?

 .b) How many of these involved asking employees to attend the office/workplace when they claim they can reasonably work from home between 23/3/2020 to 20/1/2021?

Please provide a breakdown of complaints for 1A for each month from March 2020 to January 2021 eg Nov 2020: 21 complaints

Please provide a breakdown of complaints for 1b for each month from March 2020 to January 2021 eg Nov 2020: 21 complaints

2. Please provide specific details of the types of complaints you have received (If you have multiple complaints please provide as many as you possibly can)

3. How many complaints have resulted in further action in this time frame (March 2020– Jan 2021)

Please provide a breakdown of complaints for Q1A that have resulted in further action for each month from March 2020 to January 2021 - eg Nov 2020: 21 complaints

Please provide a breakdown of complaints for Q1B that have resulted in further action for each month from March 2020 to January 2021  - eg Nov 2020: 21 complaints

 4. What further action has been taken? eg have any businesses been fined or closed down as a result of the breach?

1.a) 64: March 2020 = 0

             April  = Five

             May = Four

             June = Two

             July = 16

             August = Five

             September = Eight

             October = 15

             November = Four

             December =Five              

             January 2021 = None

 1.b) None

2. As follows:

Lack of PPE, particularly face coverings where staff expected to be told to wear them

Lack of Anti-viral cleaning materials

Lack of Social Distancing

Not following the Government Guidelines/Lack of any Covid Controls at all

Not requiring staff to stay off work when displaying symptoms

Insisting staff come in to work when they said they had symptoms

3. Action was taken on all the above but varied from a phone call, an email, or a visit in some cases tot the premises, see response to Q1 a) and b) for breakdowns

4. No closures or fines were issued in any of the cases, the action taken as described in Q3 achieved compliance, (or the complaint was  unfounded)

Questions 1-4 relate to the financial year 2019/20 between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020

1. How many public health funerals were carried out in the financial year 2019/20?

2. What was the total cost of public health funerals to the Local Authority in the financial year 2019/20?

3. If you recovered funeral costs in the financial year 2019/20, what was the total amount that was recovered?

4. What was the most common reason for the council performing a public health funeral in 2019/20? (Choose one option below)

a. The deceased had no family

b. The deceased’s family were unable to pay for the funeral

c. The deceased’s family were unwilling to pay for the funeral

Questions 5-8 relate specifically for the time period between 1st March and 31st December 2020

5. How many public health funerals were carried out between 1 March and 31 December 2020?

6. What was the total cost of public health funerals to the Local Authority carried out between 1 March and 31 December 2020?

7. If you recovered funeral costs between 1 March and 31 December 2020, what was the total amount that was recovered?

8. What was the most common reason for the council performing a public health funeral between 1st March and 31st December 2020? (Choose one option below)

a. The deceased had no family

b. The deceased’s family were unable to pay for the funeral

c. The deceased’s family were unwilling to pay for the funeral

Questions 9-11 are general questions relating to your policies on public health funerals:

9. Are family members allowed to attend the public health funeral?  

10. If the funeral is a cremation funeral, are the ashes returned to the family? Please answer Yes or No

11. If you answered YES to 10, was there a cost to the family to have the ashes returned to them?

12. Have you seen a rise in demand for public health funerals in the last year (1 January to 31 December 2020) which you believe is as a result of COVID-19?

•         Yes

•         No

•         Don’t know

1. Applicant directed to the Council’s Public Health Funeral dataset (5th one in list via the link) which is updated on a monthly basis

2. As 1. Above

3. £9,449 to date

4. The council is unable to answer this question, however it notes that there were more funerals with relatives identified, however we can never be sure if they are unable or unwilling to pay

5. As 1. above

6. As 1. above

7. £8,446 to date

8. As 4. above

9. Yes

10. Yes, if requested

11. No cost

Information provided in Excel format, which is available upon request

Information provided in Word format, which is available upon request

Number of charities have applied for the Coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund to date = 19

Total amount of the awarded grants is for those charities  = £71,964

This covers the period June 2020 to December 2020.  There is currently a grant programme running but as this is still live, there is no final data to provide at this time

Please also note the above only covers those who do not have a rateable premise, eligible for the discretionary grant scheme. The larger number of charities in the area probably have a rateable business premise so may well have received a grant through the schemes aimed at those type of organisations

Information provided in Excel format, available upon request

1 .How much Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) government funding has North Devon District Council received in total?

2. In total, how much LRSG funding have North Devon District Council awarded to businesses by 26 January 2021?

3. How much LRSG funding does North Devon District Council currently hold that by 26 January 2021 has not been awarded?

4. How many businesses outside of the remit of Hospitality, Leisure and Retail have you awarded discretionary LRSG grants to?

5. How much Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) government funding has North Devon District Council received in total?

6. In total, how much ARG funding have North Devon District Council awarded to businesses by 26 January 2021?

7. How much ARG funding does North Devon District Council currently hold that by 26 January 2021 has not been awarded?

8. How many businesses outside of the remit of Hospitality, Leisure and Retail have you awarded discretionary ARG grants to?

1.£7,834,405

2.November lockdown £2,338,240.00 Tier 2 Local restrictions £32,807.25

3. £5,463,335.75

4.£0

5. £1,900,000 ARG + £1,373,044 ARG Tier 2 (Open)

6.November lockdown £159,969 Tier 2 ARG £33,218 Tier 2 ARG (Open) £52,996

7.£3,026,861

8. 47

A list of all the empty Commercial properties within the Council area since 01.01.2010 detailing:

1. Full address and postcode of property

2. Date the property has been empty from on or after 01/01/2010

3. Property Description: are premises Single or Mixed Use

a) If property is Mixed Use: please provide the different Categories eg storage or office

4. Business Class/Category: please provide relevant class / category, eg A1, A2

5. Rateable square footage:

a) If Single Use, please provide rateable square footage

b) If Mixed Use, please provide individual square footage if applicable

6. Current rateable value

a) If Single Use, please provide current rateable value

b) If Mixed Use, please provide individual current rateable values

7. Freeholder Company Contact Details: the Company name and full Address

The following information is not recorded by the Revenues team:

3) Property Description: are premises Single or Mixed Use

a) If property is Mixed Use: please provide the different Categories eg. storage or office etc

4) Business Class/Category: please provide relevant class / category, eg A1, A2 etc

5) Rateable square footage:

a) If Single Use, please provide rateable square footage

b) If Mixed Use, please provide individual square footage if applicable

7) Freeholder Company Contact Details: the Company name and full Address.  The Revenues team only records the name of the Ratepayer

The report from the Revenues system details the current properties that are subject to an empty property charge.  It does not report on properties where the empty charge has ended or for previous years.  Details of properties that are currently empty are detailed in the dataset ‘All NDR Empty Properties as at 31.12.2020’ 

Therefore, in order to be able to provide the information historically back to 2010, the Revenues team would be required to manually check each non-domestic rate property and manually enter the details of any empty property charge period into a spreadsheet. The Council currently has 6,160 non-domestic properties. Allowing five minutes for each property to be checked and the information extracted and entered into the spreadsheet, would take in excess of 500 hours to complete

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

The procedure would far exceed the cost limit of 18 hours and cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Revenues team. Therefore the Council are unable to process the 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

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 9SU

1. What Accounts Payable/Internal Audit software do you currently use for overpayment identification/preventing (including, but not limited to duplicate

2. Are you currently contracted with Fiscal Technologies?

3. Have you ever been contracted with Fiscal Technologies?

4. If the answer is yes to 2 or 3, please provide:

a. Start Date, Review Date & End Date

b. Contract Value (Total and Annual)

c. Contact person for the contract

1. Civica Financials / National Fraud Initiative
2. No

1. Can you confirm if you publish on your website the names of individuals who are prosecuted or fined for environmental offences (littering, fly-tipping, illegal dumping or unauthorised waste activity?

1 a). Please reference the specific parts of the applicable legislation that give you the powers to publish individuals names in the public domain

2. Can you confirm if you share with other organisations the names of individuals who are prosecuted for environmental offences (littering, fly-tipping, illegal dumping or unauthorised waste activity?

a) Please reference the specific parts of the applicable legislation that give you the power to share these individuals names

b) If you have completed a DPIA relating to same, please send me a copy

1. The Council does not publish the names of individuals who are prosecuted or fined for environmental offences

1. a) N/A

2. The Council does not share the names of individuals who are prosecuted for environmental offences with other organisations

2. a) N/A

2. b) N/A

The following information regarding the outsourcing of the following functions to third parties. Results are to include all external parties including outsourcing companies, group authorities and local government partnerships. In each instance, where relevant, please state the period in which each function was outsourced within the last 5 years

• Production and Issuing of Annual Non Domestic Rates Bills                           
• Production and Issuing of Reminders, Final Notice and Summons
• Property Inspections
• Production and Issuing of Completion Notices
• Production and Issuing of Billing Authority requests to VOA to update rating list                

1. How many public health funerals were carried out by the council in the financial years 2020/21 (up to and including all of January 2021), 2019/20 and 2018/19? Please could you break this figure down year by year

2. How much has the council spent on public health funerals it has carried out in the financial years 2020/21 (up to and including all of January 2021), 2019/20 and 2018/19? Please could you break this figure down year by year

3. If possible, for those public health funerals carried out by the council in the financial years 2020/21 (up to and including all of January 2021) and 2019/20 please could the council state how many of those deceased individuals had Covid-19/coronavirus mentioned on their death certificate as one of the causes. Please could you break this figure down year by year

4. Does the council allow family members or friends to attend public health funerals? If not, why?

5. In cases where the deceased person’s body is cremated for a public health funeral, does the council return ashes to the family or friends? If not, why not? Does the council charge to return ashes to family or friends of the deceased where a public health funeral has taken place? If so, how much is charged and why?

6. If possible, please can you provide figures disclosing whether the deceased person who was given a public health funeral was cremated or buried? If the latter, please could you disclose whether they had their own grave or if they were buried in a shared grave.  I would be grateful if you could break down these figures year-by-year for the financial years 2020/21 (up to and including all of January 2021), 2019/20 and 2018/19)

1 and 2. This information is published within the Council's Public Health Funeral dataset on a monthly basis and which will be due for updating from 20 February

3. The Council does not record this information

4. Yes

5. Yes, the Council does allow the family to have the ashes, at no charge

6. The dataset referred to in response to 1 and 2 records whether the deceased received a cremation or burial, all deceased having their own grave; none are buried in shared graves

1. How do you complete ergonomic/DSE workstation assessments, including to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations and make "reasonable adjustments" in line with the Equality Act?

2. What companies do you use for both providing workstation assessments and supplying DSE equipment recommended?

3. Were these products or services purchased through a tender or framework? If so, which one?

4. Are you under contract with your current supplier(s) for the above assessment/supply services? If so, what is the start and end date of the contract?

5. Can you confirm your annual spend on assessments and equipment?

6. Can you provide contact details for the person(s) responsible in procurement?

7. Can you provide contact details for the department responsible for managing this service?

1. Council employees complete a DSE Workstation Assessment Form, recording any problems or requirements, and pass it to their line manager. Employees are often able to solve problems by rearranging their workstation or desk, with help from our IT team if necessary

Managers can resolve with employees any problems with working patterns, working environment, provision of a more suitable chair, screen, mouse or keyboard

In some cases Managers may need to seek advice from the Health and Safety Adviser within the Council’s Human Resources team about what devices or aids are available. This can include a special keyboard or mouse, foot rests and back supports

Managers can also contact Human Resources who have access to Occupational Health consultants who can provide medical and ergonomic advice and guidance where it is appropriate

2. The Council does not use a company to undertake assessments, nor does it use a specific company to supply equipment

3. Not Applicable

4. Not Applicable

5. £0 for assessments as carried out in house. Any equipment would be purchased by Service managers on an ad-hoc basis and it’s not possible to give amounts for this as part of Managers overall budgets

6. Procurement team, 01271 388433, supplyingndc@northdevon.gov.uk

7. Human Resources – Health & Safety Advisor, Pam Charles, 01271 388430 pam.charles@northdevon.gov.uk

For the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 to date:

How much money has the council spent on printing? Costs may include but are not limited to:

- Cost of paper

- Cost of inks, toner

- Cost of printers, photocopiers

- Cost of repair, servicing

ICT – MFD Contract https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/ViewContractDetails?contractId=ba63a591-4970-e711-80e3-005056b64545&p=696a9836-1895-e511-8105-000c29c9ba21

Printing costs as follows:

2020-21

Equipment hire = £9,951.08

Charges = £4,861.23

2019-20

Equipment hire = £9,951.08

Charges = £8,283.07

2018-19

Equipment hire = £9,951.08

Charges- £7,576.22

Print Room

Paper costs are held by our Print Room. Please note however that in order to provide an accurate figure in terms of spend on paper for the requested years, it would require a member of the Print Room team to manually go through all paper order placed or the requested years which, in their estimations would far exceed the 18 cost limit under Section 12 of the Act

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

The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Print Room and therefore we are unable to process this part 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

However, in accordance with Section 16 of the Act, the responding officer from the Print Room  has indicated that on average:

A4 Plain paper that is used is £13.95 per 2,500 sheets

A3 Plain paper that is used is £13.95 per 1,500 sheets

They have also provided the attached spreadsheet to assist (spreadsheet available upon request)

1. The total number of contracts issued by the Council to Hikvision, through the company itself or one of its UK distributors (including ADI Global Distribution Ltd, COP Security, DVS Ltd, Dynamic CCTV Ltd, Eurocables Belfast Ltd, Fortus UK Ltd, Mayflex UK Ltd, Norbain SD Ltd), since January 2019

2. The value of any such contract awarded

1. Zero

2. Not Applicable

The following information regarding the Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme (if you have one in place), which affects privately rented properties:

1. What was the estimated number of properties that were thought to require a Selective Licence from the outset? (This is the assumed number before inception of the scheme)

2. How many licences have been granted? (Please provide breakdown by month and year)

3. How many properties are the Council aware of, that are unlicensed and require a licence?

The following information regarding the Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme (if you have one in place), which affects privately rented properties:

1. How many Civil Penalty Notices were issued relating to privately rented properties in years 2018 and 2019? (Please provide grouped breakdown specifying the type of housing offence if possible)

2. What was the Council's cost (in total) for issuing Civil Penalty Notices relating to privately rented properties in 2018 and 2019? (Please provide grouped breakdown specifying the type of housing offence if possible)

1. The number of full time equivalent staff employed by your local authority in its Planning Department in the financial year 2010-11

2. The number of full time equivalent staff employed by your local authority in its Planning Department in the financial year 2020-21

3. The number of planning applications processed by your local authority in the financial year 2010-11

4. The number of planning applications processed by your local authority in the financial year 2020-21

5. Your spending on consultants to support planning services in the financial year 2018-2019

6. Your spending on consultants to support planning services in the financial year 2019-2020

7. Your spending on consultants to support planning services in the financial year 2020-2021

1. This information is no longer held

2. 29.35 FTE

3.1,809

4. For year to date (15.02.21) 1,450

5. £9,630.24 (no additional spend for planning appeals in this year)

6. £24,441.62 (plus £4,262.00 for planning appeals)

The following information regarding your Selective Licensing Scheme (if you have one) - affecting privately rented properties

1. How many prosecution cases have been brought against owners of privately rented properties in years 2018 and 2019?

2. What was the council's expenditure (in total) for prosecution cases against owners of privately rented properties in years 2018 and 2019?

3. How many full time equivalent staff are working in Private Sector Housing Enforcement related roles?

Request for information on costs associated to training and development within the Council’s IT department, for  2018/19 and 2019/20 as separate figures

Is the Council’s IT department internal, or outsourced to a third-party provider – for example, Capita?

If the department is internal:

How many staff were employed in the IT department?

What was the total amount spent on training and development for the department?

Of that amount, how much was spent on training from third party software suppliers, providing systems to the authority?

The Council’s IT department is internal and that there are 13 members of staff within the team, this number has been the same for both of the requested years

2018/19 = £13,066.30, none for 3rd party software suppliers

2019/20 = £8,697.67, none for 3rd party software suppliers

Lone Worker Services:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/28a9b5c5-dede-4cc7-a571-a9d371506a0c

The details we require are:

1. Suppliers who applied for inclusion on each framework/contract and were successful and not successful at the PQQ and ITT stages

2. Actual spend on this contract/framework (and any sub lots), from the start of the contract to the current date

3. Start date and duration of framework

4. Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract(s) and, if so, the duration of the extension?

5. Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?

6. Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract and what is their job title?

Applicant provided with the following response regarding the Council's contract with Reliance, details of which can be viewed on our Contract Register: https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/ViewContractDetails?contractId=752e76da-f5ef-e911-80fa-005056b64545&p=696a9836-1895-e511-8105-000c29c9ba21

1. The Council did not go through a PQQ/ITT stage because this contract was awarded pursuant to a direct award procedure under an NHS framework agreement (so they did the PQQ/ITT procedures when they procured the suppliers on their framework agreement). The Contract Register makes reference to this under "Other description" where it gives the NHS framework agreement reference

2. This is published via the Contract Register, applicant referred to link above

3. As per 2. Above

4. As per 2. Above

5. As per 2. above

6. As per 2. above

For each of the following grant programmes that Local Authorities such as yours have been asked to administer by the government during the Covid-19 crisis, I would be grateful if you could confirm the total number of applications you have received, the total number of grants provided to local organisations and the total value of grants provided:

1. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)
2. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)(addendum)
3. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)(addendum)(Tier 4)
4. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open)
5. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Sector)

1.Tier 2 02.12.2020 to 30.12.2020 – 24 applications £39,023.60 awarded to date 

 Tier 3 31.12.2020 to 04.01.2021 – 777 applications £202,635.72 awarded to date (23.02.21)

2. November lockdown 5.11.2020 to 01.12.2020 – 1762 applications £2,586,334 awarded to date (23.02.21)

3. January lockdown from 05.01.2021 – 1211 applications £2,657,031 awarded to date (23.02.21)

4. Tier 2 02/12/2020 to 30.12.2020 - 772 applications received, 729 grants awarded valuing £747,551

5. No applications

For each of the following grant programmes that Local Authorities such as yours have been asked to administer by the government during the Covid-19 crisis, I would be grateful if you could confirm the total number of applications you have received, the total number of grants provided to local organisations and the total value of grants provided:

1. Expanded Retail Discount
2. Nursery relief
3. Small Business Grant
4. Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant
5. Additional Restrictions Grant
6. Christmas Support Payment to Wet-Led Pubs
7. Business Support Package for January Lockdown

1. 1,299 accounts £20,656,294.65 awarded to date (21.02.21)

2.10 accounts £68,936.88 awarded to date (23.02.21)

3. 2,998 applications £29,980,000 awarded

4. 800 applications £12,965,000 awarded

5. 1,036 applications received, 632 awarded a grant to the value of £1,618,100 (Note: still processing applications to this scheme)

6. 44 applications £44,000 awarded

7. Not yet delivered services under this activity as the priority has been giving direct grants from this funding stream (Additional Restrictions Grant)

1. A list of facilities and spaces including: sport centres, leisure centres, swimming baths, gymnasiums, bowls greens, cricket greens, outdoor courts, and outdoor activity spaces, which have been transferred through a process of Community Asset Transfer and were previously owned by your local authority, during the last 25 years

2. If possible, please provide me with information concerning when the asset was transferred, the specific nature of the asset, the name and nature of the organisation who the asset was transferred to, the lease that the asset was transferred through, the length of the lease, if the recipients are still in ownership of the asset, and the contacts details of the recipients of the asset

3. Confirm if transfers have occurred in the past 12 months

Applicant directed to the website for information on Community Asset Transfers either completed or dealt with in the last 12 months

Successful bids are retained on the register for a period of five years, and it also includes the register of those assets removed after the five year period

The Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations came into force in 2012, therefore it does not go back 25 years as per the request

In accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, the Council is not obliged to provide information that is already in the public domain. However, it does have a duty under Section 16(1) to provide all applicants advice and assistance in order to assist with locating the information, which has been done so in providing the link to the webpage and information above

2. Have you, within your existing or planned strategies/policies, considered carbon sequestration and offsetting? If yes, please outline those plans not included in question 1 or attach a copy or link to an online copy

3. What forms of carbon sequestration have you considered, and which have you excluded? What was the basis of that decision?

4. How have you or do you plan to quantify the extent of carbon sequestration required to offset your carbon emissions within the council? Please provide any figures and equations you have used. What was the basis for using those figures/equations?

5. Do you as a council or your contractors use any of the offsetting schemes i e Woodland Trust to offset your carbon emissions? If yes, please list those used

1. The Council signed up to Devon County Climate Declaration Why has a climate emergency been declared for Devon? (northdevon.gov.uk) in July 2019. The Council do not currently have a specific adopted action plan/strategy or policy that covers carbon sequestration or offsetting. The Council have a draft Environment Policy Open (northdevon.gov.uk) which was presented to Strategy and Resources Committee on 3rd August 2020 Open (northdevon.gov.uk). The Policy is yet to go out to formal public consultation

2. The North Devon Biosphere Biodiversity Offsetting Strategy 2013-2018 Biodiversity Offsets - North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve UK (northdevonbiosphere.org.uk) is principally targeted at biodiversity net gain but would clearly deliver carbon sequestration gains through habitat delivery and management. Numerous individual woodland projects are being delivered to provide local greenspace and provide carbon sequestration but these are not part of an overarching strategy

3. As above

4. N/A

5. N/A

All information requested relates to Completion Notices served on commercial properties served under schedule 4A to the Local Government Finance Act 1988

Copies of all Completion Notices served since 1/1/2017. If this is not possible due to time constraints, please can you provide us with a list in an electronic spreadsheet format with the following information;

• The address of the property being deemed complete by the notice
• The date the Completion Notice was issued
• The date the property was entered into the Rating List
• The recipient company name
• The address to which the notice was sent

A breakdown of credit balances accrued since your earliest records, for the amounts owing to all incorporated companies within the authorities billing area with credits, including the following information:

A) The name of each business in respect of which non-domestic rate credit balances remain payable

B) The value of over payment in each case which remains unclaimed

C) The years(s) in which over payment was made and the hereditament address

D) The name of each business in respect of which non-domestic rate credit balances has been written back on to the NDR account

E) The value of write back in each case which remains unclaimed

Information fully withheld as the Council considers that the continued publication of this data would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime and therefore the Council considers that this data is now exempt from disclosure under Section 31(1)(a)

The Council does however publish a dataset that provides:

• the total amount of credit refunded
• the number of refunds
• the total amount of outstanding credit
• the number of outstanding refunds

1. With regard to the authority's housing waiting list, how many households were removed from the list in the last full year where figures are available?

2. Please list the reasons given for the removal from the list?

3. How many households were removed from the list because of death?

4. How many households have been on the list for a) between five years and ten years b) ten years or more

5. With regards to household that has been on the list the longest, how long have they been on the list?

6. The same figures provided for questions 1. 2. and 3 for each of the last ten years or as far back as the cost limit will allow

Information provided in Word format, which is available upon request

Please provide on the Business Rates assessments below from 31 January 2020:

the date(s) of any empty periods

the period(s) of any exemptions

for Riverside House - Adams Plant, Riverside Road, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1QN

The date(s) of any empty periods from = 1 April 2020 to date

The period(s) of any exemptions = 1 April 2020 – 30 September 2020

1. For hackney carriages, black cabs, taxis what vehicles does the authority currently approve for these licences? 

 2. Does the authority have an age limit for the vehicle with respect to it being able to be registered as a hackney carriage, black cab, taxi? If so, what is the age limit?

 3. Does the authority have an age limit for the vehicle for when it is first licensed with you as a hackney carriage, black cab, taxi eg when it moves say from one licensing authority to yours? If so, what is that age limit? 

4. Does the authority also apply (in addition to the age limit) an minimum emissions standard level for when a vehicle is licensed for the first time or for it on an ongoing basis when re-licensed as a hackney carriage, black cab, taxi? eg does it need to be at least the Euro five emission standard say for its first registration or re-registration of an vehicle previously licensed by the authority? 

5. How many hackney carriage, black cab, taxi vehicles are currently licensed by the authority? 

6. How many hackney carriage, black cab, taxi drivers are currently licensed by the authority?

7. Does the authority place any cap on the number of hackney carriage, black cab, taxi vehicle licences it issues? i e is the vehicle fleet capped at all? If so, what is this cap? 

8. Does the authority place any cap on the number of hackney carriage, black cab, taxi driver licences it issues? i e are driver numbers capped at all? If so, what is this cap? 

9. For Private Hire Vehicles, does the authority apply an age limit for the vehicle which can be licensed? If so, what is this?

10. For Private Hire Vehicles, does the authority apply an age limit for the vehicle at the time of its first registration/licensing? If so, what is this? 

11. Does the authority also apply in addition to the age limit and minimum emissions standard level for when a vehicle is licensed for the first time or on an ongoing basis as a Private Hire Vehicle? e g does it need to be at least the Euro five emission standard for its first registration or re-registration of an vehicle previously licensed by the authority?

12. How many PHV vehicles are currently licensed?

13. How many PHV drivers are currently licensed?

14. Does the authority place any cap on the number of Private Hire Vehicle licences issued? i e is the vehicle fleet capped at all? If so, what is this cap? 

15. Does the authority place any cap on the number of Private Hire Vehicle driver licences issued? i e are driver numbers capped at all? If so, what is this cap? 

16. Are any of the vehicles licenced and approve as hackney carriages, black cabs, taxis also permitted to be licenced/registered as Private Hire Vehicles as well? 

17. How does the authority distinguish between hackney carriage, black cab, taxis and Private Hire Vehicles? e g only hackney carriages, black cabs, taxis can apply for hire? Use ranks? etc 

18. Is there a specific livery or colour scheme to distinguish hackney carriages, black cabs, taxis in the authority area?

1. Any vehicle licensed must comply with the Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Licensing Policy

2. No maximum age limit for vehicles but once a vehicle is older than 5 years old it is subject to 2 vehicle inspections per year

3. Vehicles must be less than 5 years old when first registered

4. No

5. 187

6. 247 Hackney Carriage/Private Hire dual licences

7. No

8. No

9. No maximum age limit for vehicles but once a vehicle is older than 5 years old it is subject to 2 vehicle inspections per year

10. Vehicles must be less than 5 years old when first registered

11. No

12. 34

13. 11 Private Hire Driver Licences only plus 247 Hackney Carriage/Private Hire dual licences

14. No

15. No

16. No

17. Hackney Carriages have white plates on the back of the vehicles, top lights and can use ranks. Private Hire Vehicles have yellow plates on the back of the vehicle, front sun visors

18. No

The number of pubs that have closed in North Devon between 1st March 2020 and 31st January 2021

I would like this information to be broken down by calendar month. For each month, I would like to be provided with the following information:

1. The number of pubs that have closed in North Devon

2. The number of pubs that have been bought/purchased in North Devon

3. The number of pubs that have been sold in North Devon

4. The number of applications made to transfer a licence from one holder to another in North Devon

5. The number of licences that have surrendered in North Devon

Records of businesses that have or have not applied for Retail Relief and Small Business Rates Relief

The most recent information about business premises with the Council’s billing area including:

- Address of the premises

- Property description

- Rateable Value

- Property Reference   

- Date Liable From

- Effective Date

- Name of the Company occupying the premises

- Date, when business rates account has been incorporated

- Ff business received or didn’t receive Reliefs

- Which reliefs

Applicant directed to the Council’s website for this information: https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/open-data/?ID=7ED2F924-B000-4771-B16B-181DB316F4E1&DS=4005