Request reference: FOI 10619

Issue date: 01.07.25

Request received: 

1) What’s the current number of empty properties and long term empty properties across the council, as of June 2? If a figure is not available for June 2, please provide the most up-to-date figure available and state the date for which that figure is accurate. How many of those are owned by the council? What were the numbers as of 2 June 2019, in terms again of empty properties, long term empty properties, and council-owned empty/long term empty properties?

2) How many people were on the social housing waiting lists on those two dates?

3) What’s the reason that the long term empty properties are currently void? Please provide a breakdown by void status – i.e. classifying them as available (Undergoing works, Ready for Occupation, TA: Ready for letting, Long cycle void group, Major Works, Minor repairs), temporarily unavailable (Unauthorised Occupant, Squatted, Capital void, Redevelopment), and permanently unavailable (Demolition, Disposal) or a similar classification method that you use.

4) Since 2019, have you undertaken any work around reducing your long term empty properties? If you have, was this done using internal resources, third party resources, or both?

5) How many properties were brought back into use as a result in each of those years since 2019? What were the average financial costs per property, in order for them to be brought back into use?

6) What work is the council currently undertaking and what is it planning to undertake when it comes to reducing its long term empty properties?

7) Does the council offer financial support, in terms of grants or loans, to Long Term Empty property owners to help them bring properties back into use? If yes, how many owners have made use of that in every year since 2019?

8) What’s the budget, if any, that the council has allocated for supporting the reduction of empty properties?

Please provide such data electronically, ideally as an Excel spreadsheet

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provides the following response:

1. The Council is unable to respond as per the specific date of June 2, however it can confirm that 589 long term empty properties (empty in excess of 6 months) as of 2 July 2025 and 13 owned by North Devon District Council. There is no data for 2019 but in May 2022 there were 544 long term empty properties, 6 of which were owned by North Devon District Council

The active empty property officer caseload is currently 285

2. The Council is unable to respond as per the specific date of June 2, however it can provide the following:

29.07.25 - number of households on North Devon housing register is 2,213

01.04.25 - number of households on North Devon housing register was 2,213

01.04 20 - number of households on North Devon housing register was 2,389

3. It's not always possible to know the reason why a property remains empty. However, we do hold the following information on the current empty properties:

76 for sale or SSTC

32 under repair

17 owner deceased

13 enforcement action

13 planning permission granted

5 enforcement action

4 council tax arrears recovery

3 planning application submitted

2 Lendology loan

4. In 2022 the Council internally resourced one officer to lead and manage its Empty Homes Project. Due to the volume of empty properties the officer currently only targets engagement with owners of properties that have been empty for more than one year. Long term empty properties between 6 months and one year are not currently prioritised

The Council has:

- have developed an Empty homes Strategy *write to owners to encourage them to engage with us 

- send an empty property questionnaire to help us understand how we may offer support 

- offer assistance with loans via Lendology 

- offer potential opportunity to work with us to house homeless people and or key workers 

- provide landlord advice including how we may be able to support potential tenants with rent in advance and deposits as well as setting up utility accounts 

- share a list of people who have expressed an interest in purchasing an empty home 

- carry out enforcement action on properties that are in disrepair or poorly maintained. We have carried out works in default and taken action to enforce the sale 

- target empty properties with high council tax arrears 

More information on our Empty homes Project is available on the Council website

5. Council records start in 2022 and since then 265 properties have been brought back into use (114 rented and 151 owner occupied). We do not hold information about financial cost apart from where we have employed contractors as part of enforcement action

6. In addition to number 4, we also carry out work on deceased states as well as empty properties subject to improvement notices or prohibition orders

7. The Council works closely with Lendology CIC and six owners have made use of that

8. Apart from the salary for one officer there is no allocated budget for the Empty Homes Project 

Request reference: FOI 10624

Issue date: 01.07.25

Request received: 

1. Please provide a breakdown of how the additional income generated from the increase in planning application fees introduced on 6 December 2023 has been allocated or spent. Where possible, please specify the services or functions supported and the amount allocated to each

2. Has the additional income generated from the planning application fee increase introduced on 6 December 2023 been used exclusively to support the delivery of the Local Authority’s planning function?

3. What percentage of residential planning applications (minor and major), submitted after 6 December 2023, have resulted in an agreed extension of time?

4. What percentage of residential planning applications (minor and major), submitted after 6 December 2023, have resulted in fee refunds under the Planning Guarantee?

Response provided:

1.   Staffing Resources: A significant portion has been invested in staffing, including the use of agency staff to maintain service levels during periods of vacancy and as a result of inability to recruit into substantive posts. Agency costs exceeded the original vacant post budgets, reflecting the priority placed on maintaining service continuity

New Post Creation: The 2024/25 base budget includes a newly created post of Senior Planning Officer (Enforcement). The total cost of this post, including salary and employer on-costs, and it has been incorporated into the ongoing base budget

Infrastructure Investment: Funds have also been used to support the extension of the planning software contract, enhancing the digital infrastructure that underpins the planning service

2. Yes, the additional income has been used exclusively to support the delivery of the Local Authority’s planning function, in line with government expectations following the fee increase

3. 52%

4. 0%

Request reference: FOI 10626

Issue date: 02.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant made the following request regarding the council’s use of Direct Payments, prepaid cards, cash, and voucher options across services provided to Residents, Service Users, and Staff

This request pertains to (but is not limited to) the following service areas:

• Direct Payments

• Client Financial Affairs (where the Council acts as Corporate Appointee or Property and Affairs Deputy)

• No Recourse to Public Funds

• Finance – Petty Cash Cards

• Care Agencies – In-house or External

• Adult or Children’s Social Care – Emergency Cards

• Household Support Payments

 

Pre-paid card info:

Do you currently use a PrePaid card or other type of card provider? If so, what is the provider’s name?

What date does the current contract expire?

What is the name, E-Mail Address & phone number of the person and team that manages the Contract?

How much does each card cost?

How much do replacement cards cost?

What transaction costs are there and how much are they?

 

Client Bank Accounts:

Do you manage individual bank accounts for your clients? If so, with whom?

Are these on a contract, and if so, what is the end date?

 

Direct Payment Managed Accounts:

Does the Council use a third party to manage DP managed accounts? If so, who?

What services do they provide on behalf of the Council?

When does the contract end?

What is the name, email and phone number of the person/team managing the contract?

How much does each service cost?

What is the annual cost or upper limit to the Council?

 

Payroll Services:

Does the Council offer payroll services for DP employers and employees?

What is the name, email and contact number of the lead person/team?

How many staff manage payroll?

What is the annual cost to the Council for payroll staff?

Cost Band (Select): £50k–£60k / £60k–£70k / £70k–£80k / £80k–£90k / Other

 

Outsourced Deputyship Services:

Does the Council use a third party to manage Deputyship clients? If so, who?

Does the Council use its own prepaid card provider to supply cards via outsourced partners?

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provided responses within an Excel spreadsheet which is available upon request           

Directed to contact Devon County Council for response on the following elements of request:

• Direct Payments

• Client Financial Affairs (The Council acting as Corporate Appointee and property and affairs Deputy)

• No Recourse to Public funds

• Care Agencies – In House or External

• Adult or Children Social Care – Emergency Cards

Devon County Council are responsible for adult and children social care within the North Devon Council area

Request reference: FOI 10640

Issue date: 23.07.25

Request received: 

Copies of the following information relating to your council’s use of private enforcement agents (HCEOs) over the past five years:

1. Contracts and Frameworks

All contracts, framework agreements or service-level agreements under which your council engages High Court Enforcement Officers (or equivalent bailiff services), including firm names, contract dates, and any extensions or renewals

2. Complaints and Audit Data

Any internal audit reports, complaints registers or data analyses concerning HCEO conduct, including numbers of complaints received, outcomes, and any remedial actions taken

3. Risk and Governance Policies

Copies of any risk-assessment documents, governance policies or due-diligence assessments (including insurance reviews) your council uses to monitor or vet enforcement firms

4. Council–Agent Communications

All email correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes between this council and any HCEOA member firm concerning enforcement-agent performance, complaints or operational matters

5. Scrutiny Committee Records

Agenda papers, briefing notes and minutes from Overview and Scrutiny Committee or Audit Committee meetings where private-enforcement arrangements or HCEO performance were discussed

6. Performance Metrics and Payments

Quarterly or annual KPI reports, scorecards or payment schedules tracking enforcement-agent performance (e g levies collected, revenue share, performance deductions or bonuses).

7. Training and Vetting Requirements

Details of any training, accreditation or vetting standards imposed on contracted HCEOs (for example, ECHR/vulnerability training), and dates of last review or update

8. Regulatory and MP Correspondence

Any letters or emails between your council and Members of Parliament, governmental departments (e g MoJ, ICO, HSE) or regulatory bodies (e g HCEOA, SRA) regarding private enforcement arrangements

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response where the information is held:

1. Contracts and frameworks

Dukes Bailiffs Limited 01/04/21- 31/03/24 extension x2 for the periods 01/04/24 - 31/03/25 and 01/04/25 - 31/03/26

2. Complaints and Audit Data

The Council does not hold this data for the last five years; instead it provides the following complaints data covering the last three years that is held:

Revenues and Benefits

1. Not Justified. No Fault found, no payments made by customer EA followed correct procedure

2. Justified. Apology, EA’s will no longer contact customer

3. Not justified. Reviewed body cam footage, no fault found EA followed procedure

4. Justified. Action put on hold while investigation carried out

5. Justified. Payment not added to arrears. Payment plan updated and reduced

6. Not justified. Reviewed body cam footage, no fault found EA followed procedure

7. Justified. Enforcement action cancelled

Car parks

1. Not justified, no permit in place when PCN was issued

The second parking case is still open, at the time of this response, the outcome is unknown

3. Risk and Governance Policies

None other than contract management of above contract in 1

4. Council-Agent Communications

Revenues and Benefits – None held

Parking – None held

5. Scrutiny Committee Records     

Revenues and Benefits - None held

Parking – None held

6. Performance Metrics and Payments

Revenues and Benefits – Applicant provided with this information where held in PDF reports

Parking – Applicant provided with this information where held in PDF reports

7. Training and Vetting Requirements

Revenues and Benefits – None held

Parking – None held

8. Regulatory and MP Correspondence

Revenues and Benefits – None held

Parking – None held

Request reference: FOI 10647

Issue date: 07.07.25

Request received: 

As of every April 1 of each year 2020 to 2025 inclusive: 

• For each of the following activities: dog boarding (kennels), home boarding for dogs, dog day care, dog breeding, cat boarding, and selling animals as pets, please provide:

Number of licenses in force 

Number of 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year licenses issued in the 12 months up to that point 

Number of 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year licenses renewed in the above period 

Number of 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star licenses issued in the above period 

Number of licenses revoked, refused, or varied in the above period 

Number of FPNs issued regarding licence violations 

Number of prosecutions regarding licence violations 

Number FTEs inspecting and enforcing licensing

Names of license holders 

For the period above, for dog breeding, please provide the following information if held: 

• Average number of breeding bitches per licensed breeder 

• Average number of puppies born per year per breeder 

• Average number of staff working directly with breeding bitches (staff ratios) 

Please provide details of the training requirements for FTEs regarding inspecting and enforcing the licensing of the following activities: dog boarding (kennels), home boarding for dogs, dog day care, dog breeding, cat boarding, and selling animals as pets

Response provided:

Applicant provided with the Council’s response in Excel format which is available upon request

Request reference: EIR 10649

Issue date: 10.07.25

Request received:

Planning ref 79138: copies of all internal correspondence and with third parties (excluding with the agent or applicant or that which is on the planning portal)

Response provided:

 Applicant provided with some information with all personal data redacted throughout under Regulation 13

Some of the applicant’s own personal data was identified within some of the information which cannot be processed under the EIR. Applicant advised to make a Subject Access Request with the Data Protection team for this information 

Request reference: EIR 10650

Issue date: 10.07.25

Request received:

Planning ref 79446: copies of all internal and external correspondence and any additional documents (excluding that which is on the planning portal)

Response provided:

Applicant provided with some information identified as falling within the scope of the request with all personal data redacted throughout under Regulation 13

Request reference: FOI 10653

Issue date: 14.07.25

Request received:

The following in respect of item 7 on the agenda of Strategy and Resources Committee for 2nd June 2025:

1. The lease of an unspecified date in or about September 2002 between Christie Estates and North Devon District Council relating to the toilets at Saunton Beach car park

2. The resolution of the council authorising such lease

3. All correspondence between the council and Christies Estates encompassed within item 4.9 of the report presented to the said committee

4. The Heads of Terms drafted by Christies Estates as per item 4.13 of the said report

5. The minutes of the meeting in 2002 and agenda papers, relating to the decision to commit the council to the lease from Christie Estates, now to be surrendered

Response provided:

1. Applicant provided with this information

2. Applicant provided with the Cabinet minutes dated 23.07.2001 and 31.10.2001 in which the Saunton Sands toilets are referred to. Further minutes have been identified that refer to Public Conveniences but do not specifically refer to Saunton Sands. The minutes dated as follows were also provided to the applicant: 17.10.2001, 16.11.2001 and 28.11.2001. It was confirmed to the applicant that the Council no longer holds the agenda papers or any other associated information in relation to these minutes as they will have been destroyed after six years in line with document retention policy

3. Applicant provided with an email chain applicable to this part of their request. It was further confirmed that no other correspondence falling within the remit of this part of the request is held

4. Applicant provided with this information

5. Applicant advised that no specific minutes have been identified which specifically refer to the Saunton Sands toilets during 2002/03, however the Council provided a copy of the Executive minutes dated 08.10.2002, 11.12.2002, 08.04.2003 which refer to Public Conveniences in general for completeness. As in the response to 2 above, the Council no longer holds the agenda papers or any other associated information in relation to these minutes as they will have been destroyed after six years in line with document retention policy 

Request reference: FOI 10656

Issue date: 02.07.25

Request received:

A

If applicable, In relation to the museums/galleries owned/funded/overseen by the council 

For the past two years up to date

1. 

What work has been carried out to “decolonise” collections: addressing colonial legacies, racism, and to make the museum more racially inclusive 

For example, what labelling has been added to contextualise potentially harmful narratives about slavery etc 

What has been removed from display?

Can you please provide any interval guidance/manuals provided to staff to assist them with this work

For the past two years up to date

2.

What work has been carried out to make collections, events and education work to make it more inclusive for the LGBTQ plus community?

Tours, new displays, new labels?

Can you please provide any interval guidance/manuals provided to staff to assist them with this work

 

3

Could you please provide details of formal approaches for the return of cultural artefacts, and for all requests for the repatriation of cultural artefacts 

For example, for the return of Aboriginal material 

Can you break this down by the date of the first approach, with details of the objects in question, the parties requesting them, and the status of discussions/negotiations at present

B

1

In relation to any council owned/funded/overseen venues: for arts, music, or other cultural activities:

What has been done to ensure racial and LGBT inclusion?

What policies are in place with regard to referencing the use of the shape to certain groups or those with certain political views?

Response provided:

A

1. The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon has not completed any work specifically aimed at ‘decolonising” collections/displays: “addressing colonial legacies, racism, and to make the museum more racially inclusive”. No items have been removed.  There are no internal guidance/manuals. The Museum’s programme of exhibitions and activities conform to the North Devon District Council Equality Strategy which can be found on the North Devon Council website

2. Over the past two years, no specific work has been carried out to identify or make collections, events or educational work more inclusive for LGBTQ+ community.  There are no internal guidance/manuals. The Museum’s programme of exhibitions and activities conforms to North Devon District Council Equality Strategy which can be found on the North Devon Council website

3. To date, there have been no formal approaches for the return or repatriation of cultural artefacts

B

1. The Museum’s programme of exhibitions and activities conform to North Devon District Council guidelines which can be found on the North Devon Council website 

Request reference: EIR 10659

Issue date: 07.07.25

Request received: 

Contaminated Land Entry - 6 Locks Close, Braunton, Devon, EX33 2HA  

The applicant required confirmation that the local authority is: 

- Aware of the previous land use of the area (as specified in report)

- Whether the site has been designated 'Contaminated Land' (as defined under Part 2A of EPA 1990) 

If the site has not been formally designated as Contaminated Land, confirmation of the following:

- If the local authority is intending to investigate the site under this legislation; 

- The level of priority assigned to the site; and 

- The timescale until potential investigation

Response provided:

The Council confirm that no sites within North Devon have currently been designated as contaminated land under Part II(A)

There is no intention to investigate at present, the level of priority assigned to the site is low and the timescale until potential investigation five to 10 years

Request reference: FOI 10660 

Issue date: 15.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information regarding dog related noise complaints:

1. The total number of complaints received about dog barking between January 2022 and May 2024

2. If recorded, how many of these complaints referred to barking occurring in early morning hours (between 4:00am and 8:00am)?

3. Any available data or summary that categorises complaints by:

• Time of day

• Reason for complaint (e g persistent noise, sleep disturbance, early wake-ups)

Response provided:

Applicant provided with three Excel spreadsheets for the years 2022, 2023 and January to May 2024 with the requested data, where recorded. All personal data throughout redacted in accordance with Section 40 of the Act

Request reference: FOI 10661 

Issue date: 07.07.25

Request received: 

1. Since January 2020 to the present date, how many council employees/civil servants have been found to be working one or more additional full-time jobs while still employed full-time by your authority?

2.  January 2020 to the present date, how many council employees were dismissed or disciplined because they were found to be working one or more additional full-time jobs while still employed full-time by your authority?

Response provided:

1. 2020 = Nil

    2021 = Nil

    2022 = Nil

    2023 = Nil

    2024 = Nil

    2025 to date = Nil

   2. N/A as Nil above

Request reference: FOI and EIR 10663

Issue date: 18.07.25

Request received: 

1. Please provide me with a copy of NDDC’s email management and retention policy (s) and NDDCs hard copy document retention and management policies so I can be clear what is/should be within NDDCs possession or power

2] Unless clear from that email policy document please let me know where and how all NDDC officers official business emails have been stored (i e internal hard drives or cloud). At what point are they deleted from that storage? If originally deleted are they recoverable, and for how long do they remain recoverable?

3] Please set out the policies or guidance NDDC officers, staff or persons acting on its behalf are expected to follow in deciding whether and how to record planning or pre-application meetings, in person or virtual, with developers or potential developers. What is NDDC’s retention policy for any such records created by NDDC staff or consultants acting on it’s behalf? 

4] Copies of all correspondence (including emails and notes from phone calls, meeting minutes etc) between the following for the period covering 1/1/2021 and 19/6/2025, where the content of the correspondence relates to White Cross Offshore Wind Farm and/or Flotation Energy, and/or the Celtic Array and/or the Crown Estate Leasing rounds for offshore floating wind projects. Communication sent between the following parties is requested; 

a) Neale Hall and Mark Saunders

b) N. Hall and Ken Miles

c) N. Hall and Tracey Blackmore

d) Ken Miles and Tracey Blackmore

e) Ken Miles and Mark Saunders

f) Mark Saunders and the North Devon Biosphere team (partnership, foundation and enterprises)

g) Mark Saunders and North Devon Plus

h) Ken Miles and North Devon Plus

i) Mark Saunders and Christies Estates

j) Ken Miles and Al Rayner of White Cross

15] Between June 2023 and the current period, Natural England have received 106 emails from North Devon Council regarding the White Cross project, please share this email correspondence

Response provided:

1. Applicant referred to the Council’s website: Data retention. From here the data retention schedules are broken down by function (service area/department) across the whole authority as well the Council’s Data Retention Policy

2. Emails are stored in Office 365 and are deleted within 30 days of a (former) employee leaving the authority. 12 months’ worth of backups are retained, however these are backups are a snapshot in time and may not hold every email. Email accounts are backed up once a day, however, please note that if an officer receives an email and then deletes it straight away it will never appear within the backups but should be available with Microsoft for 30 days. After 30 days, only monthly backups are retained

3. The Planning team confirmed that it does not hold any specific policy or guidance as described in this part of the request. Applicant referred to the Planning retention schedule within the link provided for 1 above

4. The Council is unfortunately unable to provide this information as it cannot be easily identified and gathered due to the way in which it is held. As such, the Council is relying on Regulation 12(4)(b) – (manifestly unreasonable) on the grounds that that to comply with this part of the request would impose significant and disproportionate burden on its resources in terms of time and cost

Any such correspondence covering the requested period specific to the White Cross application, would in the Council’s view, be held on the relevant planning file 77576. The only way in which this could be identified, located, retrieved and collated would require an officer within the Planning department to physically go through the whole file. Whilst it was noted that the applicant sought this information from 01.01.2021 to 19.06.2025, the application was not received into the Council until 18.08.2023. Planning confirmed that it would only hold information from this date onwards

Whilst the file can be filtered to an extent to separate certain types of information that it holds, this is dependent upon how the information is saved and named when being added to the file. Whilst an initial search has identified approximately 228 correspondence chains/email threads (which in some cases will hold many individual emails spanning multiple pages) and approximately 10 file notes, there is no filter that specifically records minutes of meetings. Quite often minutes will be attached to email chains but within the file they are easily identifiable; therefore in order to be able to provide an accurate response, a manual search would be required of the whole file to be able to identify any information that falls within the remit of the request that may not be labelled or named in a way that they can be easily identified or eliminated from the search. In total, the whole of the file as at 18.07.25 holds approximately 2,622 individual records covering all types of information

Under the FOIA, the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 (‘the fees Regulations’) specify an upper limit for the amount of work required beyond which a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request. The limit for local authorities is £450, calculated at £25 per hour. This applies a time limit of 18 hours

The Fees Regulations state that public authority can only take into account the cost it reasonably expects to incur in carrying out the following in complying with a request:

• Determining whether the information is held
• Locating the information or a document containing it
• Retrieving the information or a document containing it; and
• Extracting the information from a document containing it

However, under the EIR, there is no upper cost limit set for the amount of work required by a public authority to respond to a request and whilst fees regulations relate to the FOIA, the ICO considers that they provide a useful point of reference where the reason for citing Regulation 12(4)(b) of the EIR is the time and costs that compliance with a request would expend

It is estimated that the manual search of the 228 correspondence chains/email threads and 10 file notes alone would take approximately 19.84 hours based upon a minimum of five minutes per document/email thread; however this does not take into consideration that for some of the information, depending upon the number of emails contained, there may be information that does not fall specifically within the request that would need to be either extracted or redacted which would ultimately take additional time beyond the estimated five minutes. Nor does this take into account of the additional time that would need to be spent going through the remainder of the file to identify any specific meeting minutes or any other correspondence, notes, emails that was not initially identified from initial search as explained above. It is difficult to be able to provide an additional estimate of time as to how long it would take to search the remaining 2,384 documents/items held on the file, however a conservative estimate of an additional 40 hours (based upon 1 minutes per document/record of information) would likely be required. This estimate would also take into account that during the course of a search of this kind, that there would likely be queries identified by the officer responsible for the search that would need to be clarified further with officers familiar with the planning application

The Council considers, based upon the above estimates of officer time that would be required to comply with this part of the request would place a disproportionate burden on it, both in terms of cost and resources and to comply would go beyond what would be usually considered to be reasonable under the EIR in this instance

Public Interest Test

As the EIR exceptions are subject to the Public Interest Test, the Council has gone onto consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information:

Arguments that favour Disclosure

The Council acknowledges that there is an inherent public interest in being as open and transparent with information of an Environmental nature/relates to matters affecting the natural environment, particularly where those matters may have a significant impact on the requester and the wider community that will ultimately be affected by the planning application in the future. Provision of this information that is not already publicly available would allow the applicant to be prepared for any subsequent developments concerning the application in the future and beyond, promoting accountability and transparency

Arguments that favour Withholding

The Council considers that complying with this element of the request would place a real and significant burden on both the Planning department in terms of the time amount of officer time would be required to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the applicable information which goes beyond what would be considered to reasonable

The task would divert already limited resources (staff) away from its core functions and also other information requests requiring response. A substantial amount of information is already published on the Council’s Planning Tracker regarding the application which is publicly available. It is also noted that the Council has already responded to five other requests for information that the applicant has made under the FOI and EIR (where appropriate) since 15 May 2025 (not including this one) which have collectively provided a significant amount of information to them that cover a variety of topics concerning the planning application and beyond. These requests have required the input of several officers throughout the Planning team and Legal in order to be able to comply with them as far as practicably possible and in accordance with the Act/Regulations. This, together with an increased level of service demand being experienced by both the Planning and Legal departments has been notably demanding over the course of the last few months

In addition, the Council still has two other open requests for information regarding the planning application which are due for respond next week and early August. If the Council were to fully respond to this element of the request in addition to those outstanding requests, it would, in the Council’s view place a further disproportionate level of burden on officers and divert them away from being able to carry out other duties and functions which in turn would lead to significant delays disruptions in completing other work to be met dealt with and miss other statutory deadlines

Balance of the public interest arguments

Having taken in to consideration the above, the Council determines that the balance of public interest favours the maintenance of the exception in this instance

5. Applicant provided with this information, with some personal data redacted. The Council considered that this information to be exempt under Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 as the information constitutes third party personal data (direct email addresses telephone numbers/mobile numbers) that are not already publicly available/published. Those individuals would have no reasonable expectation for the Council to make their personal information publicly available, particularly as a disclosure under the Regulations is not just to the requester, but also to the world at large, and thus places that information into the public domain

Regulation 13(1) provides that personal data shall not be disclosed if one of the conditions in Regulation 13(2A), (2B) or (3A) are satisfied. In this case Regulation 13 (2A)(a) is met because disclosure of this information would amount to a breach of the fair processing provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, therefore, by virtue of Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations, the Council is exempt from any obligation to disclose the redacted information 

Request reference: FOI 10665

Issue date: 17.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested in Excel or an equivalent machine-readable format) the following information in respect of suppliers which were not paid in within 30 days for the period starting 1 April 2023 to the date of this request:

1. Supplier Name

2. Invoice Date

3. Gross Invoice Value

4. Payment Date

5. Late Payment Compensation or Interest Paid (if any)

Response provided:

Applicant provided with the information held in Excel format, with some personal data redacted (where it related to a Sole Trader/Individual) under Section 40 of the Act (personal information)

Request reference: EIR 10666

Issue date: 17.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following with regards to the property: Mairsco, Saunton, EX33 1LG:

1. Is the Council aware whether the site or nearby land is recorded as Contaminated Land or due for inspection under the Part 2A regime?
2. Is the Council aware of any known, ground/groundwater contamination which may present a potential risk of harm to the proposed development or require specific investigation?
3. Is the Council aware of any underground tanks or contaminated land uses on or close to the site?

Response provided:

The Council’s Environmental Protection team provided the following response, together with a site map and GQIS contaminated land report in Excel for the site

This department does not hold any other records regarding potentially contaminated land in this area. It is advised 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 

Request reference: FOI 10670

Issue date: 16.07.25

Request received: 

1. The number of former employees at your council who were made redundant and were rehired between 2020 and 2025. To be clear, I am interested in employees who were rehired during that period, not who both left and were rehired during that period

2. For each employee, please specify: (i) when they were made redundant; (ii) what position they were made redundant from; (iii) what redundancy payment they received; (iv) when they were rehired; (v) what position they were rehired into

Response provided:

1. Zero

2. N/A 

Request reference: FOI 10672

Issue date: 01.07.25

Request received: 

For Longmead, Lynton, Devon, EX35 6DQ:

1. How many properties are listed for Council Tax?

2. How many properties are listed for the 2nd Home Premium?

3. How many properties are listed for the Empty Home?

4. How many properties are listed for Business Rates?

 

Response provided:

As at 01.07.25:

1. 20

2. One

3. Zero

4. Two

Request reference: FOI 10673

Issue date: 17.07.25

Request received: 

The following details regarding all currently licensed Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles registered with North Devon Council. Specifically, the following information for each vehicle: 

1. Vehicle registration number

2. Make and model

3. Licence issue date

4. Licence expiry date

Response provided:

Applicant provided with the requested information in Excel format  

Request reference: FOI 10674

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

1. A copy of the original lease agreement, made with Christie Devon Estate around 2002, regarding the building within which the toilets at Saunton Sands are contained

2. A copy of any service agreements, statement of obligations or any similar document, with Christie Devon Estate relating to this building or this site

3. The total amount of payments made from the date of signature of this lease and any other agreements related to the site to date broken down by:

a) payments from NDDC to Christie Devon Estate for the lease

b) Payments from NDDC to Christie Devon Estate for services 

c) Payments from Christie Devon Estate to NDDC under the lease

d) Payments from Christie Devon Estate to NDDC for services 

4. A copy of the recent compromise agreement with Christie Devon Estate releasing NDDC from the obligations under the lease together with a copy of any other agreements between the parties named in this agreement

5. Details of all payments made by NDDC under the above agreements

6. A copy of the advice (both external legal and that given by officers) given to Councillors recommending the acceptance of the compromise agreement releasing NDDC of their obligations under the lease

7. A copy of the minutes of any NDDC meetings where it was agreed to enter into the original lease agreement and the minutes of any NDDC meetings where the recent compromise agreement 

Please note: where the above request refers to Christie Devon Estates, please take this as to include any agreement with a party related in any way with this trust or the Christie Family or any other company with ownership of the land on which Saunton Sands car park toilets stand

Response provided:

1. Applicant provided with a copy of the requested lease dated 11.09.2002 

2. Applicant advised that the Council does not hold anything further, other than the lease as disclosed in response to 1 above which sets out all obligations

3. Applicant advised that the Council’s Accountancy team carried out a search on its Debtors system and confirmed that they have not identified any records of any payments that fall within the scope of the request dating back to 2006/07. Records prior to this date are no longer held, as per the Council’s Document Retention policy

4. Applicant informed that the Council does not hold any compromise agreement with Christie Devon Estate; however the Council did confirm that a surrender document of the lease is currently being prepared by Christie Devon Estate which the Council is awaiting receipt of. Therefore, at this time of response, the Council does not hold this information

5. N/A

6. Applicant advised that the Council did not provided any specific advice to Councillors beyond the report that is already published on the Council’s website (link provided in response to 7 below). This includes a link to the Council’s YouTube page where a recording of the meeting can be found

7. Applicant provided with copies of the Cabinet minutes dated 23.07.2001 and 31.10.2001 regarding the 2002 lease agreement

Applicant also referred to the Council website for the report by the Head of Environmental Enhancement and minutes (14) of the Strategy and Resources Committee of 2 June 2025 which discuss the transfer of the toilets 

Request reference: FOI 10677

Issue date: 18.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant’s request arises out of a report that Kent County Council has a Trans Awareness Course on its intranet which, among other things, states that “sex is what appears on the outside of a person…gender comes from the inside”. That "there is no UK law saying men must use male toilets or women female ones." Also, that its staff are warned that “referring to someone using incorrect pronouns” would be a "microaggression."

1. Does the Council have any similar material available on its intranet? Specifically, any training video or other resources which reference transgender issues, pronouns, "microaggressions" or "unconscious bias"?

2. If so, please provide copies of any such materials

3. What legal advice has been given (if any) as to the accuracy of the claims made in any such training resources given this Supreme Court ruling in April?

Response provided:

1. No

2. N/A

3. N/A 

Request reference: FOI 10676

Issue date: 22.07.25

Request received: 

Details relating to the Councils Section 106 spending; specifically, the following for each of the last 5 years:

1. The total amount of unspent S106 funding 

2. The number of transport schemes funded by S106 in each financial year and the name of the corresponding schemes. 

3. The amount of S106 funding allocated to specific transport schemes during each financial year.

4. Deadline for expenditure of S106 funds 

5. The amount of funds returned to developers due to expiry or inaction

6. The amount of unspent funding at the end of each financial year which had been allocated to a transport scheme

7. The amount of S106 funding allocated specifically to sustainable transport [mobility solutions] schemes in each financial year and the name of the corresponding schemes

8. The amount of S106 funding unspent specifically allocated to sustainable transport schemes [mobility solutions] in each financial year

Response provided:

1. Applicant provided with this information in Excel format
2. This information is not held. Applicant directed to Devon County Council as section 106 funding for transport infrastructure is paid direct Devon County Council
3. As 2 above
4. As 2 above
5. As 2 above
6. As 2 above
7. As 2 above
8. As 2 above

Request reference: FOI 10678

Issue date: 21.07.25

Request received: 

For the local authority area, the following information regarding children (aged 0-18) currently living in temporary accommodation who have been identified as disabled:

Primary Data Request:

1. Total number of disabled children currently in temporary accommodation (or as of the most recent date for which data is available - please specify the date) 

Breakdown Information (if held):

2. Disability categories - breakdown by type of disability using your authority's recording system (e.g., physical disability, learning disability, autism spectrum conditions, sensory impairments, mental health conditions, multiple disabilities)

 3. Demographics:

    - Age ranges (e g 0-5, 6-11, 12-17 years)

   - Gender breakdown

 4. Accommodation details (if recorded):

    - Types of temporary accommodation (e g Bed and Breakfast, hostels, temporary housing units)

   - Average length of stay in temporary accommodation

 Historical Data:

5. Annual figures for the past 10 years (2014-2024) showing trends in numbers of disabled children in temporary accommodation, or for whatever period records are available

Response provided:

The Council’s Housing team provided the following response, however they advised that that this is based upon what is physically recorded where the information has been volunteered by the applicable clients, however at present the Council is not required to record this data for every client they deal with: 

1. Seven as at 30 June 2025

2. Physical ill health and disability/history of mental health problems/learning disability

3. 0 – 5 years = Two

    6 – 11 years = One

    12 – 17 years = Four

Female = Five

Male = Two

4. Temporary Housing units = Seven

15 weeks

5. 01/04/2018 - 31/03/2019 = 0

    01/04/2019 - 31/03/2020 = 0

    01/04/2020 - 31/03/2021 = 0

    01/04/2021 - 31/03/2022 = 0

    01/04/2022 - 31/03/2023 = 0

    01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 = 1

    01/04/2024 - 31/03/2025 = 0

    01/04/2025 - 30/06/2025 = 6 

Request reference: FOI 10679

Issue date: 22.07.25

Request received: 

1. The name of the software provider currently used by your council for asset management (including but not limited to property, infrastructure, or fleet assets)

2. The name and job title of the person responsible for overseeing or managing this asset management software internally

Response provided:

1. Corporate Assets – Civica CPM (Civica Property Management) 

    ICT Assets – TopDesk

2. Civica CPM – Property Services team, 01271 388285

    TopDesk – Andy Tapp, ICT Manager, 01271 388282

Request reference: FOI 10680

Issue date: 01.07.25

Request received: 

Date range of information requested: 

Phase 1: July 2021 - March 2023

Phase 2: April 2023 - March 2025

1. How many ex-offenders have been housed using the funding allocated to your local authority? Please give figures for each phase separately if applicable

2. Please give information on how much funding was spent in the following areas. (a) Rent and deposits; (b) Incentives for landlords to join the scheme; (c) Dedicated support staff such as landlord liaison and tenancy support/sustainment officers. Please give figures for each phase separately if applicable

3. If funding was used as incentives for landlords, how many ex-offenders did those landlords house. This can be given as one total amount. Please give figures for each phase separately if applicable

4. If the total amount allocated to your local authority as part of the AFEO scheme has not been used, please give details of how much remains unspent. One total figure is acceptable

5. If the total amount allocated to your local authority has not been used, please give details of what is to be done with the remainder of the funding

Response provided:

1. Please note North Devon Council were awarded Phase 2 only.  11 moved into private rented tenancies and 13 into supported accommodation
2. 76,000 was spent on staffing costs, £13,646 was spent on a) and b) there is no separate breakdown for this
3. The only available information is listed in 2 above.  A separate breakdown of this data was not collected
4. £14,353 unspent
5. The underspend has been transferred and ring fenced for spending in 2025/26

Request reference: FOI 10681

Issue date: 07.07.25

Request received: 

1. Why are trees being destroyed in North Devon area, recently in Roundswell area of Barnstaple and in the last fortnight in the Severn Brethren area of Barnstaple by the old leisure centre?

2. Why is this carried out covertly overnight, and by what contractor’s and agencies?

3. What plans do the NDDC have for the rest of this year and beyond for the further destruction of trees in the whole geographical area of north Devon, which presumably comes under your jurisdiction?

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provided the following response:

1. The trees at Seven Brethren have been felled to facilitate the flood defence works required to support this part of the town and the residential development on Seven Brethren 

Planning application numbers 65312 and 79913 referenced the flood defence works and numbers 73606 and 76784 the residential development and included the removal of the trees

These applications were approved and included public consultation. As part of the planning permissions, a schedule of replanting and soft landscaping has been agreed to mitigate the loss of these existing trees. This includes the planting of nearly 8,000 new hedging whips, 103 new trees, and the installation of 18 bird and bat boxes

The land is now under lease (and a small part under license) to Tarka Living Limited (TLL) who are delivering both the flood works and the residential development on this land. They have confirmed that as part of the works all protective fencing has been installed around existing trees and because of the timing of these works, an ecologist has been on site to check for any ecology before any trees can be felled

The area within Roundswell to which you refer was work undertaken by Devon County Council, therefore you will need to contact their Information Governance team direct for further details regarding this, North Devon Council does not hold this information

2. TLL are working with Wedgewood who are carrying out the works. They confirm that no works have been carried out overnight. Only on Friday 27th June 2025 did works go on until 7pm and that has been the latest finish

3. The Parks team confirms that it will be removing dead or dying ash trees from the Council’s estate but is subject to survey work over the summer. They use the Suffolk ash health system to determine at what point a tree should be removed and will aim to retain as many as possible with replanting to be undertaken in suitable locations. Since 2023, the Council has planted 24,000 trees 

Request reference: FOI 10682

Issue date: 01.07.25

Request received: 

1. In the 2024/25 financial year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) how many new homes of any tenure did the council complete?   

1) a) Please can you provide a breakdown of those new build completions, by tenure (for example, how many were social rent, shared ownership, market sale, temporary accommodation, etc)

2) If the council has a council-owned housing company, in the 2024/25 financial year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) how many new homes of any tenure did the company complete?   

2) a) Please can you provide a breakdown of those completions, by tenure (for example, how many were social rent, shared ownership, market sale, temporary accommodation, etc)   

3) How many homes does the council expect to build in the next five years (i e from April 2025-March 2030).  

4) If the council has a council-owned housing company, how many homes does it expect to build in the next five years (April 2025-March 2030)   

Response provided:

1. Nil, a) Not Applicable

2. Nil, a) Not Applicable

3.  A report was taken to the Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee in May 2025.  Page 9 touches on the number of units of housing – in total there are 10 – being developed at Boutport Street, Barnstaple. The report can be found at 12 May 2025 Report

4. Nil

Request reference: FOI 10683

Issue date: 02.07.25

Request received: 

1. The number of council administered public toilets in your area in 2016

2. The number of council administered public toilets in your area in June 2025

3. Whether any council administered public toilets in your area charge for admission

4. If you run a Community Toilet Scheme, how many businesses have signed up to this

5. Any policy regarding public use of toilets in council-owned and run buildings, such as libraries or sports centres

Response provided:

1. 26 Public Conveniences in 2016 

2. 22 Public Conveniences as at June 2025

3. Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council have installed charging at 3 Public Conveniences

4. North Devon Council does not have a community toilet scheme

5. North Devon Council Does not have a policy for use of toilets in council owned and run buildings.  The Council-run Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon has toilets and non-visitors may be allowed in if they are in need of facilities. Parkwood run North Devon leisure centres.  Toilets are for users of leisure centres only and public use at Parkwood’s discretion. Likewise, North Devon Theatres are operated by Landmark Theatres and toilets are available for public use at their discretion

Request reference: FOI 10686

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

The number of domestic disputes/complaints that have been recorded with you in the year 01.06.2024 - 01.06.2025 in Excel format, broken down by:

1. Date dd/mm/yy 

2. Complaint type i e noise complaint, litter/fly tipping, harassment, property dispute, other (please state where possible) 

3. Postcode (if possible) 

4. Outcome (where possible. Please state if dispute is ongoing)

Response provided:

The Council’s Environmental Protection team provided the following response from 01.06.2024 - 01.06.2025:

Noise complaints. Applicant provided with an Excel spreadsheet which provides a summary of noise complaints that were categorised as ‘Residential’

Litter complaints – The team does not record litter complaints in a way as to be able to accurately report on which ones were regarding domestic premises or not

Fly tipping – 26 reports of fly tipping were classified as being on private residential land

Property disputes – This is not information that is recorded 

Request reference: FOI 10687

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

1. Street Lighting

1. The names of any companies contracted to carry out street lighting installation, repair, and maintenance services, including any subcontractors
2. If applicable, the name of the person responsible for your Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) for this service
3. Do you employ any street lighting operatives directly? If so, please provide the number of directly employed staff in this team

2. Grounds Maintenance Services

1. The names of any companies contracted to carry out grounds maintenance services, including subcontractors
2. The name of the person responsible for the DLO (if applicable)
3. Do you employ any grounds maintenance staff directly? If so, please confirm how many individuals are currently employed within this team

3. Property/Asset Maintenance Services

1. The names of companies contracted for property or asset maintenance services, including subcontractors
2. The name of the DLO lead (if applicable)
3. Do you employ any property/asset maintenance operatives directly? If so, please provide the headcount

4. Housing Association Maintenance Services

1. The names of any companies contracted to provide responsive, planned, or void maintenance for housing associations linked to your authority, including subcontractors
2. The name of the DLO lead or relevant contact (if your authority manages or supports such services)
3. Do you employ housing maintenance operatives directly? If so, please provide the number of directly employed staff within these teams

5. Highways Maintenance Services

1. The names of any companies contracted for highways and road maintenance services, including subcontractors
2. The name of the person responsible for the DLO (if applicable)
3. Do you employ highways maintenance operatives directly? If so, please confirm how many are currently employed

Response provided:

Street Lighting (1) and Highways Maintenance Services (5) - This information covering North Devon is held by Devon County Council, therefore the applicant was directed to their Information Governance team for response

Grounds Maintenance Services (2)

1. This is provided in-house by the Council
2. N/A
3. The Council employs 11 grounds maintenance staff

Property/Asset Maintenance Services (3)

1. The Council does not have a single contract for maintenance; instead this is carried out ad hoc, depending on the work/project
2. N/A
3. No

Housing Association Maintenance Services (4) -, The Council has no direct dealings for maintenance of Housing Association property. The Council’s housing stock was transferred to North Devon Homes Ltd in February 2000 

Request reference: FOI 10688

Issue date: 16.07.25

Request received: 

A copy of the Council’s current (up to date) scheme for awarding and calculating Council Tax Reduction/Council Tax Support

Response provided:

Applicant directed to the Council’s website for this information that is published:

CTR Resources

Request reference: EIR 10689

Issue date: 17.07.25

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX36 3JD

Response provided:

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

Request reference: FOI 10690

Issue date: 02.07.25

Request received: 

1. Does the council collect data on how many of its residents are living full-time in a caravan?

2. If yes, what is the most recent data on how many such residents there are? Please specify the time period for which this figure applies, and any relevant detail on how it was calculated – e g is it number of residents or number of households?

3. Is it known what proportion of caravan dwellers are from Gypsy or Traveller communities? If yes, please specify the proportion

4. If data is not formally collected on residents living full-time in a caravan, is the council aware of whether there are any such residents locally?

5. Has the council ever used caravans to temporarily accommodate people who would otherwise be homeless? If so, how many people are currently housed in this way?

6. Does the council have strategic plans which incorporate the use of caravans as temporary accommodation?

7. Is the council taking any actions to assure itself of the electrical safety of caravans being used as dwellings? If yes, please briefly detail the types of actions being taken

8. In the past 12 months, has the council offered caravan dwellers any specific advice or support on electrical safety in their vehicle?

9. Does the council collect any information on a) how caravan dwellers are accessing electricity and b) which electrical items they are using? If so, please share details

10. Into the remit of which a) councillor/s and b) officer/s does the wellbeing and safety of caravan dwellers fall?

Response provided:

1. None  

2. N/A

3. Unknown

4. Data is not collated in relation to the number of these

5. No

6. No

7. No direct action but the council does work with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue who offer advice and home safety visits

8. No

9. No

10. The Outreach team who sit within Environmental Health and Housing

Request reference: FOI 10691

Issue date: 25.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested information concerning the once council owned Beech Tree estate in Brayford, EX32 7QJ for the period 1951 to 2018:

1. What, if any, records are on file relating to the estate, the construction of a driveway und turning area and any permission or rights granted upon the land

2. When Plot 1 and Plot 4 became privately owned under the 1980 Right to Buy Scheme?

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information regarding the Beech Tree estate, Brayford. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provided the following response:

1. Applicant was provided with a PDF document which provides all of the information that is held by the Council in relation to the estate. It is noted however that it does not contain anything in relation to the construction or permissions/rights

2. This information was provided to the applicant in the Council’s response to their request under FOI 10072 answered in September 2024, however for completeness the applicant was resupplied with the following:

Plot 1 – 04.05.1982

Plot 4 – 19.08.1992

Request reference: FOI 10692

Issue date: 29.07.25

Request received: 

The following information regarding Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) in the council’s area:

1. Over the past two years (from June 2023 to June 2025), how many PCNs have been issued by CEOs where the observation time recorded was zero minutes (i.e. where the start and end of observation are recorded as the same time), broken down by contravention code and by month/year, if available

2. If available, a copy of the council’s policy or internal guidance regarding observation periods, particularly for contravention code 11 - “Parked without payment of the parking charge”

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provided the following response:

1. The Council’s Parking team confirmed that they do not having the ability to be able to extract this information easily from the Parking system they use to process PCNs; therefore the only way in which they would be able to respond to this part of the request would require an officer to carry out a manual search of every PCN issued during the requested period of June 2023 to June 2025. 13,921 PCNs were issued by the Parking team during this period and they estimate that they would require 1 minutes per PCN to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the information for the request, where held/recorded

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for Local Authorities is set at £450 by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours at £25 per hour in determining whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and collating the information

It has been estimated by the Parking team that it would take approximately 232 hours to provide a response to this part of the request. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Parking team and therefore the Council was unable to process this part of 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

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, the Council has considered if there is any other way in which the request could be answered or refined in order to bring it under the 18 hour cost limit, however it has been unable to as the information is not recorded separately or in a way in which it is easily extractable from the Parking system using a report or search facility. The only way would be via a manual search as explained above which would thus exceed the cost limit of 18 hours to complete

2. Code 11 “Parked without payment of the parking charge” is not a contravention that the Council’s Off-Street (car parks) parking team uses, however the applicant was advised to contact Devon County Council as they are responsible for On-Street parking enforcement within North Devon 

Request reference: FOI 10693

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

The following about complaints received about second homes for the following financial years, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 to date:

1. The number of complaints received by the council relating to second homes

2. If recorded, a breakdown or summary of the types of issues raised in these complaints (e g disputes over second home classification, objections to second home premiums, requests for reclassification as sole or main residence, etc)

3. Please include any copies of any complaints (with redactions made to ensure confidentiality is maintained)

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it may hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council’s Revenues team provided the following response:

As at 30 June 2025, the Revenues team had 1,791 second home cases. In order to be able to answer the request would require a Revenues officer to manually go through each of these cases to determine identify, locate, retrieve any information fall within the remit of the request

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for Local Authorities is set at £450 by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours at £25 per hour in determining whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and collating the information. It is estimated that a minimum of five minutes per case would be required

It has been estimated by the Revenues team that it would take approximately 149 hours to provide the requested information. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Revenues team; therefore the Council is unable to process this part of 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

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, the Council has considered where is any other way in which the request could be answered or refined in order to bring it under the 18 hour cost limit, however it has been unable to as the information is not recorded separately or in a way in which it is easily extractable from the Revenues system using a report or search facility. The only way would be via a manual search as explained above which would thus exceed the cost limit of 18 hours to complete 

Request reference: FOI 10694

Issue date: 25.07.25

Request received: 

Details of the council’s cleaning contracts to understand how public funds are being allocated and managed in relation to facilities maintenance. This includes gaining insight into the procurement process, contract values, service standards, and contractor performance. Please provide detailed responses to the following questions for all current/live contracts related to cleaning of the following categories:

• 90910000 - Cleaning services

• 90911200 - Building-cleaning services

• 90911300 - Window-cleaning services

• 90919200 - Office cleaning services

Questions include: 

1. What is the total value of the contract awarded to the successful bidder?

2. What is the duration of the contract, including start and end dates?

3. If the contract is subject to an extension please specify whether the option to apply the extension has been taken

4. Please confirm when contract will be next put to competitor tender

5. What are the specific services or products provided under this contract?

6. What were the criteria used to select the contractor?

7. How many bids were received for this contract?

8. Can you provide a copy of the winning bid proposal?

9. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) specified in the contract?

10. Are there any penalties or incentives included in the contract for performance?

11. What is the payment schedule for the contract?

12. Were there any amendments or modifications made to the original contract? If so, what were they?

13. What is the process for monitoring and evaluating the contractor's performance?

14. Can you provide details of any subcontractors involved in fulfilling this contract?

15. What are the terms and conditions regarding contract termination?

16. Were there any conflicts of interest declared during the procurement process?

17. What measures are in place to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations?

18. Can you provide a breakdown of the costs associated with this contract?

19. What are the expected outcomes or deliverables of the contract?

20. How does this contract align with the public sector body's strategic objectives?

21. Were there any disputes or issues raised during the contract period? If so, how were they resolved?

22. Can you provide details of any audits or reviews conducted on this contract?

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response for the contract it has in place for the cleaning of buildings and offices with Direct Cleaning Services as published on the Council’s Contract Register

1. As per the link above
2. As per the link above
3. As per the link above
4. This is not currently known. The Contract will be due to be reviewed from 31.05.26 as per link above
5. The cleaning of buildings and offices.
6. Tender returns were scored on different criteria including cost, performance and compliance
7. Nine
8. The Council confirms that whilst it holds this information, it is unable to disclose this to you. The release of this information falls under Section 43(2) which states that information is exempt if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). In this instance, the Council considers that it would compromise Direct Cleaning Services commercial interests and in turn, the Council itself

Direct Cleaning Services consider the winning bid proposal that they submitted to be commercially sensitive. They inform the Council that this document, in its current form would enable competing service providers, including those who may be actively bidding against them elsewhere, to gain insight into their business model, pricing rationale, and service design, thus materially damaging their ability to compete fairly in the marketplace

Whilst they acknowledge the need to balance commercial confidentiality with public interest, they believe in this case that the prejudice that would be caused to their legitimate commercial interests outweigh the benefits of disclosure

More specifically, Direct Cleaning Services wish to highlight the following:

• Operational Methodologies and Processes: The written submission outlines their internal methods, procedures, innovations, and service delivery strategies which are unique to their organisation. These are the core elements that differentiate them from competitors in competitive tendering exercises. Disclosure of this information would effectively place their intellectual property into the public domain, enabling competitors to replicate their approach without incurring the cost or expertise required to develop these methods

• Pricing Structure and Commercial Costings: The tender includes their detailed pricing model, which reflects years of experience, internal cost control mechanisms, and business-specific mark-ups. This pricing methodology is not publicly available and disclosing it would provide direct commercial advantage to competitors, potentially skewing future procurement exercises and undermining the competitive process 

• Client-Specific Proposals: The submission contains tailored solutions that were developed specifically in response to North Devon Council’s requirements. Disclosing such content risks harming the integrity of the bespoke service offered and sets a precedent that may deter innovation in future tenders

The Council acknowledges that this request may not be made to seek this information for competitive purpose, however a disclosure under the FOIA would effectively place the information into the public domain and so that would set a precedent for any future requests for such information

Public Interest Test

The Council must apply the Public Interest Test when applying the above exemption which requires me to decide whether, in all the circumstances in the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information

Arguments for Disclosure

It is recognised the disclosure of the information would facilitate openness, transparency and accountability, allowing you and the wider public to be better informed of the spending of public money through the Council’s procurement of its goods and services

Arguments for Withholding

The Council does not hold the necessary consent of Direct Cleaning Services to disclose the information. The release of the information would jeopardise the Council’s future relationship with Direct Cleaning Services and negatively affect its positive working relationship that it has developed since the contract was awarded

A disclosure against the wishes of Direct Cleaning Services would leave the Council open to costly future legal challenge should they determine/evidence/link a disclosure with any adverse/detrimental harm to their business and their ability to win future contracts. The future implications that a disclosure would have on the Council and the potential harm it would ultimately have on its working relationships it has with its other suppliers would more than likely occur should it become public knowledge that the Council is making confidential information publicly available against the wishes of its suppliers. This in turn would lead to suppliers and potential suppliers being reluctant to share sensitive information of this nature and would make it increasingly difficult for the Council to procure future goods and services effectively

If the Council is unable to consider all of the required information that it needs in order to make a well balanced and informed decision, this would likely lead to tenders taking longer to process as there would be more time spent corresponding and negotiating with potential suppliers to obtain information that they require. There could well be instances where, depending on the nature of some tender exercises, the Council is unable to procure some goods and services for fear (on the part of the supplier/potential supplier) that the Council may make their commercially sensitive information publicly available/disclose it against their wishes

The Council does not have any provision or right under the Act to be able to verify the identity of information request applicants to ascertain that they are who they say they are when they submit a request to the Council. Therefore the Council cannot be certain that when disclosing information to requesters that may be requesting such information for commercial/competitive gain or in an attempt to undermine a commercial bargaining position in the context of existing or future negotiations. For example, a competitor could very easily create an email account with a false name and the Council would be obliged to respond to that individual in the same way as it is responding to you. Applicants are only required to provide a name and address or response, they are not required to identify the reasons for which they seek information from the Council or identify whether they are a member of the public or an employee/owner of a company

A potential rival competitor could use the information to their advantage and would be valuable commercially as it would provide an insight and assist them in formulating/improving their own business plans. There is a strong public interest in ensuring a level playing field for all parties and that there is fair competition for public sector procurement of goods and services. The Council believes that a disclosure would prejudice both Direct Cleaning Services and itself in the following ways:

- Restrict purchasing position and bargaining power

- Artificially formulated future tenders may be submitted that are not sustainable or effective in practice

- Damage to the wider market place, therefore limiting choice

Balance of Public Interest 

Having taken into account the arguments for and against disclosure, the Council has determined that the public interest in this case is best served by maintaining the exemption and by not disclosing the commercially sensitive information requested under this part of your request in this instance

9. Financial information, Insurance, Technical and professional ability, Health and Safety, Remedial action/enforcement orders
10. Yes
11. Monthly invoices
12. Additional building were added to the schedule at a later date.
13. Continual monitoring of performance and regular catch up meetings
14. N/A
15. End of contract period or failure to provide performance
16. No.
17. This was part of the tender scoring process
18. 2025/26 = £69,086.56
19. The cleaning of buildings and office
20. The contract was procure by open tender to provide best value for money and service levels
21. N/A
22. N/A 

Request reference: FOI 10695

Issue date: 25.07.25

Request received: 

The name of the councillor who was reported in July 2025 as owing over £3,000 in unpaid council tax and currently repaying it through a monthly plan

Response provided:

The Council advised the applicant that is stands by its response as provided to the requester under FOI 10577 on 9 June 2025. The Council provided a redacted copy of its response, in order that they can consider the further detail as to why the Council withheld the identity of the councillor concerned 

Request reference: FOI 10696

Issue date: 29.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested information regarding the implementation and impact of the mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement on planning applications submitted to the council, for the period from 12 February 2024 to the date of the response:

1. Planning Application Decisions:

• The total number of planning applications refused where failure to meet the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain requirement was a primary or contributing reason for refusal

• The total number of planning applications that have been delayed or had a decision withheld pending the submission or approval of a satisfactory BNG plan

2. Length of Delays:

• For the applications delayed due to BNG requirements (as identified in question 1), what has been the average length of the delay, measured in weeks, from the initial target decision date?

3. BNG Enforcement:

• The total number of enforcement actions or formal investigations the council has initiated related to non-compliance with BNG obligations on approved developments

• The total number of financial penalties or fines that have been issued by the council for breaches of BNG requirements and the total monetary value (£) of these penalties

4. Reasons for Planning Delays (Context):

• A list of the five most common reasons cited for delays in determining planning applications within your council since 12 February 2024. If possible, please indicate the percentage of total delays each reason accounts for, to help contextualise the impact of BNG relative to other factors

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provided the following response:

1. Planning application decisions, 2. Length of Delays and 4. Reasons for planning delays

The Council’s Planning system (Mastergov) does not have the necessary search facility to be able to filter Planning Applications which had a BNG requirement and so the only way in which this part of your request can be accurately answered would require an officer within the Planning department to manually search through all 1,037 Full Planning Applications made between 12.02.24 to date (29.07.25). It is estimated that a minimum of 10 minutes per application would be required to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the information (where held) for 1, 2 and 4 of your request

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for Local Authorities is set at £450 by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours at £25 per hour in determining whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and collating the information

It has been estimated by the Planning department that it would take over 172.84 hours to answer these parts of the request; the task of which would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Planning department. Therefore the Council is unable to process these parts of your request any further. As set out in the previous paragraph, the Council has the right to refuse to provide the information in accordance with Section 12 of the Act

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, the Council has considered if there is any other way in which the request could be answered or refined in order to bring it under the 18 hour cost limit, however it has been unable to as the information is not recorded separately or in a way in which it is easily extractable from the Planning system using a report or search facility. The only way would be via a manual search as explained above which would thus exceed the cost limit of 18 hours to complete

3. BNG enforcement 

None for both bullet points 

Request reference: EIR 10697

Issue date: 23.07.25

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3UN

Response provided:

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

Request reference: EIR 10698

Issue date: 10.07.25

Request received: 

A copy of the pre-planning application advice provided by the Council in January 2025 for planning application 80488

Response provided:

Applicant provided with a copy of the advice given with the consent of the individual who sought the advice from the Council’s planning department  

Request reference: FOI 10699

Issue date: 29.07.25

Request received: 

1. How many staff have been granted “wellbeing days” off for the last financial year? If this is only available for a calendar year, please release that data but state that is for the calendar year. If your data is wonderfully up to date, please let me have data up to the latest monthly period. If another term, rather than “wellbeing days” is used to provide staff with a day off after a stressful period, please say the term used

2. Please state the reasons cited for these “wellbeing days” (or whatever term your authority may use). While I understand that nothing should be released that would disclose anyone’s identity, such wellness days may be connected to stress, grief, physical health, mental or emotional health, etc. As such, it may be possible to say how many days were granted for specific types of wellness needs. However, if there are further details that can be released, please state the reasons granted for wellbeing days, for instance some councils have granted them for staff to exercise, take up a mindfulness project, spend time in nature or engage in hobbies. Please include any such examples

3. If you have a website or intranet page about wellbeing days, please could you share it with me?

4. If staff are allowed other elements associated with wellbeing, please specify if not stated in the above public internet links

Response provided:

The Council confirmed to the applicant that it does not offer wellbeing days or the equivalent to its employees 

Request reference: FOI 10700

Issue date: 09.07.25

Request received: 

1. The number of repair requests submitted by tenants of council owned housing that relate specifically to issues of damp or mould between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2025. Please provide figures for 2022, 2023 and 2024

2. The average amount of time taken (in days) between an initial repair request being submitted - relating specifically to issues of damp or mould - and investigation by the council (or council sub-contractors) between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2025. Please provide figures for 2022, 2023 and 2024

3. The average amount of time taken (in days) for the council (or council sub-contractors) to complete a repair for damp or mould between 1st January 2022 and 1st January 2025. Please provide figures for 2022, 2023 and 2024

4. The total number of complaints received by tenants of council owned housing, relating to repairs for damp and mould i e because repairs have not been completed or repairs have not been completed to a suitable standard

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does not hold any of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council confirmed that its former social housing stock was transferred to North Devon Homes Ltd as of 21.02.2000, therefore it no longer holds this information

Whilst the Council does hold a small stock (18 properties) of housing for the provision of Temporary Accommodation (TA), this is provided to TA clients as occupiers under licence and so are not tenants 

Request reference: FOI 10701

Issue date: 15.07.25

Request received: 

1. Any changes to the council tax for furnished homes not used as a sole or main residence (also known as second homes) under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023

2. The rate of the premium, as a percentage or multiplier of the standard council tax rate

3. Number of second homes at start of financial year

4. Number of holiday-let properties registered for business rates at start of financial year

5. Forecast of annual income generated from council tax

6. Any impact assessment(s) carried out on the effect of the second home premium on the local economy

7. Number of appeals against council tax on second homes to date

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response:

1. A premium is charged from 01.04.2025

2. Twice the standard Council Tax rate

3. 1,999

4. 1,575

5. The total budgeted income from Council Tax for 2025/26 = £8,162,000, of which £353,000 was estimated to come from the second homes premium

6. No, this was not required as part of implementing the premium

7. This information is not recorded in a way in which it can be easily provided. It would require an officer to carry out a manual search on all 1,999 accounts (as per response to Q3) to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the applicable information, spending a minimum of five minutes on each account

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for Local Authorities is set at £450 by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours at £25 per hour in determining whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and collating the information

It has been estimated by the Revenues team that it would take over 166 hours to provide the requested information. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Revenues team; therefore the Council is unable to process this part of 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

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act, the Council has considered where is any other way in which the request could be answered or refined in order to bring it under the 18 hour cost limit, however it has been unable to as the information is not recorded separately or in a way in which it is easily extractable from the Revenues system using a report or search facility

Request reference: EIR 10702

Issue date: 23.07.25

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3UE

Response provided:

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

Request reference: FOI 10703

Issue date: 29.07.25

Request received: 

1. The number of applications made for HMOs for the years 2018 - 2025 and the number of HMOs registered in your local authority area for the years 2018 - 2025 (number as of 1st January of each year)

2. The number of sanctions issued by your local authority for the years 2018 - 2025 for unlicensed HMOs, broken down by sanction type (banning order, fine, repayment order etc)

3. The number of complaints made about HMOs in your area for the years 2018 - 2025 and the number of these complaints which resulted in enforcement action being taken

4. The number of HMO licenses revoked for the years 2018 - 2025

Response provided:

1.   Applications received (including withdrawn applications):

2018: 7

2019: 4

2020: 3

2021: 8

2022: 21   

2023: 16

2024: 18

2025: 9 (up to 23/07/2025) 

HMOs registered:

2018: 29

2019: 36

2020: 37

2021: 33

2022: 29

2023: 32

2024: 48

2025: 57 (up to 23/07/2025)

2. 2018: 2 x Prosecutions

    2021/2022: 1 x RRO, 1 x CPN

3. 2022: 1 

    2023: 9 

    2024: 19

   2025: 11 (up to 23/07/2025)                          

Please note, we do not hold specific HMO related data for 2018 – 2021 (we changed our data reporting in 2022). We only hold the total number of all PSH complaints for 2018-2021

The following number of Notices/Orders were issued in these years relating to HMOs: 

2018: 7 x Notices / Orders

2019: 6 x Notices

2020: 4 x Notices / Orders

2021: 1 x Order

2022: 2 x Notices

2023: 1 x Notice 

2024: 2 x Orders

2025: 4 x Notices / Orders

4. The database used did not collect this specific data until 2021. Since then, 0 licences have been revoked 

Request reference: EIR 10704

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

The applicant requested data held relating to the water and wastewater usage and costs within its controlled portfolio/expenditure

Given the Governments focus on water control, reduction and competition, there is a valid public interest in local taxpayers knowing what the UK’s public sector across both local and central Government comprises

For the most recent yearly data to hand: 

1. Your total billed water/sewerage usage?
2. Your total billed water/sewerage cost?
3. Name of your water provider?
4. Are you on a standard water tariff or negotiated/contracted rate i e via a framework/direct?
5. Have you switched water supplier?
6. Have you ever commissioned or undertaken a water and wastewater audit, with a review to reducing your water and wastewater costs?
7. Is funding prohibiting you from implementing a water and wastewater cost reduction project?
8. Have you ever carried out a water consumption benchmark exercise to all of your buildings? If so what is the water consumption per person per year?
9. Do you have a future water strategy, if so, please supply details

Response provided:

Estates/Property Services:

1. 10,630 cubic meters

2. £51,941.52

3. Source for Business

4. Contract

5. Yes, switched in 2024

6. No

7. Not applicable 

8. No 

9. No

 

Temporary Accommodation:

1. Not held. Usage is minimal as charges apply to void periods. Typically fixed charges only

2. £651.25

3. South West Water

4. Standard

5. No, not possible only supply available is SWW for residential properties

6. No

7. No

8. No

9. No

Request reference: EIR 10707

Issue date: 28.07.25

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX36 4HX

Response provided:

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

Request reference: FOI 10708

Issue date: 29.07.25

Request received

1. As of today's date, how many council employees are contracted to work remotely (I e not required to attend a council office regularly)?

2. Of these, how many are currently based outside the UK, either temporarily or permanently? 

3. What policies, if any, does the council have in place regarding staff working from abroad?

Response provided:

1. Nil as at 11.07.25

2. N/A

3. ICT Usage Policy

Request reference: FOI 10709

Issue date: 30.07.25

Request received: 

The amount received by the local authority from the Home Office as part of refugee resettlement schemes for the years 2018 - 2024

The number of individuals within your local authority for whom you receive funding as part of the Home Office refugee resettlement scheme for the years 2018 - 2024

For the year 2024, a full breakdown of expenditure by each of the Home Office listed outcomes - as per the Home Office guidance document released last week - including the contractor providing the service

These ‘outcomes’ include:

Provision of accommodation - how much spent, which contractors?

Accommodation furnishings - how much spent, on what, which suppliers?

Casework support - how much spent, which providers?

English language provision for adults - how much spent, which providers?

Integration - what activities are included within this, how much spent, which providers?

Job seeking and welfare support - how much spent?

Please also indicate, the total value of year two - five funding claimed by your authority for refugees in your area, and how many refugees this covered

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does hold some of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council provides the following response:

1. Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) = Total to date: £1,101,750

    Homes for Ukraine (HFU) = Total to Date: £1,268,540

2. ARAP: 89  HFU: 214

3. As follows:

Provision of accommodation - how much spent, which contractors? = £0

Accommodation furnishings - how much spent, on what, which suppliers? = (HFU) £24,375.57 - this includes furniture, white goods and blinds. Suppliers - Barrow & Clark, Hometech, Kathryn Jane Interiors, Bideford carpets

Casework support - how much spent, which providers? = HFU: £157,200, ARAP: £256,600

The above amounts cover both integration and casework support, as we outsource our wraparound support to the Pickwell Foundation. We do not hold a full breakdown of costs from Pickwell to distinguish between the two

English language provision for adults - how much spent, which providers? = £12,516.67 - the Pickwell Foundation

Integration - what activities are included within this, how much spent, which providers? = See above - we commission the Pickwell Foundation to provide all wraparound integration support. Deliverables include comprehensive support to access all local services, monitor and support integration, and providing support in accessing ESOL, employment and move on housing

Job seeking and welfare support - how much spent? = £0

4. £0 for years 2-5 claimed

Request reference: FOI 10711

Issue date: 15.07.25

Request received: 

With regard to the Osborne Hotel, Wilder Road, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9AQ:

1. The name of the individual or entity liable to pay non-domestic rates in respect of the Site from: 28 February 2022 until 18 June 2024 (Relevant Period)

2. If more than one individual or entity is/was liable to pay non domestic rates in respect of the Site during the Relevant Period, please confirm:

a. The name of each individual/entity

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

Response provided:

28.02.2022 - 30.04.2023 = DMC Apartments Ltd, 31- 41 Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4J

01.05.2023 onwards = Monroe Apartments Ltd, Suite 178, 372 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

Request reference: FOI 10712

Issue date: 25.07.25       

Request received:

For the last three years, information relating to accommodation that has been classed as ‘exempt’. The applicant requested the housing benefit paid for such accommodation, broken down to include housing benefit and service charges as outlined below

Exempt accommodation is defined as: 

1. “Exempt accommodation” is a term used in Housing Benefit and Universal Credit to describe supported accommodation where the rules that normally limit the amount of rent covered by a benefit award do not apply

The usual meaning of “exempt accommodation” is where the accommodation is provided by a Landlord in the social or voluntary sector and the benefit claimant is provided with care, support or supervision by the landlord or by someone acting on the Landlord’s behalf 

A claimant

Occupying exempt accommodation does not have their housing benefit restricted to the local housing allowance

Please disclose the following: 

1. Details of the lowest awarded eligible core rent

2. Details of the highest awarded eligible core rent

3. Details of the lowest awarded gross eligible rent (i e inclusive of the core rent and the eligible service charges); and

4. Please confirm the names of exempt accommodation providers in your area. Please name the providers/landlords who currently hold exempt accommodation status in respect of any of their residents

5. Please confirm the lowest and highest paid for temporary/emergency accommodation on a nightly rate basis and 

6. Please confirm the lowest and highest amount paid to landlords and/or suppliers for temporary/emergency accommodation on a lease basis broken down by property type (table below) 

7. Please can you provide the Head of Temporary/Emergency accommodation (or equivalent position) contact details, including direct e-mail and phone number

Response provided:

The Council provided its response to 1 through 6 in each requested year in Excel format. The applicant was also advised that the Council is only able to provided weekly figures

7. Sarah Bentley, Service Lead (Housing Advice, Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation, 01271 388870 

Request reference: FOI 10713

Issue date: 25.07.25                                               

Request received: 

The following information regarding the maintenance, and funding of public toilets within the local authority area:

1) As of 31 December 2020, how many public toilets were maintained by the council (i e toilets owned or operated directly by the council and open to the public)?

2) As of 30 June 2025, how many public toilets are currently maintained by the council (i e toilets owned or operated directly by the council and open to the public)?

3) For the 2020/21 financial year, what was the total amount spent by the council across all departments on public toilets? (Please include all relevant expenditure such as cleaning, maintenance, repairs, staffing, and utility costs)

4) For the 2024/25 financial year, what was the total amount spent by the council across all departments on public toilets? (Please include all relevant expenditure such as cleaning, maintenance, repairs, staffing, and utility costs)

5) What was the council's total annual budget for the 2020/21 financial year?

6) What was the council's total annual budget for the 2024/25 financial year?

7) Are any public toilets within the council's area the responsibility of other organisations, such as parish or town councils? If so, please list those bodies and the number or location of public toilets they manage (if known)

Response provided:

1. 20 

2. This information is published via the Council's website: public toilets

3. £356,172

4. £354,399

5. £13,380,330 (Total Net Budget)

6. £16,432,690 (Total Net Budget)

7. The Council does not hold/keep a list of toilets that are maintained by outside groups

Request reference: FOI 10715

Issue date: 25.07.25

Request received: 

Section 106 Funding - East Anstey and West Anstey

Provision of the last 10 years income and expenditure for this fund specifically for these two areas to include the current balance available for community project

Response provided:

The Council provided the following information in response, for East and West Anstey covering the last 10 years. The payments are connected with the outline planning application 55662 made for public open space contributions which are in line with Schedule 5 of the Section 106 agreement. A copy of which can be found on the Documents tab via the link provided above

Date Received	Amount Received	Year Spent	Amount Spent	Current Funds Available
27 August 2015	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
01 September 2015	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
03 September 2015	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
06 November 2015	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
25 February 2016	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
10 March 2016	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
07 June 2016	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
16 June 2016	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
20 October 2016	3,104.53	2019/20	-3,104.53	0.00
	27,940.77		-27,940.77	0.00

Request reference: FOI 10723

Issue date: 30.07.25

Request received: 

1. How many complaints have been received by Trading Standards in 2023, 2024 and 2025 (to date) relating to supermarkets selling food past its Use By Date, including any complaints received via Consumer line

2.     For each complaint, please provide:

1. The month and year the complaint was received
2. The name of the supermarket involved (if recorded)
3. A brief description or category of the issue
4. Details of any enforcement or investigative action taken as a result of the complaint

If unable to provide all the requested details due to time/cost limits, please prioritise providing a summary count of complaints by supermarket and year

Environmental Health Department:

1. How many complaints were received in 2023, 2024 and 2025 (to date) about supermarkets selling food past its Use By Date?

2. For each complaint, please provide:

1. The month and year it was received
2. The name of the supermarket (if available)
3. A short description or category of the issue
4. Any enforcement or follow-up action taken

3.     How many food poisoning complaints were received in relation to supermarkets in 2023, 2024 and 2025 (to date)? 

4.     For each report of food poisoning, please provide:

1. The date of the complaint
2. The supermarket involved
3. The product in question (if known)
4. Any outcome or action taken, including whether the case was confirmed as food poisoning

Please provide the answer in a spreadsheet

Response provided:

Trading Standards – Applicant referred to Devon County Council as this service covering North Devon falls under their responsibility

Environmental Health department – Applicant provided with an Excel spreadsheet with one complaint identified for the requested period. Also advised that the Council’s Customer Services team have been advised to redirect enquiries/complaints of this nature straight to Trading Standards, hence the low number of enquiries to report

Request reference: FOI 10728

Issue date: 23.07.25

Request received: 

1. Has the local authority adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and, if so, when did it adopt this tax?
2. How much money received via CIL payments is currently held, unspent, by the local planning authority?
3. How much of this sum has been allocated for infrastructure projects and how much is currently unallocated?
4. What is the current interest rate percentage that the local authority receives for holding unspent CIL money?
5. What was the monetary value of the interest accrued from unspent CIL monies for the financial year 2023/24?
6. Are CIL funds ring-fenced for community infrastructure projects?
7. Is the interest generated from unspent CIL monies directed towards the local authority’s general fund?          
8. What is the rate (£ per square metre) that the local authority charges for CIL-liable development?
9. How many planning applications for main residences were liable for CIL in 2023/24?
10. What percentage of property developments with 10 or more residential dwellings were liable for CIL in 2023/24?

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it is not a CIL charging authority, therefore it does not hold information that would enable it to provide a response to the questions above

Request reference: FOI 10730

Issue date: 24.07.25

Request received: 

Locations of dog waste bins in North Devon

Response provided:

Applicant provided with this information in Excel format, providing the Eastings and Northings for each bin 

Request reference: FOI 10732

Issue date: 30.07.25

Request received: 

The following information regarding Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) on land owned by the council:

Tree Preservation Orders Issued:

Please provide a list of all Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) that have been issued by you on land owned by the council within the last three years (24 July 2022 to 24 July 2025). For each TPO, please include:

 The date the TPO was made.

 The location/address of the land on which the TPO was issued.

 A brief description of the tree(s) or woodland covered by the TPO.

 The TPO reference number (if applicable)

Absence of TPOs and Relevant Guidance:

If no TPOs have been issued on council-owned land during the specified period, please confirm this. In such a scenario, or if the number is less than 10, I further request:

 A copy of any policy, procedure, guidance, or instructions used by the council's "trees team" (or equivalent department responsible for tree management) that relates to the consideration or issuance of TPOs on land owned by the council

 Specifically, please indicate if any such guidance or instructions explicitly states or implies that TPOs should not be issued in respect of trees on council-owned land

Policy/Guidance Changes:

If any aspect of the policy, procedure, guidance, or instruction referenced above (regarding TPOs on council-owned land) has changed in respect of how council owned land is treated in the last three years (i e from 24th July 2022 to 24th July 2025), please provide:

Details of the nature of the change(s)

The effective date(s) of these change(s)

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does not hold any of this information

In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council confirmed that it has not issued any Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) on land it owns in the last three years (24.07.22 - 24.07.25)

The Council does not hold any specific policy, procedure, guidance, or instruction for the consideration or issuance of TPOs on land owned by the Council. The last part of the request regarding Policy/guidance changes is therefore Not Applicable

Request reference: FOI 10733

Issue date: 25.07.25

Request received: 

The total monetary value (£) of all Section 106 financial contributions received by North Devon in each of the financial years from 1991/92 to 2019/20. For clarity, the applicant clarified they are requesting the total amount of cash received by the council in each period, not the amounts agreed upon or allocated

Response provided:

Financial Year            Total S106 Contributions Received (£)

1991/92                       Not held

1992/93                       Not held

1993/94                       Not held

1994/95                       Not held

1995/96                       Not held

1996/97                       Not held

1997/98                       Not held

1998/99                       Not held

1999/2000                   Not held

2000/01                       Not held

2001/02                       Not held

2002/03                       £111,039

2003/04                       £49,560

2004/05                       £145,840

2005/06                       £356,392

2006/07                       £125,269

2007/08                       £528,545

2008/09                       £53,401

2009/10                       £304,560

2010/11                       £322,431

2011/12                       £310,509

2012/13                       £458,399

2013/14                       £75,971

2014/15                       £185,292

2015/16                       £700,241

2016/17                       £787,770

2017/18                       £723,636

2018/19                       £786,399

2019/20                       £1,765,591

Request reference: FOI 10738

Issue date: 30.7.25

Request received: 

Any correspondence between the Council’s Senior Solicitor and Monitoring Officer and the court with regard Planning Application 79124. The requester carried out a Judicial Review and wanted to see what the Senior Solicitor and Monitoring Officer wrote

Response provided:

Applicant advised that the Senior Solicitor and Monitoring Officer confirmed that there is no correspondence between them and the court as the matter was allocated to another member of the Legal team to deal with. The applicant was asked By “Senior Solicitor and Monitoring Officer” was the intention that they wish to see correspondence between the Council’s Legal team and the court and that any such correspondence will very likely have been shared with the requesters solicitor. The applicant responded confirming they will check with their solicitor and did not confirm they wished for the Council to proceed further; therefore the request was closed 

Request reference: FOI 10478

Issue date: 31.07.25

Request received: 

The following information regarding chewing gum removal for the financial years 2019/20 to 2023/24 inclusive:

1. Chewing Gum Removal Costs

a. The total cost incurred by the council for chewing gum removal in each of these years

1.         Area Covered

a.         If recorded, the approximate area cleaned (in square metres) for each year.

1.         External Funding

a.         Has the council received any external funding (e g from DEFRA or Keep Britain Tidy) specifically for chewing gum removal during this period?

b.         If yes, please provide the amount received and year awarded

If Cost Data Is Not Held Separately:

If your authority does not hold chewing gum removal costs separately from general street cleansing budgets, please confirm:

1.         Whether chewing gum removal is carried out at all, and

2.         If so, whether it is delivered as part of broader cleansing operations

Response provided:

The Council’s confirmed that it does not hold any records financial or otherwise that specifically relate to the cleaning of chewing gum and associated costs for the requested years. Any cleaning of chewing gum falls under broader cleansing operations delivered by the Council.