Request reference: EIR 11075

Issue date: 19.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested information regarding Planning Application 80716 and also associated information that the applicant believed to be held by Planning Enforcement in connection with the application that is not already publicly available via the Planning Tracker on the Council website

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with some information held that fell within the remit of their request, with some personal data redacted throughout in accordance with Regulation 13 of the EIR 

Request reference: FOI 11104

Issue date: 04.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information regarding the Council's handling of their previous request, reference EIR 11027:

Third-Party Correspondence: All correspondence (including emails and attachments) between North Devon Council and Pearce Homes, their agents, or representatives of the landowner regarding the processing, consultation, or disclosure of information for EIR 11027. This should cover the period from 21 December 2025 to 4 February 2026

Internal Deliberations: All internal Council records, emails, or notes discussing the application of Regulation 12(5)(d) to my request, including any discussions regarding the statutory 20-day deadline

Public Interest Test: Any internal Public Interest Test (PIT) assessment, "Record of Decision," or balance sheet created to justify the withholding of pre-application material ENQ/1257/2024

Confidentiality Records: A copy of any confidentiality form (whether completed, partially completed, or blank) provided to or received from the developer or landowner in connection with ENQ/1257/2024

Objections: Any written objections or concerns submitted by the developer, landowner, or their agents in response to the Council's consultation about EIR 1102

Disclosure Strategy: Any internal correspondence discussing a "release schedule," "triggers for release," or the "passage of time" required for future disclosure of the withheld documents

Response provided:

1. The applicant was provided with some information that fell within this part of the request

2. The Council confirmed that it does not hold any internal records, emails or notes that specifically discuss the application of Regulation 12(5)(d) to the request. One chain of emails with regarding the statutory 20-day deadline between the FOI Officer and Planning was disclosed

3. The Public Interest Test assessment as held was provided within the response emailed to the applicant on 28.01.26. There are no other recorded documents held regarding this assessment. No forms or balance sheets as you describe are used in carrying out Public Interest Tests. Instead, the response emails received from the Agent were considered against the ICO guidance and then the Public Interest was carried out and set out within the response email dated 28.01.26.

4. The Council confirmed that it does not hold a completed confidentiality form (this is not a mandatory form but is encouraged to be completed) with regard to ENQ/1257/2024. A blank copy of the form can be found on the Council's website

5. as 1 above

6. The Council confirmed that it does not hold any such information.  As confirmed within its email sent to the applicant 4 February 2026, the Council will be required to continue holding the information in confidence; however, should the information be requested again in the future, then after a reasonable passage of time, the Council would be required to consider the information again under a new EIR, however the Council is unable to provide any assurances that the information would be disclosable or a view as to how likely it would be disclosable, either in full or part as it will depend upon the circumstances of the matter at the time of receipt

Request reference: FOI 11114

Issue date: 03.03.26

Request received: 

1. How many children were 0-1 years old when they were placed in temporary accommodation in each of the calendar years 2024 and 2025? 

2. How many children were 1-2 years old when they were placed in temporary accommodation in each of the calendar years 2024 and 2025? 

3. Do you provide cots to households in temporary accommodation? 

4. Do you provide written or verbal safer sleep advice to families with children under the age of 2 moving into temporary accommodation? 

5. Do you currently have any local policy on the space that must be provided in temporary accommodation to a family with a child under 2 who will need space for a cot? If yes, please provide this policy

Response provided:

1. 26 in 2024/25. This data is not recorded/held by calendar year

2. 23 in 2024/25. This data is not recorded/held by calendar year

3. Only if necessary/requested, mattresses are disposed of on exit. Customers typically bring their own

4. Customers are given cot instructions, safe sleep guidance is generally provided by Family Services/Health Visitors etc

5. No policy held. Space for cots are reviewed on a case by case basis and would take into account safe fire exit/clear walkways

Request reference: EIR 11118

Issue date: 09.03.26

Request received: 

1. Details of any sites designated Contaminated Land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We would like to understand current and former (now remediated) Part 2A sites

The applicant requested the full address, Ordnance Survey grid reference, boundary extent and details of the nature and extent of the designation including what measures were put in place to remediate and whether this has been accepted by your authority and/or the Environment Agency/Natural Resources Wales

2. Details of Part A2 and Part B processes regulated by your authority under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Act 1999, and the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

The applicant requested details of all A2 installations and Part B permits in your area, including the following information: 

Council reference for the permit 

The name and address of the permit holder

The address for which the permit is granted

The Ordnance Survey grid reference 

The date of issue

The process undertaken 

The current status of the permit 

Any enforcement action. If no enforcement action has been implemented, please confirm as such

3. Details of historic landfills that may retained in the authority relating to old landfill practices that may include those predating formal permitting and licensing regimes

Response provided:

1. In accordance with section 78R of The Environmental Protection Act (1990), the Council must maintain a register of all regulatory action we have undertaken in respect to the remediation of contaminated land. To date, North Devon Council has made no entry on this register.

2. The Council publishes this information in a dataset: LAPPC Part B and A2 Permits. No enforcement action has been taken

3. This information is not held by the Council. Applicant directed to the Environment Agency for a response

Request reference: FOI 11120

Issue date: 09.03.26

Request received: 

1. What Financial and HR Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or systems are currently used by your authority?
2. For each ERP system identified, what are the contract start and contract end dates, including any extension options where known? 
3. Was the implementation of the ERP system undertaken directly with the software supplier, or through a third‑party implementation partner? 
4. If an implementation partner was used, please provide the name of the partner organisation
5. How does your authority collect payments from individuals, for example council tax, business rates, fines, rents, waste services, licensing, or similar charges? 
6. What payment platform or system is currently used to facilitate these payments? 
7. How was the payment platform procured, for example via a public sector framework, open tender, or direct award? 
8. What are the contract start and contract end dates for the payment platform, including any extension options where known? 

Response provided:

1. The Council does not currently use any ERP systems for Financials and HR
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. The Council collects income from the following sources: Direct Debits, Cheques, Standing Orders, BACS, Debit and Credit cards, and Cash. All apart from Direct Debits go into Civica payments then allocated to accounts.  Direct Debits are processed by Nat West system into finance system
6. WorldPay (UK) Ltd
7. As per the link provided in response to 7 above
8. As per the link provided in response to 7 above

Request reference: 11122

Issue date: 11.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information on the charges applied to residents versus non-residents and the income generated from these services

1. Burial Fees and Surcharges

1. Does the council currently apply a surcharge or increased fee for the burial of individuals who lived outside the borough/council at the time of their death? If yes, 

a) what is the current "Resident" fee vs. the "Non-Resident" fee for:

- A standard adult interment (burial)

- The purchase of the "Exclusive Right of Burial" (the lease for the plot)

b) What is the specific criteria used to define a "Non-Resident" (e g number of years lived outside the borough)?

2. Financial Data For the most recent completed financial years (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25):

a) The total gross income received by the council from all burial and cemetery-related payments

b) The total income specifically generated from the non-resident surcharge (i e the "extra" amount paid by non-residents above the standard resident rate)

c) If the specific surcharge income is not tracked as a separate line item, please provide the total number of non-resident burials conducted in the same financial year

3. Policy and Rationale

Provision of the date when the current non-resident fee structure was brought in

Response provided:

1. Applicant provided with some documents for each of the requested years. The Council confirmed that the Cemetery Regulations (August 2016) state:

“A resident is defined as somebody who, immediately prior to their death, was a resident of North Devon, or who lived in North Devon for over ten years and moved out of the area less than six months before their death."

2. Total gross income from all burial and cemetery-related payments as follows:

Code: Description	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
18350: Cemetery Fee Income OLA	34,330	29,789	41,400
18351: Cemetery Fee Income	24,586	18,662	33,120
	58,916	48,451	74,520

Total income specifically generated from non-resident surcharge = This information is not recorded

Total number of non-resident burials in 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 = The Council's electronic records do not record if a burial is a non-resident or resident, however there are paper records that would hold this information which would need to be manually gone through. 245 burial records covering the requested years would need to be checked individually to ascertain whether the burial was charged as a non-resident and it is estimated that each burial require approximately 8 minutes to be checked

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 Bereavement Services team that it would take approximately 32.67 hours to provide the requested information. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Bereavement Services team and therefore the Council confirmed that it 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 

3. Fee records are only held from 2009/10. Additional fees were applied in 2009/10, however the year the non-resident fee structure was first applied is unknown

Request reference: FOI 11125

Issue date: 04.03.26

Request received: 

1. What was the average void period for council-owned residential properties in the council area in the last 12 months? If that period is not available, please instead provide the most recent 12 months of data

2. Please provide both mean, median and maximum void periods for Q1

3. How many properties became void during this period (Q1) but were never re-let?

4. What was the number of properties that were already void at the start of this period and remained un-let throughout the period? (Q1)

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response from void information for 24 owned assets covering 01.01.25 - 31.12.25: 

1. 35.08 days
2. Mean = 35.08 (same as average), Median = 4.25 days, Maximum = 100 days
3. Zero properties
4. Zero properties 

Request reference: FOI 11128

Issue date: 09.04.26

Request received: 

1. The total amount spent by the council on deep cleaning, specialist cleaning, clearance or similar services relating to residential properties where hoarding has been identified as an issue, for the years 2021 onwards up to the most recent available complete year

2. The number of social services referrals made by the council relating specifically to residents identified as hoarders or living in hoarding conditions, for the years 2021 onwards up to the most recent available complete year

Response provided:

Question 1:

2021 = £0

2022 = £0

2023 = £0

2024 = £0

2025 = £22,966 (Work was carried out on a Works in Default basis and a charge placed on the property, so the Council will recover costs when the property is sold)

 Question 2:

2021 = 1

2022 = 0

2023 = 0

2024 = 1

2025 = 0

Request reference: FOI 11131

Issue date: 10.03.26

Request received:

To understand how the Council structures and resources digital delivery, the applicant requested the following information:

 1. Team Sizes and Structure

For the following teams, please provide total FTEs and the number of managers vs staff:

•           CRM development

•           Web development

•           Web content

•           Digital/UX/Service Design

•           Business Analysts supporting CRM/digital

•           Integration team supporting CRM/Web integrations

•           CIO/Change/Transformation officers supporting CRM/digital/web

Please also confirm:

•           Number of permanent vs temporary staff

•           Number of current vacancies

 

2. Pay Bands

For each of the above teams, please provide the salary band/grade used for recruitment

 

3. Remit

For each team, please provide a short summary of responsibilities including websites managed including subsites and how many online forms the CRM supports

 

4. Costs

Please provide:

•           Annual staffing budget for digital/CRM/web functions

•           Annual licence/support costs for CRM, website CMS and integration platforms

 

5. Platforms Used

Please confirm the CRM system, CMS platform, integration platform and online forms tools currently used

Response provided:

1. Team Sizes and Structure

For the following teams, please provide total FTEs and the number of managers vs staff:

•           CRM development = 0.5 - Additional support provided by the supplier

•           Web development = 0.25 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Web content = 0.5 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Digital/UX/Service Design = 0.25 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Business Analysts supporting CRM/digital = 0.25

•           Integration team supporting CRM/Web integrations = 0.25

•           CIO/Change/Transformation officers supporting CRM/digital/web = 0 No dedicated FTE employees. Sits within other roles

Please also confirm:

•           Number of permanent vs temporary staff     433 FTE at North Devon Council. For associated roles see section 2         

•           Number of current vacancies                     0 in the CRM and web teams

 

2. Pay Bands

For each of the above teams, please provide the salary band/grade used for recruitment

SCP     31-34 Dev Team Leader

Level 4 Apprentice (Web related work) – permanent post awaiting evaluation

SCP       scp range 12 - 23 

1. Team Sizes and Structure

For the following teams, please provide total FTEs and the number of managers vs staff:

•           CRM development = 0.5 - Additional support provided by the supplier

•           Web development = 0.25 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Web content = 0.5 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Digital/UX/Service Design = 0.25 – Part of Digital Platforms Officer role

•           Business Analysts supporting CRM/digital = 0.25

•           Integration team supporting CRM/Web integrations = 0.25

•           CIO/Change/Transformation officers supporting CRM/digital/web = 0 No dedicated FTE employees. Sits within other roles

Please also confirm:

•           Number of permanent vs temporary staff 433 FTE at North Devon Council. For associated roles see section 2         

•           Number of current vacancies             0 in the CRM and web teams 

 

2. Pay Bands

For each of the above teams, please provide the salary band/grade used for recruitment

SCP 31-34 Dev Team Leader

Level 4 Apprentice (Web related work) – permanent post awaiting evaluation

SCP 12 - 23 (Payband 9) - Customer Focus Systems Administrator

 

3. Remit

For each team, please provide a short summary of responsibilities including websites managed including subsites and how many online forms the CRM supports

 Website and CMS Management

• Administer and maintain the council’s public website(s) and intranet using the approved CMS

• Manage site structure, navigation, templates, page layouts, and content types

• Ensure content is published, updated, archived, or removed in line with content lifecycle rules

• Manage user accounts, roles, and permissions within the CMS

CRM / Firmstep (Granicus) Administration and Technical Support

• Resolves access issues, and works with Granicus support

• Is the technical point of contact on Firmstep/Granicus case updates

• Works directly with consultants to build processes and prepare systems for go live

• Development of online forms

 

4. Costs

Please provide:

• Annual staffing budget for digital/CRM/web functions

Difficult to ascertain as we are a small team, staff wear different hats and chip in where necessary

CRM - £15,000

Web - £35,000

 •          Annual licence/support costs for CRM, website CMS and integration platforms

 CRM – £40,000

Website - £15,300

AWS hosting for website £7,000

CMS integrations (Zoom web bot) - £10,000

 5. Platforms Used

Please confirm the CRM system, CMS platform, integration platform and online forms tools currently used

CRM – Granicus (includes online forms)

SMS – Local Gov Drupal

Zoom web bot integration

- Customer Focus Systems Administrator

 

3. Remit

For each team, please provide a short summary of responsibilities including websites managed including subsites and how many online forms the CRM supports

Website and CMS Management

• Administer and maintain the council’s public website(s) and intranet using the approved CMS

• Manage site structure, navigation, templates, page layouts, and content types

• Ensure content is published, updated, archived, or removed in line with content lifecycle rules

• Manage user accounts, roles, and permissions within the CMS

CRM / Firmstep (Granicus) Administration and Technical Support

• Resolves access issues, and works with Granicus support

• Is the technical point of contact on Firmstep/Granicus case updates

• Works directly with consultants to build processes and prepare systems for go live

• Development of online forms

 

4. Costs

Please provide:

• Annual staffing budget for digital/CRM/web functions

Difficult to ascertain as we have a small team, staff wear different hats and chip in where necessary.

CRM - £15,000

Web - £35,000

 • Annual licence/support costs for CRM, website CMS and integration platforms

CRM – £40,000

Website - £15,300

AWS hosting for website £7,000

CMS integrations (Zoom web bot) - £10,000

 

5. Platforms Used

Please confirm the CRM system, CMS platform, integration platform and online forms tools currently used.

CRM – Granicus (includes online forms)

SMS – Local Gov Drupal

Zoom web bot integration 

Request reference: FOI 11133

Issue date: 16.03.26

Request received:

1. Copies of electricity and gas bills (or a summary equivalent) for the most recent 12-month period available
2. Total annual electricity consumption (kWh) for the same period
3. Total annual gas consumption (kWh) for the same period
4. Total annual cost (?) for electricity and gas, separately if available
5. The name of your current energy supplier(s)
6. The contract end date(s) for electricity and gas supply

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with the following information and an Excel spreadsheet detailing the office energy data (which is available upon request)

1. N/A

2. 124,240.90 kWh

3. 873.886 kWh

4. Gas = £58,279.87, Electricity = £66,079.92

5. Gas = TotalEnergies, Electricity = EDF

6. Gas = 31.03.27, Electricity = 31.03.27 

Request reference: FOI 11134

Issue date: 12.03.26

Request received: 

a) How many planning applications for the construction of a GP surgery have been made in each year since 2015?

b) How many of these applications have been approved?

c) Of those approved, how many have begun construction?

Response provided:

a and b) 

Section 1(1)(a) of the Act requires the Council to inform applicants whether it holds information of the description specified in a request. 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 with the assistance of the Planning department:

Information is in the public domain and is accessible through the Planning Tracker which publishes planning applications within the North Devon area. A list of all GP practices can be found online here. With this information, the applicant will be able to carry out an advance search of the Planning Tracker of each practice postcode for the period of 01.01.15 to the date of their choice. The applicant was advised to select ‘Full Application’ for the Application type 

For example, Boutport Medical Centre at 110 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1TD, the following applications are identified from 01.04.15 – 15.04.25 but no specific applications apply to this particular address and so there are no applicable applications for this GP practice. The applicant was advised that they will need to carry out this same search on every postcode/address for the other practices as linked above

In accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, the Council is not obliged to provide or carry out searches of information that is already in the public domain. However, it does have a duty under Section 16(1) to provide all applicants advice and assistance in order to assist with locating the information, which the Council considers it has done so in providing the applicant with the relevant links and guidance as set out above

c) If applications are found it is not possible for the Council to identify how many have begun construction 

Request reference: EIR 11136

Issue date: 04.03.26

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 4GA

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 EIR 11139

Issue date: 19.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested information regarding the property located at 50 Gloster Road, Barnstaple, EX32 7EB which used to provide supported living placement, funded by Devon County Council and NHS Devon, which they advise is run by Rethink Mental Health. The provider has recently installed a smoking shelter less than 70 cm from the opening doors of the property and the shelter is under 15m2 and does not exceed 2.5 metres in height

1. Property Status and Planning History:

Confirm the current official “Use Class” status of the property (e g C3 Residential, C4 HMO, or other)

2. Please include details of any variations or "Sui Generis" designations

3. Provide copies of all planning applications submitted in relation to this property

4. Provide details of any restrictions or requirements currently active on the property’s title or planning record particularly considering the neighbouring enjoyment of property

5. Provide evidence of notifications issued to neighbours or the public regarding any proposed changes to the property's use or structural layout inclusive of the out building

 6. Detail any specific conditions or requirements imposed on the owner/occupier as part of any approval processes

 

Operational Expectations and Business Use:

1. Please clarify the Council’s expectations for a property of this class regarding business functions being carried out from a residential address.

2. Detail the policy/requirements regarding usage, parking and access, specifically in relation to activities that may block public or neighbour access

 

Smoking Shelters and Public Health

1. Provide the Council’s policy and technical expectations for the placement of smoking shelters on or within the grounds of this class of property

2. Specifically, where a smoking shelter is placed within 70 cm of a neighbouring property's opening doors/windows, please provide the regulations or building control requirements that dictate its legality, regardless of the structure's height or size

3. Provide any Council policies relating to smoking shelters and Public Health (specifically regarding second-hand smoke infiltration into adjacent private residences)

4. Please confirm if said structure required planning consent

 

 Enforcement and Nuisance

1. Please provide the official procedure for residents to raise Public Health concerns and Statutory Nuisance issues (noise, smoke, or light) associated with this property class

2. If any of this information is already available via your online planning portal, please provide the specific links or reference numbers to ensure I can access the correct documents

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response:

 Planning officers undertook a planning history search the results of which were provided to the applicant

Planning application details are in the public domain and are accessible through the Council's Planning Portal.  To assist, the applicant was provided with a link to Planning Application 45946 Planning application: 45946 - Council Services  and provided with details on how to search this for the information published 

The remainder of the questions fall within their pre-application chargeable service.  These relate to sui generis designations, restrictions, or any conditions attached to the property.  The applicant was directed to the Council website pages for further information on this: Pre-application advice, copies and searches | North Devon Council

With regard to the question about raising public health concerns and statutory nuisance issues – with all premises (domestic and/or commercial), customer concerns can be raised by contacting our Customer Services team, as set out on our website:  Contact us | North Devon Council 

Request reference: FOI 11141

Issue date: 10.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information for the most recent period available:

• A list of residential properties currently subject to a Council Tax Empty Homes Premium

• The address of each property, including postcode

• The date the premium was first applied to each property

• The level of premium applied (for example 100%, 200%, or 300%)

The applicant stated that their request was for property address data only and does not seek any personal data relating to any individual or council taxpayer. The requested information pertains solely to the tax status of a property

Response provided:

The Council provided some of the information to the applicant in Excel format, however it confirmed that it could not provide the full address and that only the first part of the postcode for each property was provided as it considered that the full address still constituted personal data and that there would be no reasonable expectation for the Council to make the full addresses publicly available, particularly as a disclosure under the Act is not just to the requester, but to the world at large and so a disclosure places the information into the public domain for all to see

Section 40(2) provides that personal data is exempt information if one of the conditions set out in section 40(3A), (3B) or (4A) is satisfied. In this case Section 40(3A)(A) is met because disclosure of this information would breach the fair processing principle contained in the General Data Protection Regulation. This is an absolute exemption and there is therefore no requirement to consider the public interest 

Request reference: FOI 11143

Issue date: 12.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following figures for the last five financial years:

1. In pounds, how much money does the council spend on servicing debt each financial year?
   1. As a percentage of council tax revenue, how much money does the council spend on servicing debt each financial year?
   2. In pounds, how much money does the council spend on staff salaries each financial year?
   3. As a percentage of council tax revenue, how much money does the council spend on staff salaries each financial year?
   4. How much does the highest-paid employee earn per annum?
   5. How many council employees earn more than £100,000 per annum?

Response provided:

1-4. The applicant was provide with an Excel spreadsheet in response and was informed that Council Tax is not the only source of funding for North Devon Council services.  All funding is used to fund the net revenue budget.  Therefore, have calculated servicing debt and staff salaries as percentage of net revenue budget

5 and 6. This information is contained within the Council's latest Accounts on page 75 https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/Final%20Statement%20of%20Accounts%202024-25.pdf

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

The applicant sought clarification, asking if they are using Net Revenue Budget as the sum being sent on servicing debt or just external interest plus the vehicle lease interest

The Council responded and confirmed the cost of servicing debt would be the total of

 Minimum Revenue Provision plus Vehicle Tender Finance Lease (Repayment of principle)

External Interest Payable plus Vehicle Tender Finance Lease Interest (Interest)

 i e Line 7 on the spreadsheet provided

Request reference: FOI 11144

Issue date: 03.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information held by the authority for the periods:

1 January to 31 December 2024

1 January to 31 December 2025

Please provide a breakdown of the data for each council area or enforcement district within your authority’s jurisdiction, where applicable

For each council area / district, please provide:

Total driving and parking fines

The total number of driving and parking fines issued during each period, along with the month in each period that recorded the highest number of fines

 

Types of fines issued

A breakdown of fines issued by type during each period, including where applicable:

 

Parking offences (e g no valid ticket, overstaying, double yellow lines)

Obstructive parking offences (including dropped kerbs)

Bus lane offences

Yellow box junction offences

Red route offences

Moving traffic offences (e g banned turns, no entry violations)

Please include the total number issued for each fine type and indicate which fine type was most common in each period

 

Age groups

Where data is held, the number of fines issued during each period to drivers in the following age groups:

 

Under 25 years old

25–64 years old

65 years old and over

Gender

Where data is held, the number of fines issued during each period, broken down by gender

 

Repeat fines

Where available, the number of individuals who received more than one driving or parking fine within the same period

 

Seasonal trends

Monthly totals for driving and parking fines during each period, to identify any seasonal patterns

Response provided:

Applicant was informed that the Council holds data in relation to car parks (Off-street) enforcement within North Devon and that they would need to contact Devon County Council for Information covering On-Street Parking and offences on roads/highways within North Devon

The applicant was directed to the Council’s website for datasets it publishes regarding the numbers of PCNs issued within the requested years 2024 and 2025: Parking enforcement and penalty charge notices

The Council confirmed that it does not hold information regarding age or gender and breaking it down into Types of fines or repeated fines in a way that it can be easily reported. The only way that it would be possible to provide this would require a member of the Parking Office team to manually go through a total of 13,431 PCNs to identify, locate, retrieve and collate the data, where recorded in each of the requested years 

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 was estimated by the Parking Office team that it would well exceed the 18 hours to provide the requested information. Even a conservative estimate of three minutes per PCN would total over 671 hours to complete. The task would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Parking Office team and would place a disproportionate amount of time to the task and would result in other day to day work would being severely impacted and so it is with regret that the Council therefore confirmed that it was unable to process these parts 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 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 was unable to as the information is not recorded separately or in a way in which it is easily extractable from the Parking Office system using a report or search facility. The only way would be via a manual search as explained above which would thus far exceed the cost limit of 18 hours to complete and provide 

Request reference: FOI 11145

Issue date: 13.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the completion of an Excel spreadsheet regarding BACS systems used by the Council 

Response provided:

The Council provided the applicant with its response, where the information is held, within the provided spreadsheet/template  

Request reference: FOI 11146

Issue date: 18.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following data in Excel format regarding applications eligible for a refund under Regulation 9A of the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended)

A list of all Major planning applications submitted from 1st January 2025 to date where:

The planning application fee paid was £10,000 or greater

The application exceeded the 26-week period for a decision

No extension of time or planning performance agreement was agreed in writing.

No refund of fees has been made to date

Requested Columns:

Application reference

Applicant name

Site address

Application valid/received date

Fee paid (£)

Decision due date

Actual decision date

No. of days to decision

The decision

Extension of time agreed in writing (Yes or No)

Refund Made (Yes or No)

Withdrawn (Yes or No)

Response provided:

1. Planning Applications: 80987, 80536, 80365, 80058, 80402, 81146, 80943, 80584, 80182 refer
2. None
3. None
4. None

 Requested Columns:

Accordance with Section 21 of The Act, the applicant was advised that the data requested is in the public domain accessible through the Council's Planning Portal and by entering each of the Planning Numbers into the Search Criteria box (ensuring the Planning option is ticked) and select the Search button.  There are tabs for Application Details, Documents, Consultations and Appeals

Request reference: FOI 11150

Issue date: 19.03.26

Request received: 

1. What is the current population of the area for which you are responsible?

2. How many enforcement officers does your authority have who are responsible for enforcing regulations and compliance related to dogs? This does not necessarily mean it is their only job - just that as a part of their role they have the powers and responsibilities to enforce regulations and compliance related to dogs

3. In the calendar year 2025, how many total enforcement notices, e.g. fixed penalty notices, did your officers issue regarding dogs? An enforcement notice can include a form of written or formal warning, e g to someone for repeatedly having dog noise complaints made against them or repeatedly being warned about dog fouling

4. How many of these were in relation to antisocial behaviour (e g noise, excessive barking)?

5. How many of these were in relation to someone failing to clean up their dog's mess (i e dog fouling)?

6. How many of these were in relation to dogs being out in a public place whilst not wearing a tag with the legally required information on (i e owner's name and address)?

Response provided:

1. Applicant advised that this information is in the public domain and directed to Office for National Statistics (ONS): North Devon population change, Census 2021 - ONS  

2. Three

3. Seven

4. Four (allowing dogs to be off lead)

5. Three (dog fouling)

6. Zero 

Request reference: FOI 11151

Issue date: 18.03.26

Request received: 

1. Using the 2024/25 financial year, what is the total annual expenditure of the organisation, and what percentage of this is considered 'influenceable' / 'addressable' spend by the procurement department?

2, Do you have an in-house procurement function?

a. If yes, please provide details of the procurement structure, including the names of the roles. Please also provide the grade and pay bands of the structure

b. If yes, do you currently have any vacant roles? Or any roles being covered by agency / interim staff? If so, please detail the roles and how long they have been vacant, or covered by agency/interim staff. Please provide details of your total procurement budget for 2025/26 versus your actual spend position

c. If yes, do you provide procurement or contractual services to any other organisations? If so, please provide details of what organisations you provide services to. Please provide a copy of the contractual agreement in place and details of the contract value and contract expiry date

d. If no, please provide details of who provides your procurement services, including the following

i. Supplier name(s)

ii. Scope of services

iii. Contract value

iv. Contract start and end dates

3. Do you have a documented procurement strategy? If yes, please provide the latest version

4. Do you currently undertake spend analysis? If yes, please provide details of frequency and approach taken. If not, please provide the date of the last time the spend was analysed

5. When were your Contract Procedure Rules last reviewed?

6. How many procurement exercises did you conduct in the last financial year, broken down by below-threshold and above-threshold projects

7. What is your current procurement pipeline for the next 12 months?

8. Do you track procurement KPIs (e g compliance rates, savings)? If yes, please provide the latest KPI report

9. Does the Council maintain a central contracts register?

10. What procurement systems / e-Tendering system do you use?

11. Have any internal or external audits been conducted on procurement or contract management in the last 3 years? If so, please provide copies of reports. If not, please provide the date of the last time an audit was carried out

Response provided:

1. Expenditure information is available on the Council website at: 

Data on 'influenceable'/addressable spend is not held

2. In part. Administrative function is in-house. Procurement Officer/Advice function is provided by Devon County Council Procurement Services

a. 1 FTE - Procurement and Legal Administrator

Grade G001-G002

SCP0003-SCP0006

NJC Equivalent Scale Point 7-11

£26,403 - £28,142

b. No

c. No

d. Procurement Advice and support from Devon County Council

             i.               Devon County Council

             ii.               Supply of Procurement Services

             iii.               £164,507.98

             iv.               01/05/2024 to 31/03/2029

This information is available on the Contract Register at: Contract details

3. Available on the NDC Website at: Procurement Strategy 2023-2027

4. Monthly budget monitoring by finance. Six monthly report which lists payments by suppliers which can then be filtered by supplier to review potential cumulative spend

5. February 2025

6. For the period 01/04/2025 to 11/03/2026: Total 73, Above threshold 8, Below threshold 65

7. Not required to publish a pipeline. Under PA 23, Pipeline Notice is for details of procurements expected to be made in the next 18 months valued at £2 million or more. This is not applicable

8. No

9. Yes. Available at http://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/Select Contract Register and filter for North Devon District Council

10. ProContract by ProActis, via www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

11. Yes. The Council holds a procurement audit dated September 2025.  The Council is not willing to share this report in full because this report is held confidentially to allow its internal audit contractor, Devon Audit Partnership, to advise and obtain management responses from the Council.  The Council therefore applies the exemption at section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  This exemption can be invoked if the information was obtained from another person and its disclosure would result in an actionable breach of confidence. To rely on this exemption, the Council must demonstrate that the information has the necessary quality of confidence, was shared under an obligation of confidence, and its disclosure would constitute unauthorised use of the material.  It is apparent from the documentation itself, produced by a third party in Devon Audit Partnership and marked as confidential and intended for internal use and review, that its disclosure would breach the duty of confidence between the Council and its internal auditor.  While this exemption is an absolute exemption there is a requirement, in law associated with confidentiality, to consider the public interest in this report being disclosed. In this regard there is a clear public interest in the public understanding and being able to challenge how the Council procures the contracts that it enters into, however this duty substantially reduces pursuant to the existing transparency that the Council operates in its publication of the results of the audit into the public domain, along with the action points that come out of this.  This is published in reports taken to the Council's Governance Committee, in particular the internal audit report at the Governance Committee's meeting of 22 September 2025 and subsequent meetings to this where any outstanding action points are revisited by the Committee.  Please see: https://democracy.northdevon.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=298.  Accordingly, it is considered that the public interest in viewing the report in full is outweighed by the public interest in it being withheld to allow the Council and its internal auditor the ability to review the Council's position in full and without fear that such report will be disclosed to the public

A Contract Management Audit has been conducted but it is not available at this stage as it is with Devon Audit Partnership in draft form

External audit reports are similarly taken to the Governance Committee and can be viewed on the page at the hyperlink above, see, for example, the report taken to Governance Committee on 11 November 2026 which covers procurement, among other things

Request reference: FOI 11152

Issue date: 11.03.26

Request received: 

1. How much income/revenue has been generated from the Council’s Parks services in the last three years per annum, providing details of individual services and how much they raised. Is the money generated from these services fed back into council owned parks or does it go into a central budget? 
2. Are the Council’s Parks currently maintained by the Council or by an external contractor? Over the past three years have they been maintained by the Council or by an external contractor?
3. What has the Council maintenance budget has been over the past three years?

Response provided:

1. Income is not generated through Parks service. The applicant was asked to clarify if there are any specific Council income streams that they are interested in
2. The Parks service has been in-house for the last three years
3. The applicant was provided with this information in Excel format, which is available upon request 

Request reference: EIR 11154

Issue date: 09.03.26

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 1PN

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 11155

Issue date: 04.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information regarding Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs):

Local Authorities:

1. Please provide information on how many homes in the Council’s jurisdiction are classified as:

a. Private Rented Sector (PRS) properties

2. Regarding the housing stock of PRS properties, please provide the following information:

a. The number of Electrical Information Condition Reports (EICRs) carried out in privately rented homes that have been submitted to the authority over the last four years

b. The number of Classification Code C1 and Classification Code C2 observations recorded within any EICR, in the last four years, per year

c. The number of remedial works carried out on these properties as a result of the EICR outcome

Response provided:

1.a) 8,830 taken from 2021 Census  

2.a) A EICR is required to be submitted as part of a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) application.  There have been 61 applications submitted over the last four years

2.b and c) This information is not recorded

Request reference: FOI 11156

Issue date: 04.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the total amount of compensation paid by the Council for asbestos‑related injury claims for each of the last five financial years. If available, please also include:

The total number of asbestos-related injury claims received by the Council in each of the last 5 years

The total number of asbestos‑related injury claims settled in each year

A breakdown of payments by claim type (e g mesothelioma, asbestosis), if held

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that one claim (made for past period 1984 - 1992)

Zero claims settled

Claim paid £65,000 in two payments £50,000 and £15,000

Insurance company A paid £29,211 (£22,470 and £6,741)

North Devon Council paid £35,789 but net cost £10,425.25

North Devon Council paid £27,530 and £8,259 to be recouped by insurance company B with payments of £20,102.25 and £5,7261.50

All payments relate to Mesothelioma

The above information relates to a claim that has not yet been 'settled'  

Request reference: FOI 11157

Issue date: 23.03.26

Request received: 

This request relates to wheelie bins and other types of waste bin, box or bag and household waste and recycling collections within the local authority area

For the purposes of this request, “wheelie bin issues” means reports, complaints or service requests about bins or bags being left on the footway or pavement, obstructing pedestrian access, creating accessibility hazards, or similar obstruction concerns, including where the concern relates to disabled people (for example blind or partially sighted people, wheelchair users, or people using mobility aids)

The applicant requested the following information:

1.      Policies and guidance on bins and obstructions

Copies of any current policies, procedures, guidance, or staff instructions that relate to keeping pavements and footways clear on or around refuse and recycling collection days, including any specific instructions about the placement or return of wheelie bins and preventing obstructions

2.      Operational responsibility

Is refuse and recycling collection carried out directly by the local authority or by an external contractor (or contractors)? If an external contractor is used, please provide the contractor name(s) and the start date of the current contract(s).

3.      Staff training on disability and accessibility

Details of any training provided to refuse and recycling collection staff (including contractors) that relates to disability awareness, visual impairment awareness, or accessibility, including:

a) training/course title(s) and who provides them (internal or external)

b) the frequency of training (for example induction only, annual refresher)

c) copies of any training materials, slides, handouts, or guidance documents currently used

4.      Volume of disability and obstruction related contacts

The number of reports, complaints, or service requests recorded by the council (or on its behalf) that relate specifically to wheelie bins, other bins or waste bags causing obstruction or accessibility issues for pedestrians, including disabled people (for example blind or partially sighted people, wheelchair users, or people using mobility aids), for each of the following periods:

a) 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

b) 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

Where records are categorised or searchable, please provide: the category label(s) used (for example “obstruction”, “access”, “pavement blocked”), and the search terms, tags, or filters you used to identify the relevant records

If the Council does not record a specific “disability” marker, provide the number of wheelie bin reports that are categorised as “obstruction”, “accessibility”, “pavement/footway blocked” or equivalent. If none of these categories exist, provide the closest available proxy measure held (for example cases recorded under “street obstruction” where the narrative references a wheelie bin), and briefly describe what that proxy is

5.      How the public can report bin issues

Details of the methods currently available for members of the public to report bin issues (for example online form, telephone, email, webchat, in person), including:

a) the relevant contact points (for example the email address or web page title)

b) copies of any published guidance the council provides to the public on reporting these issues

6.      Accessibility of reporting routes (information held)

Copies of any documents held that relate to the accessibility of the above reporting methods for disabled users, including blind and partially sighted people, such as accessibility statements, WCAG compliance information, audits, equality impact assessments, and any policy on reasonable adjustments or alternative formats for reporting

Response provided:

1. Policies and guidance on bins and obstructions    

Waste and Recycling – non-compliance and enforcement

Waste and Recycling – Domestic black waste collection procedures

Waste and Recycling – Assisted collection procedures

2. Operational responsibility

Applicant advised that collections are carried out in-house

3. Staff training on disability and accessibility

a) N/A

b) N/A

c) N/A

4. The following is for bins ‘left out’:

01.01.25 – 31.012.25 = 98

01.01.24 – 31.12.24 = 107

5. How the public can report bin issues

Equality Impact Assessments
Accessibility Statement, including links to Silktide showing the Council's current accessibility position 
Customer Charter 

Request reference: FOI 11158

Issue date: 18.03.26

Request received: 

1. What software solutions does the Council currently use for CAFM (Computer-Aided Facilities Management) or IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management Systems)?  If multiple solutions are in use, please list all systems, including any niche, specialist, or secondary solutions

2. What are the contractual terms for each solution? Please provide the contract start and end dates. If the contract is annual or rolling, please indicate this and include any renewal terms

3. What are the Council's current plans at the end of each contract?

 

4. What are the total contract values for each solution?

5. Who is responsible for managing the CAFM/IWMS system(s)?

Response provided:

1.   Civica Property Management

2. Information is in the public domain accessible through the Supplying the Southwest Portal:  Civica Property Management

3. No current plan, to be reviewed nearer the end of the contract

4. This information is published through the Contract Register, as linked under 2 above

5. No individual person. System is managed cross-departmental service team staff

Request reference: FOI 11159

Issue date: 23.03.26

Request received: 

1. Information on the number of CCTV cameras in the Council area
2. Information on the number of cameras that are faulty or non-operational across the Council area to date (March 2nd 2026) and also during the following periods 2024, 2025 and the current 2026 period. This can be broken down into months or years, however, the data is held
3. A percentage and number breakdown on reasons for them not being in use, i e vandalised, faulty, outdated equipment etc
4. Where there were faulty cameras, how long it took for those faults to be fixed. The applicant requested data on the date a camera was reported faulty and then a date for when it was fully operational again
5. Details on how often CCTV systems in the Council’s area are reviewed, when was the last time the systems were reviewed or audited as a whole to check suitability rather than fault fixing specific cameras

Response provided:

1. North Devon Council operates a total of 42 cameras and 1 deployable as part of our public open space CCTV Scheme. In addition, there are 17 cameras that cover Ilfracombe Harbour that are monitored by the Harbour Master, 6 cameras that cover Green Lanes Shopping Centre that are monitored by their staff and 7 cameras in South Molton which are operated on behalf of South Molton Town Council

2. There have currently been no faulty cameras to date in 2026. In 2024, two cameras were reported as faulty and in 2025 three cameras were reported as faulty. In addition to camera faults we do occasionally have times when parts of the system are non-operational due to issues with the IP system these are however normally rectified within 24 hours and are not recorded as faulty cameras

3. 100% of the faults are due to faults with the cameras that have required replacing

4. The Council’s response to faulty cameras is based on the following priority criteria:

5. A set out in the Councils code of practice, the whole system is reviewed and audited annually. The 2025/26 annual report is currently being prepared and will be available on the Council website in the next couple of months

Request reference: FOI 11160

Issue date: 03.03.26

Request received: 

1. What is the total number of residential houses and flats that this local authority currently owns or rents?

2. How many of this local authority’s owned or rented homes are currently fitted with solar panels or other solar technology?

3. How many of this local authority’s owned or rented homes currently score an EPC rating of D, E, F or G?

Response provided:

1. 42

2. Eight

3. 14

Request reference: FOI 11161

Issue date: 23.03.26

Request received: 

The following information held under the Licensing Act 2003:

1. ALL CURRENTLY ACTIVE PREMISES LICENCES, including:

- Licence reference number

- Premises name

- Full premises address and postcode

- Licence holder name

- Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) name, where held

- Licensable activities authorised (e g sale of alcohol, regulated entertainment, late-night refreshment)

- Permitted operating hours

- Date licence was granted

2. ALL PREMISES LICENCE APPLICATIONS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS

  (received by the authority but not yet determined), including:

  - Application reference number

  - Premises name and full address

  - Date of application

  - Application type (new licence / variation / transfer / review)

  - Licensable activities applied for

  - Operating hours applied for (where available)

  - Current status

3. ALL PREMISES LICENCE APPLICATIONS DETERMINED in the last 5 years, including:

  - Premises name and full address

  - Application type

  - Date of application

  - Date determined

  - Outcome (granted / refused / withdrawn)

  - Licensable activities where granted

  - Permitted operating hours where granted

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with a zip file with the following:

Club Premises Certificate (with alcohol)

Current Applications- Redacted

Premises licence list (no alcohol)

Premises licence list

Some requested information is held within the Public Register as identified above.  The Public Register is accessible via North Devon Council's website:  North Devon Council - The Licensing Team

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

Some of the information was redacted. Redacted elements within the lists are addresses of the premises licence holders (which in many cases is the address of the premises but not all) which is not on the public register. Internal officer names were also redacted within the Current applications list

The Council considered that redacted information to be exempt under Section 40 of the Act as the information constitutes personal data and those individual(s) would have no reasonable expectation for the Council to make their personal information publicly available, particularly as a disclosure under the Act is not just to the requester, but to the world at large, and so a disclosure places the information into the public domain for all to see.  Section 40(2) provides that personal data is exempt information if one of the conditions set out in section 40(3A), (3B) or (4A) is satisfied. In this case Section 40(3A)(A) is met because disclosure of this information would breach the fair processing principle contained in the General Data Protection Regulation. This is an absolute exemption and there is therefore no requirement to consider the public interest

Request reference: FOI 11162

Issue date: 26.03.26

Request received: 

 1 Number of fly tipping incidents in the council district from 2024-2025

2.  Number of fixed penalty notices were issued in the council district from 2024-25

3. Number of successful prosecutions were there in your council area from 2024-25

Response provided:

1. Applicant directed to the following dataset: Fly-tipping: Number of reported fly-tipping incidents to the Council and associated costs
   
    
2. Applicant directed to the following datasets: Environmental fixed penalty notices issued by the Council
3. Applicant directed to the following dataset: Prosecutions

Request reference: FOI 11163

Issue date: 03.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested to know how long the Council holds FOI requests for? Do they back as far as 2017? If not, the applicant requested that the Council specify what year they go back to

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that records of individual FOI/EIR requests are retained for two years from the date of issue of the final response/last action; any records of requests dating back to 2017 will no longer be held by the Council 

Request reference: FOI 11165

Issue date: 24.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information for projects from January 2024 up to date and for ongoing work and upcoming, planned work:

Public art 

What is being done to make the town hall space more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

What artworks have been installed or removed to help with this? Paintings linked to empire and slavery for example/

What public art more generally, has been commissioned to improve diversity and inclusion?

What public art more generally, has been removed, or given greater context, or reviewed for links to offensive or outmoded issues - statues linked to empire and slavery, for example

 

Local museums 

What is being done to make local museums (if applicable) more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

What displays have been added or updated to help with this? For example, have outdated displays been taken down?

What research is being undertaken?

What tours are available?

What advice on racial inclusion and LTGBT issues is provided to staff?

Libraries 

If applicable, what is being done to make local libraries more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

What books have been added to stock in relation to this?

What books have been removed or moved to a reserve stack, or a less prominent place, because their content might be problematic; for example, outdated, racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic?

Details of any complaint received in the timeframe relating to the above issues?

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response:

Public Art - Town Halls:

North Devon Council is not responsible for any town hall buildings within the North Devon area.  For information on artwork within municipal buildings, the applicant was advised to consider requesting information from town councils: Parish councils contact details | North Devon Council

Local Museums:

What is being done to make local museums (if applicable) more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion? = No specific work has been carried out to identify or make our collections, events or educational work more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion

What displays have been added or updated to help with this? For example, have outdated displays been taken down? = No specific work has been carried out to identify or make our displays more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion

What research is being undertaken? = No specific research has been carried out to make our local museum more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion

 What tours are available? = The Museum does not run tours 

What advice on racial inclusion and LTGBT issues is provided to staff? = There are no specific internal guidance/manuals provided to staff to assist them with this work

The Council’s program of exhibitions and activities conforms to North Devon District Council guidelines: Equality and diversity | North Devon Council

Libraries

Applicant directed to Devon County Council who are responsible for libraries within the North Devon area 

Request reference: FOI 11166

Issue date: 26.03.26

Request received: 

-Total number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges in the 2025 calendar year (Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003)

-Number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges that were rejected in the 2025 calendar year

-Total amount charged to investigate high hedge complaints in the 2025 calendar year

-Total number and total monetary value of fines issued in the 2025 calendar year due to a failure to act on a remedial notice issued to trim hedges

-Total number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges in the 2024 calendar year

-Number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges that were rejected in the 2024 calendar year

-Total amount charged to investigate high hedge complaints in the 2024 calendar year

-Total number and total monetary value of fines issued in the 2024 calendar year due to a failure to act on a remedial notice issued to trim hedges

-Total number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges in the 2023 calendar year

-Number of complaints received regarding neighbours’ high hedges that were rejected in the 2023 calendar year

-Total amount charged to investigate high hedge complaints in the 2023 calendar year

-Total number and total monetary value of fines issued in the 2023 calendar year due to a failure to act on a remedial notice issued to trim hedges

Response provided:

2025 - 2 complaints received / 0 complaints rejected / £0 charged / 0 fines

2024 - 3 complaints received / 0 complaints rejected / £0 charged / 0 fines

2023 - 0 complaints received

Request reference: FOI 11167

Issue date: 26.03.26

Request received: 

The following information regarding Community Asset Transfer or similar asset devolution initiatives within the authority:

1. Does the authority operate a formal CAT process? (Yes / No / Under consideration)

2. How many asset transfers to community organisations completed during the financial year 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026?

3. Approximately how many assets are currently identified by the authority as potentially suitable for CAT?

4. Is the authority currently undertaking or planning a proactive CAT process (beyond responding to individual requests from community organisations)? (Yes / No / Under consideration)

5. Does the authority have a dedicated officer or team responsible for CAT programmes? (Yes / No / Under consideration)

Response provided:

1. Under consideration. In relation to Devolution and local Government Re-organisation the following report was taken to Committee in March 2026 in relation to a policy around expressions of interests for assets from Town and Parish Councils – see below agenda item 123 Agenda for Strategy and Resources Committee on Monday, 2nd March, 2026, 10.00 am | North Devon Council

2. Public Conveniences

3. Not known at present a following the report taken in (1) above, the team (at the time of the response issue) collating the expression of interest requests. A report will be taken to April 2026 committee summarising the position

4. No. The Council are responding to expression of interests from Town and Parish Councils at the time of the response

5. No. The above work is picked up through the Property team within the authority and not a dedicated officer or team 

Request reference: FOI 11169

Issue date: 12.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the number of pieces of "casework" raised by each councillor with the local authority from 01.03.25 to 01.03.26 as a list with the number of queries each councillor has logged and including all queries officially logged by each named councillor, whether on behalf of a resident they represent or where the councillor has raised the query on their own account. Often these are known as "member enquiries"

Response provided:

The applicant was informed that the Council’s Member Services team does not maintain a record of the information requested centrally, however the Council’s Customer Services team conducted a search of their records for instances where a Council Member/Councillor has recorded a matter that could be considered a member enquiry/casework, for the period requested through the Council Customer Contact Centre; the results were provided to the applicant within an Excel spreadsheet

The Applicant was informed that there will have been instances where the Councillors elected during that year will have also raised matters directly with departments/service areas that will not be included within this spreadsheet

Request reference: FOI 11168

Issue date: 17.03.26

Request received: 

1. How many fines and fixed penalty notices have been issued under the Children and Families Act 2014 for smoking in a private vehicle with children (under 18 years old) present?

2. The number of cases relating to this offence that resulted in:

a) Prosecution

b) A fine issued by a court

Please return data broken down and split annually from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2025

If possible, please specify the legislation or offence code used to record these incidents in the Council’s system

Response provided:

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

Request reference: FOI 11170

Issue date: 10.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information for the most recent full 12-month period available in spreadsheet format:

1. The total number of complaints received by the council

2. A breakdown of complaints by department or service area (for example housing, planning, highways, social services, environmental services etc)

3. If available, a breakdown of complaints by category or reason for complaint

4. The number of complaints upheld, partially upheld, and not upheld

5. The number of complaints escalated to Stage 2 or equivalent formal review

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response from March 2025 – February 2026:

1. 388

2. Black waste = 47

   Garden waste = 51

   Recycling = 86

   Planning = 38

   Housing = 36

   Revenues and Benefits = 27

   Car Parks = 22

   Crematorium and cemeteries = 22

   Environmental Protection = 15

   Parks, Leisure, Trees = 13

   Customer Services and Communications – 16

   Legal = Five

   Economic Development = Sevon

   Harbour = One

   Built environment = 11

3. 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 was estimated by the Council's 'Feedback' Complaints Team that it would take a minimum of 19.5 hours to provide the requested information.  This is based on three minutes for each case, although with some more complex cases it may take longer to extrapolate data. The procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Complaints 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

4. Justified 246, Unjustified 151 (the reason this figure combined 397 is higher than 388 would be due to waste complaints. If a customer is being missed for black, green and recycling. It is only logged as one complaint however we need to break it down on the system and that would mean three under the one complaint)

5. 77

Request reference: FOI 11172

Issue date: 17.03.26

Request received: 

1. Does the authority currently utilise nightly paid temporary accommodation for placements?

2. What are the approximate nightly rates paid for temporary accommodation for the following property types? If exact figures cannot be provided, please provide a typical range:

HMO Room

Studio

1 Bedroom Property

2 Bedroom Property

3 Bedroom Property

4 Bedroom Property

3. How many units of nightly paid temporary accommodation does your authority currently utilise?

4. How many single households and family households are currently placed in hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation?

5. Of those households currently placed in hotel or Bed and Breakfast accommodation, how many have been placed beyond the statutory six-week limit (where applicable)?

6. Is your authority’s temporary accommodation provision delivered through a formal procurement framework, tendered contract, or other contractual arrangement?

7. Does your authority offer block bookings or guaranteed occupancy arrangements to providers of nightly paid temporary accommodation?

8. Would your authority be open to considering new providers of temporary accommodation, particularly where competitive pricing and additional supply could be offered

Response provided:

1. Yes

2. Not recorded as above: Please see below:

Single Occupancy £42 per night 

Double Occupancy £61 per night

Children Under 5 £6 per night 

Children 5 – 12 £14 per night 

Children 12 – 16 £16 per night (these are average costs)

3. Four

4. All single

5. None

6. No

7. No

8. No

Request reference: FOI 11173

Issue date: 11.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested to know if the Council holds a list of empty/abandoned property for sale

Response provided:

The applicant was advised that the Council does not maintain a list of empty/abandoned commercial and/or private property for sale within the North Devon area

The applicant was directed to the Council’s website where it publishes  datasets of Council Assets

The applicant was also informed that the Council owns temporary accommodation housing, however the bulk of its Council housing stock was transferred to North Devon Homes Ltd in February 2000

Request reference: FOI 11174

Issue date: 12.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested a copy of the last rating inspection report for Sandbanks Café, Yelland which was carried out in 2025

Response provided:

The applicant provided with a copy, with all third-party personal information redacted throughout in accordance with Section 40 of the Act 

Request reference: FOI 11176

Issue date: 20.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested a Council Tax Liability History of the property: 120 South Street, EX33 2AS (2003–2017):

The dates of each liability period

• Whether the property was recorded as occupied or empty

• Who was deemed liable during each period (tenant or owner)

• Copies of any liability notices or court action relating to the property

The applicant asked that if it required proof of ownership, to advise them what documentation is needed

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with the following information for the occupants of the address 120 South Street, Braunton from: 

1 January 2003 - 31 December 2017 (Property listed as occupied, unless stated) 

1 January 2003 - 21 August 2003

 22 August 2003 - 3 October 2006

 4 October 2006- 3 September 2007

 4 September 2007 - 21 October 2007: Property empty

 22 October 2007 - 16 September 2010

 17 September 2010 - 31 October 2010: Property empty

 1 November 2010 - 7 December 2012

 8 December 2012 - 14 December 2012: Property empty

 15 December 2012 - 29 January 2017

 30 January 2017 - 30 January 2017: Property empty

 31 January 2017 - 30 September 2021

The applicant was advised that the Council was unable to provide copies of any liability notices or court action relating to the above-mentioned tenants/occupiers, due to data protection rules and regulations

The Council considered the withheld information to be exempt under Section 40 of the Act as the information constitutes personal data and those individual(s) would have no reasonable expectation for the Council to make their personal information publicly available, particularly as a disclosure under the Act is not just to the requester, but to the world at large, and so a disclosure places the information into the public domain for all to see 

Section 40(2) provides that personal data is exempt information if one of the conditions set out in section 40(3A), (3B) or (4A) is satisfied. In this case Section 40(3A)(A) is met because disclosure of this information would breach the fair processing principle contained in the General Data Protection Regulation. This is an absolute exemption and there is therefore no requirement to consider the public interest 

Request reference: FOI 11177

Issue date: 31.03.26

Request received: 

Whether the Council recycles non-black plastic plant pots from the kerbside, or if it will begin doing so from March 31, 2026, or another date

Response provided:

No, the Council does not and has no plans to collect plant pots 

Request reference: FOI 11180

Issue date: 19.03.26

Request received: 

1. How much do you spend annually on annual border plants and how much do you spend on perennials? Can you break it down for the last three years please? Information within attached spreadsheet.

2. How many tonnes of flowers are discarded each year? Can you break it down for the last three years please? No information available.

3. What happens to them? They are composted.

4. Do you use weedkiller? Or an organic alternative? Herbicide.

5. If so, how much do you spend on weedkiller each year? Can you break it down annually please? Information within two spreadsheets

Response provided:

1. Applicant provided with this information in Excel format

2. This information is not recorded

3. They are composted

4. Herbicide is used by the Council 

5. Applicant provided with this information in Excel format 

Request reference: FOI 11181

Issue date: 17.03.26

Request received: 

1. Does North Devon Council, or any contracted housing provider, use removal firms based in Wales to carry out tenant removals? (new or existing tenants)

2. If so, please provide: - The name(s) of the Welsh removal firm(s) - The start date, duration, and scope of each contract - The total annual or contract value - The justification or procurement rationale for selecting these firms 

3. Are any North Devon–based removal firms currently contracted or used for tenant removals? 

4. If North Devon removal firms are not used, please provide: - The reason(s) why locally based firms were not selected - Any procurement scoring, tender evaluations, or decision-making summaries relating to this decision - Any documented consideration of local economic benefit 

5. Please provide any procurement criteria, tender documents, or policy statements relevant to the commissioning of removal firms

6. Were local North Devon removal firms invited to tender? If yes, please list which firms were invited and which submitted bids

7. If local firms submitted bids, please provide: - Their evaluation scores - Reasons their bids were not successful - Any feedback provided to those firms

8. Has the Council conducted any impact assessment (economic, environmental, or social value) relating to: - Using non-local removal firms - The carbon footprint associated with firms travelling from Wales versus local alternatives

9. Please confirm whether any complaints, concerns, or internal discussions have taken place regarding: - The performance of current removal firms - The suitability of using firms from outside the region 

10. Does the Council have a policy or preference regarding supporting local suppliers as part of its procurement strategy? If so, please provide the relevant policy documents

11. If contracts were awarded through a framework agreement, please specify: - Which framework was used - Whether local firms were eligible to appear on that framework - The criteria used to select firms from the framework 

12. Please provide any cost comparison carried out between: - Welsh removal firms - North Devon removal firms - Any other contractors considered

13. Has the Council reviewed or reconsidered these contracts in the last three years? If yes, please provide documents relating to such reviews. If any of the requested information is already available online, please provide the direct URL

Response provided:

The Council provided the following response:

1. No

2. N/A

3. No

4. N/A

5. N/A

6. N/A

7. N/A

8. N/A

9. N/A

10. The Council's Procurement Strategy is available here: Procurement Strategy 2023-2027 and contains a section on Prioritising Local Economic Development and SMEs and a key message that "Local supply is key for sustainable services and economic wellbeing. We will promote opportunities for local community and partnership engagement."

11. N/A

12. N/A

13. N/A

Request reference: FOI 11182

Issue date: 18.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested any updated, newly created, or amended information relating to deceased individuals within the Council’s jurisdiction who were confirmed as having no known next of kin, as well as those whose next-of-kin status was not confirmed. This request covers information created or recorded from the cut-off point used in the authority’s most recent disclosure on this subject, where such a disclosure may have been made, up to the date this request is processed, rather than the date on which it is logged

This request does not seek information identical to that previously requested or disclosed. It is confined to information that has been created, amended, or otherwise was not held at the time of the authority’s most recent response, including any subsequent policy or procedural changes relating to earlier FOI requests on this matter

It is acknowledged that records and any relevant policies or procedures may be revised over time in response to legal, organisational, or operational developments, or as additional information becomes available. Accordingly, this request is made in accordance with Section 14(2) of the Act

The applicant requested the following information broken down into individual records of the deceased:

•    Name

•    Date of birth

•    Date of death

•    The last known post code, area or full address

Response provided:

The Council considered the applicant’s new request as set out above against the Council’s most recent response to them on the same subject matter under FOI 11091, responded to on 4 February 2026 and confirmed that the only information that will have since been updated will be contained within the Council’s published dataset: Public Health Funerals which is updated monthly in accordance with Section 21 of the Act and was last updated on 10 March 2026

The Council’s position in terms of the information requested that not all requested data is published via the dataset, either in full or partially remains the same and so the Council referred the applicant back to its responses provided to them under FOI 10736 and 11092 which sets the relevant exemptions that this information is withheld under. Copies of these responses were provided for ease of reference 

Request reference: FOI 11184

Issue date: 17.03.26

Request received: 

1. What are the rates of recycling per collection type in north devon? 

2. What percentage of the recycling (by bag/box) collected from residential addresses in north devon is contaminated and can't be recycled? 

3. Where does north Devon's recycling get sorted? It gets sorted at the Council depot at Brynsworthy. See link: Where does your recycling go? 

4. What percentage of North Devon's recycling collected actually gets recycled by north Devon? 

5. What percentage gets sent to somewhere else to be sorted and is therefore "no longer" the responsibility of the council? 

6. When was this recycling system introduced? Which year? 

7. Was it directed by Devon County Council or is it a choice by North Devon Council? 

Response provided:

1. This data by type isn’t held
2. This information is not recorded
3. North Devon Council
4. The Council does not reprocess the material, it is sold on to a re-processor
5. All materials are sent off site to be reprocessed
6. South Molton Recycling initially provided this service as a contractor to the Council in 1999, NDC took over in 2008
7. North Devon Council 

Request reference: FOI 11185

Issue date: 10.04.26

Request received: 

The following questions are in relation to this passage, from the Draft Explanatory Memorandum that accompanies the draft statutory instrument 'The Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025. “Consultation for the option of amending Section 7 has taken place informally via engagement with key stakeholders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the National Police Coordination Centre, and local police forces who regularly police protest activity targeting the Life Sciences sector. Stakeholders were clear that existing powers did not go far enough to tackle the behaviour threatening the viability of the sector to continue to operate in the UK. The option to amend Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023 was the key outcome of the engagement. The affected parties are clear that once this amendment comes into force, it will have a positive operational impact. Consultation for this amendment took place informally due to the urgency of the threat to the Life Sciences sector as a result of disruptive protest activity.” 

1. Was the Local Authority part of the above consultation?
2. If so, who was the LA's representative?

Response provided:

1. No

2. Not Applicable

Request reference: FOI 11186

Issue date: 24.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information for each of the previous two financial years as well as the current year (2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26):

1. Current Policy and Rates: A copy of, or link to, the council's current policy regarding staff mileage claims. Please confirm the standard rate(s) paid per mile for cars and vans (e g the HMRC approved rate of 45 pence per mile)

2. Total Expenditure and Miles: The total amount of money spent by the council on reimbursing staff for business mileage claims during the specified financial year, and the total number of miles this expenditure represents

3. Expenditure: The total spent by the council on reimbursing business miles. If multiple rates are used, if possible, a breakdown by reimbursement at each rate

4. Number of Claimants: The total number of individual staff members who made one or more business mileage claims during the specified financial year

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with two Excel spreadsheets in response, which are available upon request 

Request reference: EIR 11187

Issue date: 25.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested all recorded information held by North Devon Council that was considered, created, or relied upon in preparing, reviewing, and approving the published HELAA assessments for sites HEA/FRE/0193 and HEA/FRE/0304 (West Yelland), for the period 1 January 2020 to present

The applicant confirmed that the request is separate from EIR 11027 and are not requesting pre-application advice nor are they requesting the landowner “call for sites” submissions already disclosed under EIR 11027

Requested information (held by North Devon Council)

1.         HELAA panel / decision materials

Any officer reports, briefing notes, papers, slides, and any minutes, notes, or records of HELAA Panel discussions relating to these sites

2.         Developer / promoter inputs considered for HELAA

Any submissions, representations, supporting documents, or correspondence provided by Pearce Homes / Pearce Construction (or their agents) in connection with these HELAA sites, and any records showing how such inputs were recorded and taken into account in the HELAA assessments

3.         Highways consultation for HELAA purposes (held by the Council)

Any consultation requests sent by the Council to Devon County Council Highways in relation to preparing these HELAA assessments, and any responses received and held by North Devon Council (including emails and attachments). The applicant confirmed they were not requesting records held only by Devon County Council

4.         Internal drafts and review trail

Any draft versions of the HELAA site assessments (including tracked changes or annotations), and any internal emails or notes discussing changes to the content or wording (especially around access, land control assumptions, and comprehensive development)

5.         Statutory consultee responses used for HELAA

Any responses received from statutory consultees (for example Natural England, Environment Agency, Devon County Council Flood Risk, Conservation, Environmental Health, etc.) that informed the published HELAA assessments for these sites

6.         Site visit records

Any site visit notes, photographs, or records created by Council officers for the HELAA assessment of these sites

7.         How the sites were framed together / separately

Any recorded information discussing why HEA/FRE/0193 and HEA/FRE/0304 are assessed separately or in relation to each other (including any discussion of comprehensive development, linked access assumptions, parcelling, framing, or phasing)

Response provided:

The Council confirmed to the applicant that no details are held in addition to those provided in response to EIR 11027 and EIR 11108.  To clarify, this includes for question three ‘no records of any GIS creation or edit record, metadata, or similar record showing how the 0193 polygon was first created or later amended’ 

Request reference: FOI 11194

Issue date: 20.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the number of blue badge parking spaces installed in the authority area, as of March 2025 (or the most recent figures held and specifying the date)

Response provided:

The applicant was advised that, in accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, North Devon Council car parks information, which includes disabled bays numbers, is in the public domain: Car parks | North Devon Council

Devon County Council are responsible for on street parking within the North Devon area and administer the Blue Badge scheme: Parking - Roads and transport  and so the applicant was also directed to Devon County Council for information they may hold

Request reference: FOI 11196

Issue date: 

Request received: 

The applicant requested to know if former councillor Brian Greenslade in receipt of a pension from either Devon County Council or North Devon District Council

Response provided:

The applicant was informed that the named individual was not in receipt of a pension from North Devon District Council and was directed to contact Devon County Council for this information

Request reference: FOI 11197

Issue date: 24.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested to know for 2024/25, how much the Council spent on:

Salaries and wages

Pension costs  

Response provided:

2024/25:

Salaries and Wages = £13,617,837

Pension costs = £3,316,791

Request reference: FOI 11200

Issue date: 30.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information regarding recipients of discretionary reductions to council tax for the following years 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26:

For clarity, this refers to discretionary reductions granted under Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (or equivalent discretionary council tax relief powers)

Total number of households receiving discretionary reductions to council tax

A breakdown of the categories or criteria used to award these reductions (e g hardship, medical, exceptional circumstances), and the number of awards in each category, where recorded

The number of households receiving a 100% reduction in council tax liability through discretionary reductions (i e paying no council tax after discretionary relief is applied)

Response provided:

Total number of households receiving discretionary reductions to council tax

2023/24 - 0

2024/25 - 1

2025/26 - 9

A breakdown of the categories or criteria used to award these reductions (e g hardship, medical, exceptional circumstances), and the number of awards in each category, where recorded.

2023/24 - 0

2024/25 - 1 exceptional circumstances

2025/26 - 8 exceptional circumstances and 1 hardship

The number of households receiving a 100% reduction in council tax liability through discretionary reductions (i e paying no council tax after discretionary relief is applied)

2023/24 - 0

2024/25 - 0

2025/26 - 0

Request reference: FOI 11204

Issue date: 24.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information regarding Public Spaces Protection Orders (as defined in Part 4 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including former Designated Public Place Orders that are now treated as PSPOs under s75 of the Act) currently in force within the Council’s area

1. The Name/Title of the Order

2. The prohibitions included in the Order (or a direct link to the full text)

3. The date the Order came into force

4. The date the Order is due to expire (under s60 of the Act)

5. The Geographic Boundary of the Restricted Area (as defined in s59(2) of the Act)

Response provided:

The applicant was directed to the Council's website which publishes information on Public Space Protection Orders that are in force throughout the North Devon area, in accordance with Sections 21 and 16 of the Act 

Request reference: FOI 11206

Issue date: 25.03.26

Request received: 

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The applicant requested the following information for years 2023, 2024 and 2025 - break each down by:

1. The number of individuals and households supported by the council under the “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) condition
2. The total annual cost to the council of providing support to individuals or households with NRPF status
3. The number of households supported where the need for assistance was linked to:

An ongoing immigration or visa application

A pending immigration appeal

Delays in a Home Office decision

4. The average length of time households with NRPF were supported by the council (if available)
5. The number of families with dependent children included within NRPF support figures

Response provided:

1. Zero

2. £Zero

3. Zero

4. N/A

5. Zero 

Applicant directed Devon County Council (DCC) for this information

Request reference: FOI 12211

Issue date: 31.03.26

Request received: 

1. What is the Council’s current predicted funding gap by the end of the financial year 2027/28?

2. What is the Council’s current predicted net revenue budget for the financial year 2027/28?

3. What is the Council’s current predicted cumulative funding gap by the end of the financial year 2028/29? (the total combined predicted funding gap of the financial years 2027/28 and 2028/29)

4. What is the Council’s current predicted net revenue budget for the financial year 2028/29?

Response provided:

The applicant was advised that the requested information is published within the Council's Medium Term Financial Plan on its website: Budgets and spending and MTFS model 2026-2031

Request reference: FOI 12215

Issue date: 30.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested confirmation as to whether the Council has at any time engaged in  correspondence with, or holds any records relating to, any of the following ITEMISED DATA REQUESTS: 

1. Name: Recycled Clothing Banks

2. Address: Unit 27 Chamberlains Farm, Sporehams Lane, Danbury, Sandon, Chelmsford, CM3 4AJ

3. Email: enquiries@recycledclothingbanks.co.uk

4. Mobile Telephone: 07883 706030

5. Head Office Telephone: 020 3903 993

6. Website: http://recycledclothingbanks.co.uk/

 In particular, the applicant requested clarification as to whether the Council has ever:

 7. corresponded with or holds any records relating to the organisation named above?

 8. utilised or consumed services provided by Recycled Clothing Banks in relation to textile recycling banks or similar services?

 9. authorised, licensed, or otherwise permitted Recycled Clothing Banks to place recycling banks on land owned, leased, or managed by the Council? 

10. held any agreements, permits, contracts, complaints, enforcement records, or internal communications relating to Recycled Clothing Banks operated by this organisation?

Response provided:

North Devon District Council confirmed to the applicant that it has not worked/stored info or communicated with this company in question 

Request reference: FOI 12216

Issue date: 30.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information on data centre planning applications, non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality arrangements related to such applications

1. Planning applications (last five years):

All planning applications submitted to the council since 1 January 2021 that relate to data centres, cloud computing facilities, hyperscale computing facilities or AI infrastructure. For each application, please provide:

•     Planning reference number

•     Application date

•     Applicant name (individual or corporate)

•     Site address

•     Brief description of proposed use

•     Current status (approved, refused, withdrawn, pending)

•     Decision date (if determined)

 2. Non-disclosure agreements:

Copies of any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), confidentiality agreements or similar instruments entered into by the council with applicants, developers or operators in connection with data-centre planning applications or negotiations since 1 January 2021. If full copies cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivity, please provide:

• The number of such agreements

• The parties to each agreement

• The date each agreement was signed

• A summary of the type of information covered (for example, site location, energy consumption, tenant identity)

• Whether each agreement has expired or remains in force

3. Policy and guidance:

Any internal guidance, policy documents or legal advice provided to planning officers or councillors regarding the use of NDAs or confidentiality clauses in data-centre planning matters

4. Correspondence and briefings:

Any correspondence (including emails) or briefing notes between council officers, elected members and data-centre developers or their agents concerning confidentiality, NDAs or the withholding of information from the public domain in relation to data-centre projects since 1 January 2021. (If too large, please provide a schedule or log showing date, parties and subject, rather than full text)

Response provided:

The Council confirmed to the applicant that it has not received any planning applications for data centres, cloud computing facilities, hyperscale computing facilities or AI infrastructure within the last 5 years. Due to this, the remaining questions in the request are not applicable

Request reference: FOI 12219

Issue date: 31.03.26

Request received: 

The applicant requested confirmation as to whether the Council has at any time engaged in  correspondence with, or holds any records relating to, any of the following ITEMISED DATA REQUESTS: 

1. Name: Oxfam

2. Address: 2600 John Smith Drive, Oxford Business Park South, Oxford, OX4 2JY

3. Email: support@oxfam.org.uk

4. Telephone: 0300 200 1300

6. Website: www.oxfam.org.uk

 In particular, the applicant requested clarification as to whether the Council has ever:

 7. corresponded with or holds any records relating to the organisation named above?

 8. utilised or consumed services provided by Oxfam in relation to textile recycling banks or similar services?

 9. authorised, licensed, or otherwise permitted Oxfam to place recycling banks on land owned, leased, or managed by the Council? 

10. held any agreements, permits, contracts, complaints, enforcement records, or internal communications relating to Oxfam operated by this organisation?

Response provided:

North Devon District Council confirmed to the applicant that it has not worked/stored info or communicated with this company in question 

Request reference: FOI 12220

Issue date: 31.03.26

Request received: 

The applicants request related to the £150 energy bill support payments (sometimes called a ‘council tax rebate’) issued to Council Tax band A-D households in the Council’s area as at 1 April 2022. On 2 September 2022, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities reminded local authorities in England to place any unclaimed “core” £150 payments onto council tax accounts for eligible households. This allowed for payment after the “core” scheme closed

The questions below only relate to the “core/main” £150 scheme. No information is required concerning the separate “discretionary” schemes

1. For properties where you are the local council, how many properties have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account?

2. How many of the properties in “1)” had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

3. For properties within the local council, how many are recorded as a Home in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for planning purposes but not for council tax purposes?

4. How many of these properties in “3)” have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account and had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

5. What decision(s) has the council made regarding distribution of these unclaimed “core” £150 payments to the eligible 1 April 2022 occupants?

Response provided:

The applicant was provided with the following response:

 1. None

2. None

3. This information is not recorded by the Council

4. Unable to reply, see response to Q3 above

5. None unclaimed