Disclosure Log - February 2022

01.02.22

In the last four years in the workplace(s) of your council, how many people have had to:

1. Go to hospital due to slipping on water on the toilet floor or bathroom floor?

2. Died due to slipping on water on the toilet floor or bathroom floor

1. None in the last four years

2. None in the last four years

03.02.22

1. Do you currently employ a Chief Data Officer in your Local Authority? (if yes go to Q2, if no go to Q5) 

2. Is this person male / female? 

3. If yes, What is the salary range for this post? 

4. Who does the Chief Data Officer

report to?

5. If no, Is this something you will be considering in the next 3 years? 

6. Do you believe the demand for data insight and analysis has increased in your Local Authority since the start of the Covid Pandemic? 

- Significant Increase

- Increased

- Remained the same

- Decreased

- Significant Decrease 

7. Do you believe the demand for data insight and analysis within your organisation is currently at its highest level? 

8. Please complete the table below relating to the number of enquiries for all Council services received via the following methods for the period 1st April – 31st March for the years 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 to date: 

Website/webform

Mobile App

Telephone/Call Centre 

9. What is the job title of the person responsible for data governance in your local authority? 

10. What is the job title of the person responsible for the data strategy in your local authority? 

11. Do you agree/disagree with the statement “Data is the local authorities most valuable asset”? 

12. Do you agree/disagree with the statement “The speed of being able to carry out data analysis will become more important over the next 18 months?”

1. No 

2. N/A 

3. N/A 

4. N/A 

5. No current plans 

6. Does not fall within the remit of the Act as this question does not specifically request information considered to be held by the Council. Opinions, beliefs, considerations are not information that the Council holds 

7. As 6. above 

8. As follows: 

2017/18 

Website/webform = 11,477

Mobile App = Not Applicable 

2018/19 

Website/webform = 23,465

Mobile App = Not Applicable 

2019/20

Website/webform = 26,198

Mobile App = Not Applicable

Telephone/Call Centre = New phone system 13/1/20-31/03/20 = 12,055 

2020/21 

Website/webform = 35,557

Mobile App = Not Applicable

Telephone/Call Centre = 71,078 

2021/22 to 02.02.22 

Website/webform = 32,245

Mobile App = Not Applicable

Telephone/Call Centre = 64,016 

9. This is split between the Council’s SIRO and DPO and SMT generally, however overall responsibility sits with the Council’s Senior Management Team 

SIRO - Head of Customer Focus

as published via SMT contacts link below

DPO - Solicitor and Data Protection Officer

Senior Management Team

10. As 9 above

11. As 6. and 7. above 

12. As 6. 7. and 11. above

1. How many cremations did your crematorium(s) perform in 2021? 

2. What is your current price for a standard funeral with a service held at Midday on a weekday including all relevant charges (environmental fee/medical referee fee/etc)? 

3. How many minutes long is this service allotted as standard? 

4. How many cremations opted not to hold a service (also known as direct cremations) at your crematoria in 2021? 

5. What is your current price for a direct cremation with no service including all relevant charges (environmental fee/medical referee fee/etc)? 

6. Do you charge any fees in addition to the standard cremation fee such as environmental fees, medical referee fees, improvement fund fees? If so, how much are these? 

7. Do you currently fine those who overrun their allotted service times? If so, how much are fines and what was the total sum of fines in 2021? 

8. Do you currently or are you considering running the local authority's own funeral service? 

9. What was the surplus/loss for crematorium and/or cemetery operations during the last fiscal year? Please break these down into separate figures for crematoria and cemeteries if available

1. 1,538 (of which 29 were NVF cremations)
2. £730
3. 30 minutes
4. 119
5. £540
6. No
7. Yes, £255 charge. £1,020 total in 2021
8. Not currently but under consideration
9. The surplus for The North Devon Crematorium was £390,669 and the net loss for both Cemeteries was £86,583.55 in 2020/21

a) What is the most expensive hourly charge for Pay and Display, Pay by Phone or Shared Use Bays in the authority?

b) In total, how much did the authority or any authorised contractor or sub-contractor receive in parking charges last year?

a) Vehicles over 3500 Kg (Lorry/coach parks) £1.50 per hour

Vehicles under 3500 Kg (car parks) £1.10 per hour for up to 4 hours, £1.20 per hour for 5 hours up to 10 hours

i.e. £1.10, £2.20, £3.30, £4.40 and then £5.60. £6.80, £8.00, £9.20, £10.40, £11.60

b) In accordance with Section 21 of the Act, applicant referred to the published dataset ‘Revenue received by the Council in parking charges and fines - 2009/10 - 2020/21’ where this information is already publicly available

In accordance with Section 22 of The Act, the dataset will be due for updating with the 2021/22 in February 2023

Whether the Council has bid for the "Levelling Up Fund"?

2 If the Council has, please provide all bid documents submitted to the Government

3. If the Council has, please provide all correspondence between the Council and the local Member of Parliament about the bid

1. Yes

2. All information held/submitted was disclosed to the applicant in full, and is available upon request

3. The Council confirms that the only correspondence directly from our MP regarding the bid was a letter of support, which was provided in response to 2

1. Costs incurred by the Council for car and chauffer services for council employees.

2. Costs incurred by the Council for taxi fares expensed by council employees

Please provide all information for the financial year 2020-21, and from the start of financial year 2021 to 31 December 2021

2020/21

Car/Chauffeur Hire = Zero

Taxi Hire - April 2020 = £26.14

                 June 2020 = £40.00

2021/22

Car/Chauffeur Hire = Zero

Taxi Hire - December 2021 = £93.83    

1. Human population of council area

2. Number of current dog breeding licences

3. Number of open applications for a dog breeding licence

4. Number of refused applications since September 2018

5. Number of withdrawn applications since September 2018

6. Number of planning enforcement notices issued regarding dog breeding and/or number of dogs in a residential premises since 1989

7. Number of planning applications submitted regarding dog breeding and/or number of dogs in a residential premises since 1989

1. The Council does not hold this information. Applicant asked to contact the Office of National Statistics (ONS) for this information

 2. 12

 3. Zero

 4. Zero

 5. Zero

 6. Zero

7. Please see below the applications that have been identified from the Council’s planning tracker (online publication off planning applications: 

124 – Outline application proposed dog breeding unit and owners accommodation at Meadow View, Goodleigh Road, Barnstaple – Refused 10/03/87 Appeal Dismissed 15/9/87

44153 – Retrospective change of use from agricultural land to allow retention of kennel run and shed for dog breeding together with alterations to access, The Forge, West Down – Refused 8/06/07 Appeal Dismissed 21/4/08

45593 – Retrospective application for extension to and conversion of agricultural workshop to form dog breeding kennels, Kempstown Farm, Alswear, South Molton – Conditional Consent 27/02/08

45898 - Retrospective listed building application for extension to and conversion of agricultural workshop to form dog breeding kennels, Kempstown Farm, Alswear, South Molton – Conditional Consent 27/02/08 

Each application is linked above which will take you to the planning tracker for each specific application

1. The methods of disposal for rejected household recycling used by your authority for the following years: 

·        2017/18

·        2018/19

·        2019/20

·        2020/21 

2. The annual cost to dispose of rejected household recycling within your authority for the following years: 

·        2017/18

·        2018/19

·        2019/20

·        2020/21 

3. The main reasons for household recycling being rejected. For example, items were contaminated or not suitable for recycling 

4. Any guidance or instructions under which recycling centres determine the acceptance or rejection of items collected within your authority

1. No tonnage recorded for this
2. No costs recorded against this issue
3. N/A
4. N/A

The amount of money spent by the Council on public relations firms, on advertising, and on communications strategy for the last 12 months, and also for the year 2020-2021

Advertising:

2020/21 = £40,149

Last rolling 12 months (i.e. the last 10 months from this financial year and February and March 2021 = £39,017

Public relation firms = Zero

Communications Strategy = Zero

1. Costs incurred by the Council for car and chauffeur services for council employees for;

a) the financial year 2020/21

b) the financial year 2021/22 so far

2. Costs incurred by the Council for taxi fares expensed by council employees for;

a) the financial year 2020/21

2020/21

Car/Chauffeur Hire = Zero

Taxi Hire - April 2020 = £26.14

                 June 2020 = £40.00

2021/22

Car/Chauffeur Hire = Zero

1. Since 6 April 2017, how many convictions was the council aware of (in relation to its housing area) to which Chapter 4 (Rent Repayment Orders) of The Housing and Planning Act 2016 (HaPA) applied? These convictions should include any Civil Penalty Notice (CPN) issued by the council

2. Of the convictions the council was aware of in answer to Q1, how many did the council consider for a Rent Repayment Order application by the council?

3. Of the convictions the council was aware of in answer to Q1, for how many did the council make a Rent Repayment Order application?

4. Does the council have a process for making the decision referred to in Q2], and if so, what is that process?

1. Five and one currently in progress

2. One

3. One

4. Determine if the offence allows for a Rent Repayment Order. If the offence allows, each case is then considered individually on its own merits, whilst having regard to the statutory guidance. Consider if the application is likely to be successful based on the evidence. Seek legal guidance where required to ensure the most appropriate course of action

1. How do you report performance to residents? 

2. Do you have a Performance Management Handbook? 

3. What budget do you have allocated towards your performance management initiatives per annum? 

4. How many hours are spent on performance management reporting each month? 

5. Which applications or systems do you use to manage Performance Management? 

6. Do you report departmental performance separately or in a different way? 

7. Do you benchmark or baseline your authority’s performance with other similar authorities? 

8. Can you evidence improvements to your services based on historical performance management reporting?

1. The Council has a quarterly performance report that goes to Strategy and Resources Committee and is available to the public. The Council also has a communications team which uses various means of community to communicate outputs from the authority

2. Yes

3. Performance Management is embedded within the organisation, with everyone focussed on continuous improvement, value for money, delivering key results aligned to our business and corporate plans. There is no specific budget as this is a culture not a distinct allocated role

4. Not defined as a distinct budget line

5. Pentana

6. Yes

7. Yes

8. Yes

The following information concerning Devon Place Board:

1. the board's terms of reference
2. the board's composition
3. the board's reporting structure
4. details of the role of the board in relation to the One Public Estate programme
5. minutes of the board meeting held in November 2021
6. the agenda for the board meeting held in January 2022
7. the dates of future board meetings

1. Applicant provided with Word document ‘TOR for the OPE and DPB Final Version .docx’ which is available upon request
2. As 1. above
3. As 1. above
4. As 1. above
5. Applicant provided with Word document ‘Team Devon Place Board Minutes 02.11.2021.docx’ which is available upon request
6. Applicant provided with Word document ‘OPE Place Board Agenda 02.02.22’ (the meeting scheduled for January 2022 took place in February 2022) which is available upon request
7. Monday 25 April, Monday 11 July, and Monday 17 October 2022

The social value weighting applied in all above threshold tenders and frameworks issued in 2021 for contracts or frameworks. I do not require information on products or construction, only services, but if the information is recorded in one dataset, I am happy to “clean” this myself 

• The price and quality weightings used in the above contracts or frameworks. Again, if the dataset contains all tenders, I am happy to “clean” the data 

An MS Excel file is the preferred format but any other format should be ok too 

I do not require any personal of financial data. Note that neither contract awards or notices provide weighting on social value or detail quality/price weighting and so am unable to find these anywhere else 

I do not require the names of suppliers or any commercial information

1. Fleet/Vehicle contract

Cost - 40%

Quality - 60%

Social Value - 3%

2. Design team for Future Hugh Street fund

Cost - 40%

Quality - 60%

Social value - 0%

Social value in this project was not incorporated into the weighting but was considered as part of the project and in terms of the specification prepared for the services to be provided

1. Have your authority's electricity and gas bills increased since July 2021?

2. If so, by roughly how much?

3. Is this increase due to a higher rate per unit of gas and electricity charged by your energy provider, or for another reason?

3. Have you made any reductions to the provision of street lighting in your area since July 2021, or are you planning any reductions? Please specify the changes, if so

4. If yes, is this because energy bills have risen?

5. Have you made any reductions to the provision of lighting or heating in any of your buildings, or are you planning any reductions? Please specify the changes, if so

1. The Council is on a fixed rate deal
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. 10 lighting heads replaced this financial year with low energy LED units. 4. No
5. No
6. N/A

Can you also supply me a copy of the following policies:

• IT Disaster Recovery Plan (e g DR plan, backup)

• IT Incident Response Plan (e g Cyber Attack, DDOS, Ransomeware)

• Clean desk policy

• Access control policy (Access to business applications or network resources)

Please detail:

• Current measures in place to protect confidential information

• How you monitor staff access to business applications in your Council and ensure staff have a right of access

• How you implement and carry out checks to ensure staff are adhering to your clean desk policy
• Please forward any communications to staff regarding your Clean Desk policy

In response to the first two bullet points, the Council confirmed that it does hold a Business Continuity Plan and an Incident Response Plan, however it considers that a disclosure of this information into the public domain could provide external parties information that would enable them to disrupt provision of Council services and subsequently use that disruption to attempt to access either physical Council site(s), services or both 

The plans contain critical and sensitive information that demonstrates how the Council would respond to major incidents and emergencies as well as key information about the Council’s IT and software infrastructure 

The purpose of the plans is to create systems of prevention and recovery to deal with potential threats to the Council. To make this information publicly available would place information that could be used to identify, expose or take advantage of potential weaknesses within those plans. To make these plans public would defeat the purpose of the intended plans and place the Council at risk. The Council operates a multi layered approach to ICT security. One of these layers is to obfuscate information that could be used to comprise network security 

As such, the Council considers that the above engages Section 31(1)(a) prejudicial to law enforcement which states information is exempt if its disclosure under the Act would or would likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime 

In the considering of your request, I have also conducted a Public Interest Test, looking at the arguments for disclosure and withholding: 

Arguments for Disclosure 

The release of the information would assist in openness and transparency in the way in which the Council ensures the security of the information it handles 

The release would evidence the what the Council has put in place to ensure it protects both its physical site(s) and services in the event of a major incident and how it would manage this whilst maintain business continuity 

Arguments for Withholding 

When the Council releases information to an individual pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, it is effectively releasing it into the public domain for all to see, that includes those who may not have genuine and honest reasons for wanting to see the information and maybe seeking the information in order to identify, expose or take advantage of potential weaknesses in the Council’s plans it has it place to keep both its physical site(s) and services safe and operational 

The plans have never been made publicly available and disclosure to the applicant is, for the purpose of the Act, one and the same thing as disclosure into the public domain. To provide the plans would mean that there would be a future expectation that they would always be provided and shared with anyone who requested them 

The Council considers that the release of these plans would jeopardise the integrity and security of the Council’s business continuity, incident management and ICT security measures in place to be able to successfully continue to provide its services as well as manage any future major incident whilst avoiding any unnecessary interference and disruption 

Revealing the information sought would provide those who do not have honest and genuine reasons for wanting to see the information an advantage in identifying or being able to easily find potential vulnerabilities within the plans and accordingly weaken the Council’s measures and security controls it has place/would put in place in the event of a major incident 

On balance, there are more factors supporting the public interest in maintaining the exemption and thus outweighs the public interest in disclosure 

The Council does not hold a written Clean desk policy 

The Council does not hold a written Access control policy 

The Council considers that the public knowledge of its security measures to protect the confidential information that it holds, the Council considers that a disclosure of this information into the public domain could provide external parties information that would enable them to disrupt provision of Council services and subsequently use that disruption to attempt to access either physical Council site(s), services or both. As explained above, the Council determines that this information also engages Section 31(1)(a) prejudicial to law enforcement which states information is exempt if its disclosure under the Act would or would likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime. The Council determines that this information also be fully exempt from public disclosure, for the reasons as already set out above 

The Council routinely takes a random sample of users to check their permissions in relation to the monitoring of staff access to business applications and ensuring they have a right of access 

Not applicable as the Council does not have a formal written policy

Not applicable as the Council does not have a formal written policy

1.The number of complaints made to the authority during 2020 and 2021 regarding non-compliance with flood risk planning conditions and any other flood-related issues (such as problems with drainage) at new domestic developments in the area 

I would like you to segregate the complaints depending on the year in which they were made, and it would be useful if you could provide some detail about the nature of the complaint (i e whether the complaint was about flood defences, drainage etc) By “new” domestic developments, I refer to any which began construction from 01/01/15 onwards, and by “flood-related issues” I mean any complaints relating to problems with flooding or problems with infrastructure likely to exacerbate or increase the risk of flooding such as poor drainage 

2. For context, I would also like you to supply me with the total sum of all complaints received about new domestic developments (again those beginning construction from 01/01/15) in the years 2020 and 2021 (again segregated by year) regardless of complaint type 

3. Finally, I would like you to provide information about how the council responded to each of the complaints regarding flooding as requested in part 1 of this request - e.g. did a physical inspection take place, was the complaint dismissed etc. Details about the complaints requested in part 2 of my request will not be necessary

Information fully refused as the only way in which the information can be provided would require a manual search of planning cases received during the requested period which would far exceed the 18 hour cost limit under Section 12 of the Act

1. How many individuals and families are on your register for housing?

2. How long have you maintained a register? From which year?

3. Snapshot of reported totals; Per Annum from first year of registering individuals and families

4. Size of housing stock

5. Size of housing stock; Per Annum from first year of registering individuals and families

6. Number of individuals and families considered and/or registered as homeless - Per Annum, from first year of registrations to date

1. For North Devon: 

Total Number of households on register = 2,186

Number of single person households = 857

Total no of household members = 5,095

2. Devon Home Choice is the Council’s current Housing register scheme and has been operating since 2010, in partnership with all Devon Local authorities and Registered Providers. Housing confirms that for any data prior to 2010 will need to be requested directly from Central Government

3. 2010 = 3,152

    2011 = 2,750

    2012 = 2,882

    2013 = 2,818

    2014 = 1,914

    2015 = 2,625

    2016 = 3,023

    2017 = 3,600

    2018 = 2,634

    2019 = 1,977

    2020 = 2,389

    2021 = 2,385 

4. Please refer to national data sets for this information - LT_100.ods (live.com) 

5. Please refer to national data sets for this information - LT_100.ods (live.com) 

6. The following data is the number of homeless households on the housing waiting list within the meaning given in Part VII of the Housing Act 1996. The data is an extract from this local authorities annual submissions of ‘Local Authority Housing Statistics’. Records are only available back to 2016/17:

01.04.2016 = 136

01.04.2017 = 150

01.04.2018 = 100

01.04.2019 = 145

01.04.2020 = 185

01.04.2021 = 208

1. Which software supplier does the Council use for the administration of: 

a) Council Tax

b) Business Rates

c) Council Tax Support 

In relation to each of the following, please provide the information for current date and January 2021: 

2. a) Number of Council Tax accounts paying by direct debit 

b) Where possible, the number of accounts split by council tax band 

3. If known, please provide percentage paying by direct debit split by benefit and non-benefit cases 

4. How many business rates payers pay by direct debit?

1. a, b and c) Civica Open Revenues

2. a) 31 Jan 2021 = 32,037

        31 Jan 2022 = 33,616

     b) This information is not held

3. 31 Jan 2021 = 71.87%

    31 Jan 2022 = 74.24%

   Unable to split by benefit and non-benefit cases

4. 31 January 2021 = 999

    31 January 2022 = 1,256

1. How many Dangerous Wild Animal permits (under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976) did your council approve, by year, in 2017-2021?

2. Which animals were these permits for?

3. What checks, if any, does your council make when granting these permits to the CITES species appendices: https://cites.org/eng/disc/species.php?

4. What checks, if any, does your council make to ensure these animals are not brought in through the illegal wildlife trade?

1. None

2. Not Applicable

3. We do not currently have any DWA licences in the NDC area, however, should an application be received, appropriate checks would be made as part of the application process

4. Documentation would be requested to ascertain where the animals had come from

Information relating to payments made to charities and third sector organisations 

Please provide the following information for 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21: 

• The value of grants made to each of the organisations listed below. Please provide the information for each of the three financial years separately, and list all grants separately 

• The value of loans made to each of the organisations listed below. Please provide the information for each of the three financial years separately, and list all loans separately

The payments made to charities and third sector organisations relate to the following only: 

• Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)

• Independent Sage

• NHS Confederation

• Keep our NHS public

• SOS NHS

• Care and Support Workers Organise

• UNITED VOICES OF THE WORLD

• Health Campaigns Together

• Doctors for the NHS

• We Own It

• The People's Assembly

• Zero Covid Coalition

• Health Campaign Together

• Docs Not Cops

• British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

• Association of Pakistani Physicians of Northern Europe

• Royal College of General Practitioners

• Royal College of Ophthalmology

• Royal College of Psychiatrists

• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

For the listed charities and third sector organisations:

2018/19 = Nil for both grants and loans

2019/20 = Nil for both grants and loans

2020/21 = Nil for both grants and loans

1. What type of council is your council? 

2. How many officers across all departments deal with animal welfare issues? 

3. How many dedicated officers do you have for dealing solely with animal welfare issues (from licensing through to dog warden issues)? 

4. How many of those officers have undertaken specific animal welfare-related training for that role? 

5. Does your council carry out its own animal welfare enforcement work, work jointly with another council or sub-contract it to another council or a third party? 

6. Are you part of a local or regional forum for councils and other enforcement bodies focussing on animal welfare issues and/or sharing knowledge?  If so please can you share the name of the forum, the point of contact for it and their email address

1. Lower-tier, District Council

2. Less than four

3. One

4. Two

5. Carries out own enforcement work

6. City of London Sharon.Edwards@cityoflondon.gov.uk  

    Animal Licensing Hub

https://khub.net/group/localgovernmentanimalhealthwelfare    

South West Focus Group

sarah.harcombe@swdevon.gov.uk

Applicant provided with a redacted version of the complaint that does not identify the complainant

The total number of fixed penalty notices handed out for environmental offences in 2019, 2021 and 2021, broken down by type of environmental offence:

• Littering
• Not cleaning up after a dog
• Fly posting
• Graffiti

Applicant referred to the annual datasets published regarding the Environmental Fixed Penalty Notices issued in the requested years 2019 and 2020

Environmental Review of Golden Coast Holiday Village, Woolacombe Station Rd, Woolacombe, Devon EX34 7HW: 

1. Has the site been identified for inspection or further review under the Council’s Contaminated Land Strategy (or other Part IIA undertaking)? If so, please describe the priority status/risk ranking of the site and the likely timescale for any further scrutiny of the site 

2. Are there any known contamination issues associated with the site or in the near vicinity e g in terms of former or current contaminative site uses, leaks or spills of any oil/chemical substances etc? If there have been any intrusive investigations at the site or near vicinity, please provide dates and titles of any reports and confirm whether the reports are publicly available 

3. Please provide the following details of any current or former landfills located within a 250m radius of the site:

a) The location of all landfills, both closed and operational (i e National Grid Reference and location plan if available)

b) Dates when the landfill was operational

c) Types of waste deposited

d) Any information on volume of waste deposited, depth of infilling and landfill structure

e) Details of any landfill gas monitoring, site investigation or gas spiking undertaken at the landfill or in the immediate vicinity of the site 

4. Are there any known current or former nuisance issues, prosecutions or enforcements associated with the site or adjoining properties, e g noise, odour or dust issues/complaints?  If yes, what was the nature of the issue and what was the outcome? 

5. Are there any known private water supplies recorded on your Local Authority Private Water Supply Register, within 2km radius of the site? If yes what is the location (i e NGR), the source of abstraction and its purpose? 

6. Do you hold any records of flooding at the subject site? 

7. Please provide details of any LAAPC/LAPPC authorisations licensed to the site or to adjoining properties

Questions 1- 3: Applicant provided with a map and spreadsheet (QGIS contaminated land report) (available upon request)

The Environmental Protection team does not hold any other records regarding potentially contaminated land in this area. It is recommended that you also contact the Environment Agency and Devon County Council regarding any information they may hold in relation to the site or the land in the vicinity

North Devon Council 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 to the future

Q4 through 7: No information held

The total number of buildings and plots of land owned by the authority held indefinitely (as far back as records are held), and if possible, the data should include;

- the date on which it was purchased

- the amount it was purchased for

- the person or organisation from whom it was purchased

Applicant advised that the Council’s Estates team confirms that the only way in which the information could be identified, located, retrieved and collated is by manual interrogation of approximately 600+ deed packets. The team estimates that a minimum of 15 minutes would be required to check each deed packet and gather the relevant information, where held which in total would take approximately 150 plus hours to provide the requested information, but in practice the procedure would be likely to exceed this time further as it does not account for any issues or difficulties that might be encountered during the course of the search. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Council’s Estates team 

The Council has considered whether there could be any other way in which the information could be gathered, however as it is not already recorded in an electronic/easily accessible format, the only way it could be provided is by manually going through all of the 600 plus deed packets and putting the information into a spreadsheet 

The Estates team does however publish a dataset which provides a current list of Assets but only provides the asset number, name and whether it is a freehold or leasehold for each of the assets (second dataset from the bottom of the table via the link above) 

The Estates team is able to confirm that the total value of the Council’s estate is in excess of £84 million

Estates/Property Services = Zero

Applicant directed to the Council’s Public Toilet dataset which is updated annually

For each of the following periods; 2020-21; 2021-22:

• A list of all streets within the council’s remit which have had their names changed, including the original name and the new name
• The cost of changing these street names
• Any documents associated with the changes

2020-21 = None, therefore no information/costs held

Details of all residential property in the borough owned by the Salvation Army (SA) over the past five years that has been left vacant any associated Council Tax discounts these properties were granted for vacancy periods for each year (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021):

1. Sequential Salvation Army Properties in the borough (i e Property 1, Property 2 etc etc)

2. No. of days of the year the property was left vacant

3. Council tax paid by the Salvation Army on the property during the year

2017/18 

No information held 

2018/19 

Property one

Left Vacant = 286 days

Amount paid = £924.37

Discount = 100% vacant property discount for up to three months

Property two

Left Vacant = 228 days

Amount paid = £678.04

Discount = 100% vacant property discount for up to three months

2019/20

Property 1

Left vacant = 95 days

Amount paid = £447.25

Discount = None given

2020/21

No information held

2021/22 to date

No information held

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

A copy of a pre-application decision held in relation to the land in question was provided to the applicant

Applicant advised that the Council publishes three separate registers regarding caravan parks (under the heading ‘Further information’ towards the bottom of the page

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 the Council does not have any individuals or businesses that are classed as providing day care for dogs. However, there are several who are classed as home boarding for dogs, some of which keep dogs day and night and others choose to only operate during day time.  Please see below for a list of the home boarders that the Council licences:

Licence Holder:       Business Name:

Anna Hickman         Anna’s Ark Pet Services

Lisa Cartwright        Barks Hotel

Carol Palmer           Carols Canine Care

Sophie Marshall      Densdon Dog Boarding and Day Care

Sarah Persson        Home Woof Home

Deborah Roberts     Kentisbury Dog Stop

Colin Crisp    Minders Pet Sitting

Samantha Clarke     Pawfully Happy

Alistair Tresidder     PetStay Devon

Sarah King               Sarah King Dog Walking

Anita Tucker            Waggy Tails at Woolmers

Tracy Bowden         Wagtails

Annaka Lloyd          We all love K9’s 

The Council’s Animal Welfare Licensing Register publishes this information plus their relevant licence numbers as well as the issue, commencement and expiry date of each licence 

Whilst the Council does hold the respective telephone numbers of the businesses above, it is not legally required to publish this information nor does not have consent of the licence holders to disclose this information under the Act. In some cases the contact numbers held by the Council may not be the same as the business contact number that the licence holder chooses to publish/make publicly available themselves. The Licensing team confirms that they do not ask for this information to be differentiated on the application/registration form 

The Council considers this withheld information to be exempt under Section 40 of the Act as the information constitutes personal data which those third parties would have no reasonable expectation for the Council to make publicly available. Section 40(2) provides that personal data is exempt information if one of the conditions set out in section 40(3A), (3B) or (4A) is satisfied 

In this case Section 40(3A)(A) is met because disclosure of this information would breach the fair processing principle contained in the General Data Protection Regulation. This is an absolute exemption and there is therefore no requirement to consider the public interest 

However as indicated above, the Licensing team confirms that all but one of the listed businesses publishes their business telephone number online. The one that does not publish does not advertise/disclose their number as they have established a regular set of customers 

In accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, the Council is not obliged to provide information that is already in the public domain (in this case it can be found via a search of the internet). 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 I have done so in providing you with the information above

1. How many bids did you submit for Round 1 Levelling Up Funding, by the deadline of midday 18 June 2021? 

2. How many of these bids submitted for Round 1 Levelling Up Funding were rejected? 

3. For each bid:

a) Was it an individual bid, package bid or joint bid with another LA 

b) If joint bid please specify the other LA / Las 

c) If joint bid which LA was the lead LA? 

d) What was the value of capital grant being requested from the UK Government (Section 3c of the Levelling Up Fund Application Form)? 

e) How much of the bid was themed as Transport/Regeneration and Town Centre/Cultural (Section 3d of the Levelling Up Fund Application Form)? Please express these as a percentage, as per the application form 

f) Was the bid formally supported by an MP as a priority bid (Section 4.1a of the Levelling Up Fund Application Form)? If so, which MP and constituency?  

g) Was the bid given “wider MP (non-priority MP support)” as described in Levelling Up Technical Note, Table 1 - Stakeholder Engagement and Support? If so, which MP or MPs and constituency/constituencies?

1. North Devon Council submitted one bid

2. One bid was rejected

3.a) North Devon Council submitted its own package bid

   b) N/A

   c) N/A

   d) £6,999,842

   e) Transport: 0%, Regeneration and Town Centre: 2%, Cultural: 28.8%

   f) Yes, Selaine Saxby, MP North Devon

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3EE

Applicant advised that no information held

1. Do you have a fraud investigation department/team?

2. If you don’t have a fraud team, who investigates reported case of fraud?

3. How many fraud investigators are there in your team?

4. Can you please list the top 4 most common types of fraud you investigate?

5. Do you investigate any Covid related fraud cases – e g

business grant, business support, business rates relief or business load fraud cases? 

6. Do you release or publish any information about the number of cases you investigate per annum, the value of fraud and their outcomes?

7. How many fraud cases were investigated in 2020 and in 2021?

8. Do you use an electronic case management system to record and manage your fraud cases? If so, which case management system do you use?

9. Do you use data matching to proactively identify potential fraud cases?  Which product or service do you use?

10. Do you investigate fraud on behalf of other organisations?  Can you please state who?

1. No
2. Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Counter Fraud and Compliance Directorate (CRD) for Housing Benefit Fraud and Devon Audit Partnership for all other cases
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. Yes
6. No
7. None for Council Tax/Business grants. DWP (CFCD) record numbers for housing benefit cases
8. No
9. National Fraud initiative
10. No

Please provide on the assessments below from 01.04.21:

• the date(s) of any empty periods

• the period(s) of any exemptions

For:

Car Park, Land R/O Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1RX

Car Park, Devonshire House, Riverside Road, Barnstaple, EX31 1SW

Marshals, 95 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1SX

Car Park, Land R/O Boutport Street, Barnstaple EX31 1RX:  Empty 01.04.21 onwards, no exemptions

Car Park, Devonshire House, Riverside Road, Barnstaple EX31 1SW: – Empty 01.04.21 onwards. Exemption awarded 01.04.21 – 29.06.21

Marshals, 95 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1SX: Empty from 29.07.21 onwards. Exemption 29.07.21 onwards

Please detail the number of trees that have been cut down by your council in the last 3 years. Break down the figures by year and tree species. Please detail the number of trees that have been planted by your council in the last 3 years. Break down the figure by year and tree species

Trees removed 2018-19

31- species include; oak, ash, cherry, willow, lime, horse chestnut, pine, sorbus, alder, beech, larch, hawthorne

Trees planted 2018-19

14 – species include; oak, cherry, beech, fruit, magnolia, sorbus, rowan, lime, alder

Trees removed 2019-2020

49 - species include; oak, ash, cherry, willow, lime, horse chestnut, pine, sorbus, alder, beech, larch, hawthorne

Trees planted 2019-2020

38 - species include; oak, cherry, beech, fruit, magnolia, sorbus, rowan, lime, alder

Trees removed 2020-2021

39 - species include; oak, ash, cherry, willow, lime, horse chestnut, pine, sorbus, alder, beech, larch, hawthorne

Trees planted 2020-2021

128- species include; oak, cherry, beech, fruit, magnolia, sorbus, rowan, lime, alder, birch

1. Does your authority have an electric vehicle charging transition strategy (or equivalent)?

2. Have you published this strategy? If so, please provide a link to or copy of the document

3. How many public electric vehicle chargers have been installed within your authority’s jurisdiction?

4. How many electric vehicle chargers have been installed within your authority’s jurisdiction in each of the last three years (2019, 2020, 2021)?

5. How many electric vehicle chargers do you intend to be installed within your authority’s jurisdiction in each of the next three years (2022, 2023, 2024)?

1. No, however currently in development

2. N/A

3. N/A

4. N/A

The local authority guidance issued in December 2021 requires each local authority to design the discretionary relief scheme in their area. Please provide details of the parameters and application process in your borough as we have clients who wish to pursue the relief

A list of all premises licensed for the supply of alcohol for consumption off the premises 24 hours per day

CON29 information relating to a property at EX32 7DJ

1. How many a) decapods and b) cephalopods have been transported per year in North Devon District Council since 2006?  Please provide separate figures for each year 

2. How many times have allegations, relating to a) decapods and b) cephalopods, been reported to North Devon District Council which could amount to an offence under Article 4 of WATEO since 2006?  Please provide separate figures for each year 

3. How many times have allegations, relating to a) decapods and b) cephalopods, been reported to North Devon District Council which could amount to an offence under Schedule 4 of WATOK since 2015?  Please provide separate figures for each year 

4. How many of such allegations in relation to a) decapods and b) cephalopods which have been reported under WATEO, have resulted in a prosecution? Please provide separate figures for each year in which the prosecution was brought 

5. How many of such allegations in relation to a) decapods and b) cephalopods which have been reported under WATOK, have resulted in a prosecution? Please provide separate figures for each year in which the prosecution was brought 

6. Where the allegation has not resulted in a prosecution, please provide the reason why a prosecution was not commenced, the stage of the process when the decision not to prosecute was taken and which government department or prosecuting body took the decision? Please provide the said information for WATEO and WATOK separately 

7. Where a prosecution did proceed what was the outcome? Please provide the information for WATEO and WATOK separately and indicate in which country the prosecution took place

1. The Council does not, as a matter of course, record this information. It would only be held if the Council was required to record it or if there was a legal requirement for it to be provided to the Council

2. There have been no recorded reports of any such allegations to the Council in each year from 2006 to 2022 to date

3. There have been no recorded reports of any such allegations to the Council in each year from 2015 to 2022 to date

4. Not Applicable

5. Not Applicable

6. Not Applicable

7. Not Applicable

The 1999 ferry study by Curnow Shipping Limited. This study conducted Market Research for a Bristol Channel Crossing from Ilfracombe to Swansea

It has previously been referenced as:

Curnow Shipping Ltd (1999), Bristol Channel Crossing Ilfracombe - Swansea Market Research

1. Does the council have a hot desking policy?

2. Did the council use a hybrid model of home working and office working in 2020, before the pandemic?

3. In a hybrid model how many office seats to staff ratio (people that use PC’s not gardeners etc) did you have before the pandemic?

4. Is the council continuing with Hybrid Model of home working and office working or looking to dismantle after the pandemic i e from 24th of March 2022?

5. If the council is continuing with the Hybrid model what is its target office seats to staff ratio?

1. No
2. No
3. N/A
4. Keep it running
5. No ratio set. This will be based on the needs of each service area

Contract 1 - contact centre/call centre contracts

Please send me the following information for each provider:

1. Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract

2. Annual Average Spend: the annual average (over 3 years) spends for each supplier

3. Contract Expiry: the date of when the contract expires

4. Contract Review: the date of when the contract will be reviewed.

5. Contract Description: a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract

6. Contact Details: The person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address

7. Number of Agents; please provide me with the total number of contact centre agents

8. Number of Sites; please can you provide me with the number of sites the contact centre covers

9. Manufacturer of the contact centre: Who is the manufacturer of the contact centre system that you operate?

10. Busy Periods: Please state the month(s) which the contact centre is at its highest/busiest during the year. This can be based upon the number of calls. Your provider may be able to tell you quicker. e g JAN-MAR, APR, JUNE

11. Do you use Microsoft Exchange 2003 as your email server? If not, then which product do you use?

12. Number of email users: Approximate number of email users across the organisations 

Please add any further comments attached to this contract if there are any changes coming to the organisation with regards to contact centres 

The second part of my request relates to the use inbound network services contracts which could relate to one of the following: 

1. 0800, 0845, 0870, 0844, 0300 number

2. Routing of calls

3. Caller Identifier

4. Caller Profile - linking caller details with caller records

5. Interactive voice response (IVR) 

For contract relating to the above please can you provide me with? 

1. Incumbent Supplier: For each of the contract(s) please can you provide me with the supplier of the contract

2. Annual Average Spend: the annual average (over 3 years) spends for each supplier

3. Contract Expiry: the date of when the contract expires

4. Contract Review: the date of when the contract will be reviewed.

5. Contract Description: a brief description of the services provided of the overall contract

6. Contact Details: The person from within the organisation responsible for the contract. Please provide me with their full name, actual job title, contact number and direct email address

Contract 1 - Contact Centre/call centre contracts = The Council does not have any contracts for this, The Council’s Customer Services Centre is delivered in-house

To the use of inbound network services contracts which would relates to one of the following:

1. 0800, 0845, 0870, 0844, 0300 number

The Council has no inbound services with these number pre-fixes

2. Routing of calls

The Council’s in-house contact centre routes calls using an auto attendant. Calls are also routed to agents using a skills matrix

3. Call identifier

The Council has a screen pop that links the calling number to a record in our CRM. Only used by the Customer Service Centre (CSC) team

4. Caller Profile-linking caller details with caller records

The Council has a screen pop that links the calling number to a record in our CRM. Only used by the Customer Service Centre (CSC) team

5. Interactive voice response (IVR)