Request reference: FOI 9635

Issue date: 01.03.24

Request received: 

1. The number of times the authority has refunded planning application fees to developers who had waited more than 26 weeks for a decision without other agreements or exemptions being put in place, as per the Government’s 2013 implementation of these rules

2. In a digital table format, such as excel or pdf, can you provide the total number of payments returned, and every instance between January 2013 and December 2023 of money being returned to developers, the date of the return and the amount of money returned (£)

3. Can the authority also provide, for the same time period, the number of planning applications that have waited more than 26 weeks for a decision, without agreements in place

Response provided:

1. Six

2. Applicant provided with this information in Excel format, which is available upon request

3.   The Planning team confirmed they are unable to provide a complete answer to this question. Prior to 2020, they used FastPlanning software to record planning applications and there was no Extension of Time flag within this system. There are 522 applications between 2013 and 2019 where decisions took more than 26 weeks to be issued. These 522 applications would need to be manually checked for extension of time agreements and it is estimated that this could take between 20-30 minutes per application

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

This part of the request would far exceed 18 hours to complete and would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Planning team. Therefore we are 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

Since migrating to MasterGov, there are 15 applications received since 1st January 2020 that exceeded 26 weeks and had no extension of time secured, of which two have already been refunded under the Planning Guarantee

Request reference: FOI 9634

Issue date: 14.03.24

Request received: 

1. The number of successful planning appeals made against the local (planning) authority
2. The number of unsuccessful planning appeals made against the local (planning) authority
3. The amount of money the local authority has spent on successfully defending planning appeals
4. The amount of money the local authority has spent on unsuccessful defending planning appeals

Response provided:

Information provided to the applicant within a table in Word format, which is available upon request. Applicant advised that it has only been possible to provide figures relating to the costs accrued in respect of successful claims for Appeal costs made against the authority, the hire of venues and the use of consultants, Legal representation and expert witnesses, etc used by the authority in defending such appeals. Office time and sundries (such as printing, postage and stationery) and any other inherent costs are not recorded by the authority

Request reference: FOI 9666

Issue date: 11.03.24

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following data pertaining to households with children in temporary accommodation. If any part of the data cannot be provided, please provide the rest and clearly mark which is not available and explain why

Please provide the data for three (3) time periods: end of Dec 2023, end of Sept 2023, end of Dec 2022 (r if the data is not recorded for that day then the last day of the month for which there is data

1a. Number of households with children aged under 5 in temporary accommodation

1b. Number of households with children (under 5) in temporary accommodation for more than 6 weeks

1c. Number of households with children (under 5) in temporary accommodation for more than 6 months

2a. Number of households with children aged under 5 in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation

2b. Number of households with children (under 5) in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation for more than 6 weeks

2c. Number of households with children (under 5) in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation for more than 6 months

3a. Number of households with children aged under 5 in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities (i e bed and breakfast, hostels, hotels)

3b. Number of households with children (under 5) in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities for more than 6 weeks

3c. Number of households with children (under 5) in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities for more than 6 months

4a. Number of households with children (aged under 18) in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities (including but not limited to bed and breakfast, hostels, hotels)

4b. Number of households with children (under 18) in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities for more than 6 weeks

4c. Number of households with children (under 18) in any temporary accommodation with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities for more than 6 months

Response provided:

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

Request reference: FOI 9668

Issue date: 01.03.24

Request received: 

1. How many affordable homes were agreed when planning consent was given to developers in the North Devon area? 

2. How many used FVAs to reduce the number of affordable homes mid build?

3. How many per development were provided at the completion?

Response provided:

Monitoring Year	Total Homes Built	Total Affordable Housing Built	% of Affordable Homes Built to Market Homes
2018/2019	693	172	25
2019/2020	884	178	20
2020/2021	552	100	18
2021/2022	595	113	19
2022/2023	578	82	14

Unfortunately the Planning team does not currently monitor Affordable Housing provision in MasterGov (however they advise that they are working towards this in the future) nor is there a flag to indicate where a Viability Assessment has taken place

Therefore a manual search of housing development approvals would need to take place. There are over one thousand approvals since 1 January 2019, under the “Dwellings” category which could potentially be relevant and so would need to be individually checked. It is difficult to put a time frame on this but a conservative estimate is 20 minutes per application

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

This part of the request would far exceed 18 hours to complete and would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of the Planning team. Therefore we are unable to process this part of your request any further. As set out in the previous paragraph, the Council has the right to refuse to provide the information in accordance with Section 12 of the Act

Request reference: FOI 9681

Issue date: 04.03.24

Request received: 

1. The number of social homes owned by or receiving financial support from your Local Authority in each of the calendar years a) 2019, b) 2020, c) 2021, d) 2022, e) 2023

2. The total budget in pounds (£) and the percentage of your Local Authorities total budget spent on social housing funding in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

3. The number of issues raised with social homes by the tenants residing in them in your local authority in each of the calendar years a) 2019, b) 2020, c) 2021, d) 2022, e) 2023

4. The number of social homes in your Local Authority which are known to have mould in them in each of the calendar years a) 2019, b) 2020, c) 2021, d) 2022, e) 2023

5. The number of social homes in your Local Authority which have been condemned in each of the calendar years a) 2019, b) 2020, c) 2021, d) 2022, e) 2023

Response provided:

1. The Council did not own any social homes nor did it provide financial support in any of the requested years. The Council’s former housing stock was transferred to North Devon Homes Ltd in February 2000; therefore it no longer owns any social homes and nor will it hold information under 3, 4 and 5 for the years requested
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. N/A
6. £0/zero in each of the requested years

Request reference: FOI 9683

Issue date: 11.03.24

Request received: 

1.   How many households in the local authority have spent under one year in temporary accommodation?

2. How many households in the local authority have spent between one to five years in temporary accommodation?

3. How many households in the local authority have spent between five to ten years in temporary accommodation?

4. How many households in the local authority have spent over ten years in temporary accommodation?

Response provided:

The Council’s Housing team provides the following response, however the figures are based on individuals in Temporary Accommodation as at 31 December of each of these years. Also, please note that Housing no longer hold records pre 2018 due to a change in system:

1. 2023 – 85

2022 – 54

2021 – 44

2020 – 28

2019 – 29

2018 – 31

1. 2023 – 5

2022 – 7

2021 – 1

2020 – 2

2019 – 0

2018 – 0

1. 2023 – 0

2022 – 0

2021 – 0

2020 – 0

2019 – 0

2018 – 0

1. 2023 – 0

2022 – 0

2021 – 0

2020 – 0

2019 – 0

2018 – 0

Request reference: EIR 9687

Issue date: 01.03.24

Request received: 

The following regarding: Workshop Rear Of Waverley Terrace, Lynton EX35 6HG;

1. Has the Council issued its written strategy on the strategic approach to the inspection of contaminated land? If so, please provide a copy or provide details of how we may obtain a copy

2. Has the Council pursuant to this written strategy, or for any other reason, undertaken an inspection of the Property within the last ten years?

3. Has the Property been identified as ‘contaminated land’ under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990? If not, does the Council have any reason to believe that the Property may be identified as ‘contaminated land’ under this legislation in the future?

Response provided:

1. The Council does publish a contaminated land strategy on its website, however it is for the period 2009 – 2014. The Council’s Environmental Protection team confirms that they do not hold an up to date contaminated land strategy at the time of this response
2. No
3. Applicant provided with a map and Excel spreadsheet in response, which is available upon request
4. The Council’s Environmental Protection team does not hold any other records regarding potentially contaminated land in this area. It was recommended the applicant also contact the Environment Agency and Devon County Council regarding any information they may hold in relation to the site or the land in the vicinity

North Devon Council has not yet fully inspected its area to identify sites of contaminated land as required by Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. As such, it is not possible to say whether or not this site will be classified under this legislation. At this time, it is considered unlikely that this site would be the subject of inspection under this legislation to the future

Request reference: FOI 9688

Issue date: 05.03.24

Request received: 

1. The total budget in pounds (£) and the percentage of your Local Authorities total budget spent on non-statutory obligations funding in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

2. The total budget in pounds (£) and the percentage of your Local Authorities total budget spent on social care funding in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

3. The total budget in pounds (£) and the percentage of your Local Authorities total budget spent on temporary accommodation funding in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

Response provided:

1. As follows:

	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Non Statutory Obligations Budget	2,075,300	2,089,200	2,074,950	2,173,960	1,962,610
Total Service Budget	12,517,810	13,380,330	13,638,970	13,721,640	14,766,450
	16.58%	15.61%	15.21%	15.84%	13.29%

 

1. Applicant directed to contact Devon County Council’s Information Governance team as they are the responsible authority for Health and Social Care covering North Devon
2. As follows:

	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Temporary Accommodation	249,8300	208,485	274,426	478,274	516,089
Total Service Budget	14,704,750	15,718,150	15,652,270	17,371,330	18,748,190
Note: TA figures do not include staff costs	1.70%	1.33%	1.75%	2.75%	2.75%

Request reference: FOI 9689

Issue date: 05.03.24

Request received: 

1. The amount of money in pounds (£) that your Local Authority has spent on maintaining Mayoral memorabilia (i e the Mayoral chains) in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

2. The amount of money in pounds (£) was spent on your Local Authorities communications department (i e staff costs) in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

3. The amount of money in pounds (£) was spent on travel cost for Councillors elected to your Local Authority (i.e. taxi costs) in each of the financial years a) 2019-20, b) 2020-21, c) 2021-22, d) 2022-23, e) 2023-24

Response provided:

1. a) £156.00 

    b - e) £0/Zero spend in each of the requested years

2. a) £327,901.30

    b) £330,346.70

    c) £360,370.01

    d) £360,604.04

    e) £252,930.05

3. a - e) £0/Zero spend in each of the requested years 

Request reference: FOI 9701

Issue date: 12.03.24

Request received: 

Applicant requested to be provided with a csv or xlsx file containing the following information on all individual planning applications from January 1 2010 to December 31 2023:

• Planning application number/reference

• Easting

• Northing

• Postcode

• Address

• Ward

• Parish (if applicable)

• Current application status

• Application outcome (if applicable)

• Consent type (e g Full, Outline, Reserved Matters, etc.)

• Development category (e g major dwellings, minor dwellings, any other category of new dwellings)

• Number of dwellings created (if possible and applicable)

• Development proposal summary (if it exists)

• Date received

• Decision date

• Date validated

Please define any/all ambiguous variables in the dataset (e g. 1: minor dwellings application)

Response provided:

Applicant provided with the requested information in Excel format, apart from number of dwellings created as the system used by the team does not allow for this to be captured within the report with the rest of the information requested  

Request reference: FOI 9702

Issue date: 15.03.24

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following in each of the following years; 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and now:

1. The number of families in temporary accommodation? 

2. The number of families in council-owned accommodation/number in third-party accommodation, i e Bed and Breakfasts?

3. How many council-owned properties are there and how many in, i e, Bed and Breakfasts?

4. How much was spent on each kind of accommodation?

Response provided:

1. 2019 - 123

2020 - 104

2021 - 117

2022 - 162

2023 - 165

2024 to 15/03 - 41

1. 2019 – 54 

2020 – 61 

2021 – 55 

2022 – 39 

2023 – 36

2024 to 15/03 – 14

1. 25 Council owned properties as of 15 March 2023 and three owned via Homes For Ukraine funding
2. Please refer to the linked dataset which sets out the cost of providing Temporary Accommodation to the Council which covers the requested years. This is updated annually, with the next update due in September 2024

Request reference: FOI 9704

Issue date: 13.03.24

Request received: 

1. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council used caravans and/or holiday parks to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless. Please provide a Yes/No answer

By presenting as homeless, I mean people who have presented to the council as homeless, and who the council has a duty to house, and therefore provided temporary accommodation before finding more secure housing

1a) If yes, please can you also provide:

• The name of the caravan/holiday park accommodation provider 
• The amount paid by the council to the caravan/holiday park accommodation provider per financial year 
• The number of people housed in caravans/holiday park accommodation

2. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council used hotels to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless. Please provide a Yes/No answer

2a) If yes, please can you also provide:

• The name of the hotel accommodation provider 
• The amount paid by the council to the accommodation provider per financial year 
• The number of people in hotel accommodation 

3. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council provided tents to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless. Please provide a Yes/No answer

3a) If yes, please can you also provide:

• The total costs spent on tents per financial year
• The number of people to have received tents 

Response provided:

1. Yes, a) Caravan Holiday Parks:

Ilfracombe Holiday Park = £645,589.16

Westbeach Resort Ltd = £112,570.88

Number of individuals housed = 204

1. Yes, a) Hotel Accommodation, including Bed and Breakfasts):

Alabare = £878.00

Barnstaple Hotel = £1,450.00

Bear and Bearess Trading Ltd = £34,129.04

Beckcare Homes Ltd = £1,076.00

Bookings.com = £347.00

Cedars Inn = £697.70

Corner House Bed and Breakfast = £64.00

Joiner Arms = £25,652.50

Portsmouth Arms Hotel = £8,639.95

Premier Inn = 6,128.50

Royal and Fortescue Hotel = £1,704.16

Royal Britannia Hotel = £20,738.36

Symphony Hotel = £240,818.94

The Coaching Inn = £188,979.78

The Darnley Hotel = £109,549.04

Travelodge = £85,299.69

Wildwood Hotel = £183,095.37

Number of individuals housed = 368

1. No, a) N/A

Request reference: FOI 9706

Issue date: 19.03.24

Request received: 

1. How much budget was spent on marketing/digital marketing in 2022 and 2023?

Response provided:

Applicant was provided with the following information:  

Marketing Service	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	Percentage of overall budget
SEO	Nil	Nil	Nil	N/A
PPC	Nil	Nil	Nil	N/A
Paid Social	304.37	307.00	Nil	No budget is held for expenses, therefore they are coded to the applicable ledger as and when they are paid
PR Traditional	Nil	210.70	646.21	86.161%
Digital PR, Social Media marketing, strategy and consulting and any other additional services	Nil			N/A

Request reference: FOI 9707

Issue date: 13.03.24

Request received: 

CPNs

1. Please state the number of Community Protection Notices (CPNs) issued by your authority in the period November 2022-October 2023. Please also state the number of Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) issued within this period

2. If possible, please state the subject of these CPNs/CPWs - for example, by providing the texts, or stating the subject matter of the orders (e g Litter, waste, ASB)

3. Please state the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued for the offence of breach of CPN between November 2022 and October 2023

PSPOs

4. Please state the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued for the offence of violating a PSPO in the calendar year 2023

5. Where possible, please state the offences for which these PSPO FPNs were issued (e g begging, alcohol, dog control, dispersal)

6. Please state whether these PSPO FPNs were issued by a private company (Y/N)

Political campaigning in public spaces

7. Please state whether your council has an area in the town centre where people could put up a political stall (for example, a political party or campaigning organisation)

8. If so, would a fee be required? What is the amount of this fee?

9. Please specify if anything else is required for a political stall (e g public liability insurance, or completion of an application form). If there is an application form, please provide a copy of the form

Response provided:

Question 1 and 2

Six notices (CPNs)

1.  Cut down the overgrown front garden to ground level and maintain at ground level thereafter and remove all foliage from the exterior of the building and maintain thereafter

2.  Not to loiter, sit or sleep outside of (address) at any time, not to sleep in any doorway in Barnstaple where the premises will be opening to the Public, not to litter and not to defecate or urinate in a public place

3.  When near or in a Public Area, both dogs will be kept on a lead of no more than two meters in length/(dog) will be kept suitably muzzled at all times when off lead and both dogs must not be left unattended in any locations near public right of ways and be kept under control at all times

4. Not to enter (address) on Barnstaple High Street at any time, not to enter (address) on Barnstaple High Street at any time, not to consume alcohol or be in possession of any unsealed or open container of alcohol in a public place within any PSPO area in North Devon District Council's area, not to be drunk in a public place and not to use threatening or abusive language or behaviour in a public place

5. With immediate effect, desist from leaving or putting food out at or near your home, in such a way that it is available to herring gulls, feral pigeons, doves, corvids or other large birds

6. Not to consume alcohol or be in possession of any unsealed or open container of alcohol in a public place within any PSPO area in North Devon District Council's area, not to be drunk in a public place, not to urinate in a public place and not to use threatening or abusive language or behaviour in a public place

23 letters (CPWs):

1. Using intravenous drugs in public places, littering drug paraphernalia outside of business premises and defecating in public places

2. Being responsible for defecating in a public place

3. Being responsible for causing and allowing others visiting your property to cause noise disturbance to residents

4. Allowing visitors at your property throughout the day and night to cause noise disturbance to other residents

5. Entering shop premises which you have been banned from, using threatening and abusive language towards staff

6. Being responsible for allowing an accumulation of dog faeces in the external areas of your home address

7. Allowing people visiting your property to cause noise disturbance from shouting, swearing, banging doors and further disorder

8. Allowing people visiting your property to cause noise disturbance from shouting, swearing, banging doors and further disorder

9. Numerous complaints of litter, food strewn around, drug paraphernalia and bedding being left in the doorway on a daily basis

10. Harassment and intimidation caused by disputes around parking on the forecourt at the front of the properties

11. Causing and allowing visitors to cause noise disturbance at your property from banging shouting and swearing which is impacting other residents

12. Harassment and intimidation caused by disputes around shared parking on the forecourt at the front of the properties

13. Ongoing incidents of disturbance between yourself and occupants of (address) resulting in arguments and fighting outside of the property

14. Ongoing incidents of disturbance between yourself and occupants of (address) resulting in arguments and fighting outside of the property

15. Verbal arguments, threats, drunken behaviour and noise disturbance

16. Number of complaints have been reported of verbal arguments, threats, drunken behaviour and intimidation in the street

17. Drinking alcohol on a regular basis in Ilfracombe Town Centre and sea front area

18. Ongoing incidents of noise disturbance caused by you and visitors visiting your property 

19. Continuing to drink alcohol within the PSPO area of Ilfracombe town centre on a frequent basis

20. Parked your vehicle outside of the garage owned by number 2 preventing them from parking outside their garage for a period of time

21. Ongoing harassment by yourself towards residents in the vicinity

22. Regular reports of shouting screaming and banging which is impacting on residents

23. Allegations of ongoing harassment by you towards residents in the vicinity

Question 3 = One

Question 4 = Three

Question 5: 

1. Urinating on Holland Walk, Barnstaple against the wall and a further incident of urinating outside (address)

2. Urinating in Jubilee Gardens, Ilfracombe

3. Urinating in Castle Green, Barnstaple

Question 6 = No

Question 7 = The authority does not have an area in the town centre where people could put a political stall

Question 8 = N/A

Question 9 = N/A

Request reference: FOI 9708

Issue date: 14.03.24

Request received: 

The applicant requested the following information for each year from 2015 to the most recent year with available data:

1. The total number of noise complaints associated with heat pumps broken down by heat pump type if possible (e.g. water source, air source, ground source, shared loop ground source)

2. The associated outcome of the noise complaints, if possible

If it is not possible to complete the above request broken down by heat pump type, please omit this part of the request and instead provide the overall figures of all heat pumps

If it is not possible to receive information as far back as 2015, please start with the oldest year on record

If it is not possible to complete all of the requests, please prioritise them in the order listed above

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it has not receive any applicable noise complaints in each of the requested years from 2015 to 2024 to date 

Request reference: FOI 9711

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

1. The total spending by your organisation on unconscious bias training for your staff in the financial year 2022/23

2. The number of your staff that undertook unconscious bias training in the financial year 2022/23

Response provided:

1. £1,188.00 spent with external consultants on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training (this included unconscious bias)

2. 232 members of staff undertook this training

Request reference: FOI 9712

Issue date: 05.03.24

Request received: 

1. How many trees have been planted by the council since 1 January 2022?

2. How many trees have been cut down by the council since 1 January 2022?

Response provided:

Applicant advised that the information is recorded per financial year, therefore the Council is able to provide the following for the 2022/23 financial year:

Trees felled = 37

Trees planted = 18,331

Request reference: FOI 9716

Issue date: 20.03.24

Request received: 

The amount of money the council has spent servicing its debt in each of the last 3 financial years (2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24). This would include both debt repayments and payment of interest

Response provided:

The Council’s Finance team confirms that there have been no borrowing repayments made in the last three years, therefore the following interest payable amounts are as follows:

2021/22 = £12,250

2022/23 = £60,350

2023/24 = £60,350

Request reference: EIR 9717

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3SG

Response provided:

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

Request reference: EIR 9718

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 9NH

Response provided:

Applicant advised no information held   

Request reference: EIR 9719

Issue date: 20.03.24

Request received: 

All information held pertaining to planning enforcement case 12685

Response provided:

The information identified as falling within the remit of the request was fully withheld from disclosure under Regulations 12(5)(d) – confidentiality in proceedings and Regulation 13 (personal data)

Applicant also advised that the matter also holds information that would be considered to be their own personal information and as such, should they wish to obtain this they would need to make a Subject Access Request

Request reference: EIR 9720

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 8JH

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 9721

Issue date: 01.03.24

Request received: 

The applicant requested information as to how their Council Tax is spent and that the response be provided to them by post

Response provided:

It was confirmed to the applicant that the Council publishes this information on its website, which can be found via the following link: Council Tax charges and how it is spent

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, therefore, for ease of reference, the applicant was provided with printed copy of this page also

Request reference: FOI 9722

Issue date: 01.03.24

Request received: 

I would like to make a Freedom of Information Request for the following details from your Animal Licensing Department, Environmental Health, or otherwise

I would like a list of all Commercial Dog Day-care businesses listed within your Council with a minimum daily license of 10 dogs per day/on the premises and to include the following for each business:

• Business Name
• Contact Name
• Email
• Phone Number
• Address

Response provided:

The Council’s Licensing team confirms that there are no premises within the North Devon area licenced for the activity of day care for dogs, as set out within the request

Request reference: EIR 9723

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 0AP

Response provided:

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

Request reference: EIR 9724

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX32 0TF

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 9725

Issue date: 04.03.24

Request received: 

1. Have you used a Probate Researcher or Probate Research Firm (commonly known as 'heir hunters') in any capacity in the last 12 months? 

2. Do you have a formal arrangement or contract in place with a Probate Research firm?

3. Have you ever used a Probate Researcher or Probate Research Firm (commonly known as 'heir hunters') in any capacity? This includes but is not limited to engaging their services to trace potential heirs or beneficiaries of deceased estates 

4. I kindly request that you provide any relevant documents, records, or information pertaining to the above requests

Response provided:

1. No, the Council has not

2. No, the Council does not

3. No

4. Not Applicable  

Request reference: FOI 9726

Issue date: 18.03.24

Request received: 

1. What ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) or Finance system is currently used at North Devon District Council?

2. When does your contract expire?

3. Do you have any planned upgrades of the software? If so, when?

4. Are you planning to go to market for a replacement ERP/Finance system? If so, when?

5. Who is the person responsible for your ERP / Finance system? Please provide full name, title and contact information if possible

6. What is the annual contract value of the software?

Response provided:

1. The Council does not have an ERP system

Details of the Council’s financial system with Civica can be found on our Contract Register

2. This can found via the linked contract as above

3. No

4. Procurement through framework, May/June 2024

5. Tony Rumble, Accountancy Services Manager, 01271 388220 

6. £31,876

Request reference: EIR 9727

Issue date: 06.03.24

Request received: 

A copy of the pre-application advice, re PA 76331 and the initial correspondence with the architect

Response provided:

Applicant advised that no formal pre-application enquiry/response is held and the applicant was provided with copies of the initial correspondence with the architect that fall within the scope of the request, with some personal data redacted throughout in accordance with Regulation 13 

Request reference: FOI 9728

Issue date: 28.03.24

Request received: 

1. How many complaints have you had in the last 12 months (March 2023-March 2024) about dog poo/dog waste being reported in public areas - i.e. in parks, on pavements, walkways, public fields, etc.?

2. How many complaints have you had in the last 12 months (March 2023-March 2024) about dog poo/dog waste being reported on private property - i.e. someone’s front garden, driveway, path, etc?

3. How many complaints did you have in the 12 months prior (March 2022-March 2023) about dog poo/dog waste being reported in public areas?

4. How many complaints did you have in the 12 months prior (March 2022-March 2023) about dog poo/dog waste being reported on private property - i.e. someone’s front garden, driveway, path, etc?

5. How many people were prosecuted or issued with a fixed penalty notice for not cleaning up dog waste/dog poo between March 2023 and March 2024?

6. How many people were prosecuted or issued with a fixed penalty notice for not cleaning up dog waste/dog poo between March 2022 and March 2023?

7. How many dog poo/dog waste bins do you have, as of March 2024? This includes dedicated dog poo/dog waste bins as well as public litter bins that accept dog waste

8. How many dog poo/dog waste bins did you have as of March 2023? This includes dedicated dog poo/dog waste bins as well as public litter bins that accept dog waste

9. Do you have any plans to increase the number of dog poo/dog waste bins?

10. Do you have any plans to decrease the number of dog poo/dog waste bins?

11. If so, on either question 9 or 10, by how many - please state a number rather than a percentage

Response provided:

1, 2 3 and 4. Applicant provided with a two Excel spreadsheets, which are available upon request

5. Environmental FPNs (which include those relating to dog fouling) are published in annual calendar year datasets. The 2024 dataset will be published in January 2025

The Prosecution dataset is updated quarterly with the next update due from April 2024

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 Council has done so in providing the links to the relevant datasets as above

6. As 5. Above

7. 95 dog waste bins maintained and emptied by NDC, 475 litter bins which accept dog waste maintained and emptied by NDC

8. Unknown/not recorded

9. No plans to increase the number

10. There will be a steady decrease in the number of dog waste bins as any that need replacing will be replaced with litter bins, instead of new dog waste bins as dog waste is accepted in litter bins

11. Unable to provide this as the information is not held in a way that it can be provided as it is an “as and when required” situation

Request reference: FOI 9729

Issue date: 05.03.24

Request received: 

This is an information request relating to council phone contracts abroad 

Please include the following information for the last three financial years, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23:

1.  Total number of overseas phone contracts
2.  The reasons for issuing each overseas phone contract, including the country it was issued for and whether it was issued to an official or counsellor
3.  What each overseas contract included. For example what level of data (4g, 5g etc), number of minutes, calls or any subscriptions
4. The total annual spend on overseas phone contracts
   1. What are the contractual performance Key Performance Indicators for this contract?

Response provided:

1. None in each of the requested years

2. Not Applicable

3. Not Applicable

4. Not Applicable

Request reference: FOI 9730

Issue date: 20.03.24

Request received: 

The applicant requested copies of information on any complaints against them, in the last 20 years, and to include any statements made by them and any recordings made

Response provided:

Applicant advised that some of the information that falls within the remit of their request is fully exempt from disclosure as some of the information identified is third party personal data which relates to other individuals other than the applicant as 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 applicant requesting the information, but also to the world at large and would effectively place there information into the public domain

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 in this instance

The remainder of the information is considered to be the applicant’s personal data, as it relates to and identifies them as such, the request cannot be processed under the Act

ICO Guidance on Section 40 states that if the requested information is the requester’s personal data, it is exempt under Section 40(1) of the FOI. Instead, the Council is only able to process this information under a Subject Access Request, therefore the applicant was provided with the necessary information to be able to make such a request to the Council’s Data Protection team

Request reference: EIR 9733

Issue date: 19.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX37 9HB

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 9735

Issue date: 06.03.24

Request received: 

The total cost for all translation and interpretation activities for each of the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23

Response provided:

2021/22 = £162.00

2022/23 = £120.00

Request reference: FOI 9737

Issue date: 20.03.24

Request received: 

 The following information regarding paper and cardboard recycling in your borough:

1. Suppliers who applied for inclusion on each framework/contract and were successful and not successful at the PQQ and ITT stages
2. Who is the current supplier?
3. Actual spend on this contract/framework (and any sub lots), from the start of the contract to the current date
4. Are there any processing facilities or MRFs utilised within the contract if so what the names and addresses?
5. How is your fibre processed (baled or loose)?
6. Where is the end destination of the fibre?
7. What is your current collection method (dual stream, single source, kerbside sort or comingled)
8. What tonnage per year do you produce by fibre grade?
9. Start date & duration of framework/contract?
10. Could you please provide a copy of the service/product specification given to all bidders for when this contract was last advertised?
11. Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract(s) and, if so, the duration of the extension?
12. Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?
13. Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract?
14. Are there any plans to change the existing service?

Response provided:

Devon County Council runs the Council's joint paper contract. Cardboard is collected separately to paper and is not under framework/contract

The following response is for cardboard only:

1. N/A

2. N/A

3. The Council currently reviews local card buyers pricing monthly to find the best outlet for its card

4. N/A

5. N/A

6. Baled

7. Newbery Recycling, Braunton Road, Barnstaple

8. Kerbside sort

9. 2,000 tonnes. Grade is just domestic household kerb sort cardboard

10. N/A

11. N/A

12. N/A

13. N/A

14. Pete Sheppard, Supervisor, Environmental Enhancement, North Devon Council

15. No

The following response is for paper only which has been supplied by Devon County Council:

1. Applicant provided with this information within two PDF documents, which are available upon request

2. One bid was received from Palm Recycling Ltd

3. Palm Recycling Ltd

4. £0

5. N/A

6. Baled

7. Palm Recycling Ltd, Poplar Ave, King's Lynn PE34 3AL

8. Kerbside sort

9. Last year, 823 tonnes

10. 01.04.2019, Duration is three years 

11.As 1 above

12. Yes, 24 months

13. Yes extended

14. Wendy Barratt, Waste Management, Devon County Council

15. No

Request reference: FOI 9738

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

How many electric vehicle charge points have been installed by the authority from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023, broken down by year? I would also like to know how many of these charge point installations resulted in access issues which required further remediation, e g needed to be moved to a different location, or replaced entirely, due to incorrect installation and/ or faulty equipment. I would also like to know how much each of these moves or replacements cost the council

Response provided:

2019, 2020 and 2021 = Zero installed, no remediation’s or associated remediation costs held

2022 = 10 installed, no remediation’s or associated remediation costs held

2023 = Three installed, no remediation’s or associated remediation costs held

Request reference: FOI 9739

Issue date: 12.03.24

Request received: 

1. What funding (if any) do you offer to small businesses in the local area?

2. How many grants (if any) do you offer to small businesses in the local area?

3. If funding or grants are offered, please can you provide the specific monetary figures that are available to small businesses in the local area?

4. How many grants, or funding offers, were applied for and successfully granted to small businesses in the calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023?

Response provided:

Town Centre Enhancement Grants 

This scheme only launched in 2023, and there have been 15 successful awards in that year

We have two other sources of business grant, which we have outsourced the administration to our business support company, North Devon Plus, but North Devon Council are the responsible body for the grants:

Business Boost

This programme launched in 2023 and 8 micro grants have been awarded in that year

Rural Grants Programme

This programme launched in 2023 and 15 applicants have been successful in awards in that year 

Request reference: FOI 9740

Issue date: 07.03.24

Request received: 

1. Do you have any byelaws specifically relating to the recreational use of drones from your land? If yes, please provide:

a) The date(s) of these byelaws

b) A digital copy of the byelaw(s) or a link to where these can be found on your website

2. In the absence of specific byelaws, do you have any policies relating to the recreational use of drones from your land? If yes, please provide:

a) The date(s) of these policies

b) A digital copy of the policy or policies or a link to where these can be found on your website

Response provided:

1. No a) N/A b) N/A
2. Applicant directed to the Council’s website for published guidelines for drone filming from council land

Request reference: FOI 9741

Issue date: 25.03.24

Request received: 

1. A list of the bandstands currently within your local authority area that the council is responsible for and their locations (e g name of park)

2. What activities/performances/events have been held on the bandstands over the last 2 years and what events are planned for the next 12 months and whether organised by the council?

3. Is the bandstand available to community groups for hire and if so, at what charge?

4. What is the council’s budget for events for each bandstand?

5. What is the current approximate condition of each bandstand based on the following:-

a. Recently restored so excellent

b. Very good

c. Adequate

d. Very poor

e. Unusable

6. Any future plans for each bandstand with regards to use, condition.

7. Would the council consider an external organisation e g Friends Group to manage events on the bandstand

Response provided:

1. Runnymede Bandstand, Ilfracombe

2.  Ilfracombe Tourist Centre, who have a seasonal licence from 1 April to 31 October, co-ordinate bookings for use

3. as 3 above, no charge

4. No budget

5. Very good

6. The bandstand is currently being painted. There is no further planned maintenance for the next three years

7. Ilfracombe Tourist Centre have a seasonal licence to co-ordinate bookings for use

Request reference: FOI 9742

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

For the last three financial years:

1. Total number of staff hired with responsibility for freedom of information requests, (full time equivalent)

2. Total salary costs for staff with responsibility for freedom of information requests

3. Total for all other costs associated with handling freedom of information requests

4. Total number of freedom of information requests received, and total number responded with the requested information

Response provided:

1. One FTE

2. The salary costs, employers National Insurance and superannuation are as follows:

2020/21 = £27,343 

2021/22 = £27,835

2022/23 = £30,437

3. 2020/21 = £0/Zero

    2021/22 = £0/Zero

    2022/23 = £0/Zero

4. Please refer to the Council's website where statistics on the processing of FOI and EIR requests are published: 

https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/council/data-protection-and-freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-statistics 

Please note that the breakdown of statistics prior to January 2021 is no longer held, only the total number of requests received in each of the requested financial years are held. To confirm, all requests received into the authority are responded to in accordance with the FOI and EIR

Request reference: EIR 9743

Issue date: 19.03.24

Request received: 

Copies of any information held by Building Control for the property Rowan Cottage, Chittlehampton, EX37 9QW

Response provided:

Applicant provided with some information with any personal information redacted in accordance with Regulation 13 

Request reference: FOI 9745

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

1. Does the local authority own and operate crematoria?

2. If yes, which crematoriums do you own and/or operate?

3. How many individual cremators do you operate at each site?

4. Does the local authority own crematoria that are operated by a third party?

5. How many cremations took place in each crematoria owned or operated by the Local Authority between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023

6. Please provide information about the type of fuel used in each crematoria – gas, electric or other

7. Does your cremator/s have mercury abatement installed?

8. Please provide the date of installation for each of the cremators / cremation chambers used within your crematoria

9. Do you have a date when you expect to replace your existing cremators? If so, please provide a date for each individual facility

10. Have you considered installing cremators which use alternative fuels?

11. If yes to the above, which alternatives have you considered?

12. Do you collect data about the environmental emissions / impact from any crematoria you own or operate? 

13. If yes to the above, please share this data with us. This can be shared in an email or attached as a document / PDF

14. Do you publish the data you collect on environmental emissions / impact from any of crematoria you own or operate?

Response provided:

1. Yes

2. One Site: North Devon Crematorium, Old Torrington Rad, Barnstaple, EX37 9HP

3. Two

4. No

5. 1696 (excluding NVF)

6. Gas

7. Yes

8. 2011

9. Estimate only – 2035 for both

10. Not yet

11. N/A

12. Yes, annual testing and monthly reporting

13. Annual test report and monthly text reports for each cremator for reporting days provided to the applicant, with some personal data redacted in accordance with Section 40 of the Act

14. No

Request reference: FOI 9746

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

1. Full list (including models) of Mercedes-Benz all-terrain vehicles and trucks purchased, hired or leased (including Unimogs)

2. (if leased/hired) Lease/hire start date and end date

3. Name of service provider for any Mercedes-Benz Vehicles purchased, hired or leased

4. (If owned) year purchased and when the Council is looking to renew its fleet of Mercedes-Benz models?

5. Contact details for the person(s) responsible for managing the fleet of Mercedes-Benz all terrain and truck vehicles, including name, job title, contact number and email address

Response provided:

1 - 4. The Council's current fleet within the remit of your request is as follows:

1 x 26t Econic RCV acquired (01/10/19) - replacing 10/2025 - with Dennis RCV

1 x Sprinter 313 van (caged) - acquired (01/06/2011) Not replacing

1 x Sprinter 315 Panel van lease hire - Lease start (15/07/2022) 10 year Specialist Fleet Services

1x Sprinter van (caged) - Short term rental -Northgate vehicle rental

5. Steven Howlett, Fleet Contract Manager, 01271 327711

Request reference: EIR 9747

Issue date: 22.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX34 9SS

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 9748

Issue date: 18.03.24

Request received: 

1. The estimated total number of acres of land that you own

2. The estimated total number of acres that you own which are not in operational use

3. The annual spending on managing and maintaining your property that was not in operational use in the financial year 2022/23, including costs for security, gardening, repairs and insurance. Please provide a breakdown

4. The number of golf courses you currently own

5. The number of farms you currently own

6. The number of commercial buildings you own. If possible please provide a breakdown by category - such as shops, offices, restaurants, pubs, hotels

7. The number of empty homes you currently own

8. The number of empty buildings you currently own that are not homes

Response provided:

1 and 2. This information is not fully recorded in a way that it can be provided easily. The only way in which these questions could be fully and accurately answered would require the Estates team to manually go through various files and records to identify, locate and retrieve the relevant information, where it is held

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

The Estates team considers that it would far exceed 18 hours to provide the requested information, the procedure would cause serious disruption to the day to day working of that team. Therefore we are unable to process your this part of your request any further. As set out in the previous paragraph, the Council has the right to refuse to provide the information in accordance with Section 12 of the Act

Estates confirm that they do hold a spreadsheet which does provide some assets where the gross site area is held that would fall under Q1, but it does not relate to those which are not in use (a copy of which is available upon request)

A separate dataset is published on the Council website:

Vacant land and properties owned by Council which is updated annually and will be due for updating from 17 November 2024

3. We have annual maintenance budgets, but these are not split specifically in relating to property not in operational use, nor can it be broken down by asset

Instead, the Council can provided you with the following budget and spend for 2022/23:

Planned Maintenance - £128,975

Response Maintenance - £150,969

Total budget = £279,944

The actual spend was:

Planned Maintenance - £126,038.92

Response Maintenance - £140,520.16

Total spend = £266,559.08

4. Zero

5. Zero

6. Applicant directed to the Council's published Asset Register 

7. The only homes the Council owns are used for Temporary Accommodation. They are only empty when between tenants or during periods refurbishment

8. As 6 Above

Request reference: FOI 9749

Issue date: 08.03.24

Request received: 

We write in connection with utilities supplied to the previous/current tenants of Osbourne Hotel, Wilder Road, Ilfracombe EX34 9AQ:

1. Please confirm the name of the individual or legal entity liable to pay non-domestic rates in respect of the Site for the period 1st September 2022 to present

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

2.1. The name of each individual/entity

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

Response provided:

The following companies liable for Osbourne Hotel, Wilder Road, Ilfracombe EX34 9AQ for the period 01.09.22 to present:

01.09.22 - 30.04.23 = DMC Apartments Ltd

01.05.23 onwards = Monroe Apartments 

Request reference: EIR 9750

Issue date: 22.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 4DB

Response provided:

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

Request reference: EIR 9751

Issue date: 22.03.24

Request received: 

CON29 information relating to a property at EX31 3GG

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 9753

Issue date: 12.03.24

Request received: 

Applicant requests the total number of licences granted by North Devon District Council for approval of premises for a civil marriage/partnership in the last three years:

a) figures broken down by year (2021, 2022, 2023)

b) and figures for 2024 to-date

Response provided:

Applicant advised they will need to contact Devon County Council for this information covering North Devon and provided with a link to the Devon County Council website: Registration service - becoming an approved venue

Request reference: FOI 9755

Issue date: 13.03.24

Request received: 

Q1.  Please provide the estimated number or range of shisha cafes known as of January 2024.

Please reply "unknown" if this information is not held

Q2. a) Please state the number of prosecutions made for violations of the smoke-free law in 2023

b) How many of these violations were by shisha cafes?

Q3. a) Please state how many inspections were made to shisha cafes by Trading Standards, Environmental Health, or other officers in 2023

b) Of these inspections, how many shisha cafes required intervention due to lack of compliance with policies (including tobacco, health and safety, and licensing laws)

c) Of these inspections, approximately how many kilograms of illicit shisha tobacco were seized in total?

d) Of these inspections, how many led to successful prosecutions and what was the total amount ordered to pay from the shisha cafe business?

Q4. Please state the number of reports of underage smoking at shisha cafes in 2023

Q5. Please state the number of complaints made for noise and nuisance against shisha cafes in 2023

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that it does not hold any of this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) the Council's Licensing team confirms that they do not licence any shisha cafes within its remit, however Trading Standards falls under the wider responsibility of Devon County Council covering North Devon, therefore the applicant was  directed to contact their Information Governance team for a direct response

Request reference: FOI 9758 

Issue date: 14.03.24

Request received: 

This is an information request relating to Pride events

Please include the following information for the financial year 2022/23:

1. Whether any events have been organised for Pride month. If so please provide the date, start and end time, and title/topic of the event
2. Whether any LGBT themed merchandise has been purchased for Pride month. i e since the beginning of the 2022/23 financial year. If so please provide me with information on what has been purchased and the cost
3. Whether the council has sponsored any Pride events. If so which events and please provide details of the nature of the sponsorship (particularly the financial value)

Response provided:

1. The Council did not organise any events, however a Pride event took place on 29 July 2023 which was organised by an external organisation, Sunrise Diversity

A licence costing £30.00 was applied for and granted by the Council’s Estates/Property team to use the Library Square and part of Castle Green in Barnstaple from 1.30pm to 3.30 pm. There was a march that went through Barnstaple High Street during this time

2. £0/Nil spend by the Council on any merchandise for the above event

3. £0/Nil spend by the Council regarding any sponsorship for the above event

Request reference: FOI 9759

Issue date: 14.03.24

Request received: 

A copy of a complaint received by the Council’s Planning Enforcement team

Response provided:

A copy was provided to the applicant with all personal information redacted throughout that would identify the complainant in accordance with Section 40 of the Act 

Request reference: FOI 9768

Issue date: 19.03.24

Request received: 

1. Your itemised annual costs associated with using the LocalGov Drupal CMS, including;

1. Hosting

2. Security

3. Any associated additional ‘Services’, ‘Modules’ or ‘Subscription’ fees

2. Clarification on who your providers are, if separate to Drupal, for:

1. Hosting

2. Security

3. Ongoing development (unless supported by your in-house staff)

4. Technical support

3. Your contract timeline with LocalGov Drupal, including the;

1. Date the contract commenced

2. Date of renewal/expiry

4. The timescale between the contract being awarded to Drupal and the deliverable launch of your LocalGov Drupal-driven website

5. The number of staff resources, full or part time, that support your LocalGov Drupal platform, such as;

1. Editors/Publishers

2. Developers

6. The number of websites/microsites you are running from the LocalGov Drupal platform, including their public URLs

7. The reasons you choose the LocalGov Drupal CMS to manage the website(s) for your authority

Response provided:

1: 1. £5K, 2. £250 per month, 3. As follows:

AWS Account Management = £150 monthly

DEV/UAT Server Management = £150 monthly

Production Server Management = £150 monthly

Monthly support (5 hours) = £575 monthly

Dev day = £675 monthly until October

2: 1. AWS, 2. Code Enigma, 3. Code Enigma and in-house, 4. Code Enigma

3: 1. 01.05.2023, 2. 30.0.2026

4: Five months

5: 1. 10, 2. Code Enigma Development, 1 day per month

6: 1 website, Zero microsites

7: It made sense as the authority wanted a website in the cloud. Local Gov Drupal is an example of what digital collaboration should look like; a single platform where the Councils can knowledge share and gain benefits from each other’s investment

Request reference: < REF NO >

Issue date: < DAY.MONTH.YEAR >

Request received: 

1. How many electric vehicle chargers have been installed in your council area, including on streets, motorways and car parks? If you could provide a breakdown over the past 5 years (preferably calendar year)
2. How many broken chargers have had to be fixed over the last 5 years and what has been the cost of this? If you could provide a breakdown over the past 5 years (preferably calendar year)
3. How many electric vehicle chargers do you plan to install in 2024? 
4. How many electric vehicle chargers do you plan to install in 2025? (If applicable)

Response provided:

1.   North Devon Council only have chargers in car parks and do not manage on street assets

Chargers installed by year:

2022 – 10 Chargers

2023 – 3 Chargers

2. No malfunctions. Planned software updates at no cost to the council

3. There are no current plans for further installation of EV chargers for 2024

4. There are no current plans for further installation of EV chargers for 2025

Request reference: FOI 9780

Issue date: 26.03.24

Request received: 

1. Provision of the electronic link to the most recent version of your public health funerals list

2. If the public health funeral list that you maintain is not up to date please provide details of public health funerals conducted up to the 31st December 2023 or up to the latest date available

3. If you do not maintain an online list please can you provide details of the public health funerals carried out by your authority from January 2015 to the latest date available confirming the name of the deceased, date of birth and date of death and location

4. Further please provide confirmation as to whether or not you have identified a next of kin for each person for whom you conducted a public health funeral

Response provided:

The Council confirmed that the requested information is already publicly available on its website.  Below is a link to the webpage which houses the Public Health Funerals dataset which is updated monthly

In accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, the Council is not obliged to provide information that is already available within 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 has done so in providing you with the link above

Request reference: FOI 9781

Issue date: 27.03.24

Request received: 

The pool hire costs at Tarka Leisure Centre are not in line with the agreed pricing structure set out in Appendix 3 (Authorities Pricing Requirements) of the Authorities contract with Parkwood Leisure /LexLeisure

Any variation from Appendix 3 must be addressed through a Change Protocol Request (Schedule 24) to the Authority. Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), I am requesting: 

1) annual copies of Change Protocol Requests since 2017 sent by Parkwood Leisure/Leisure to North Devon District Council outlining the case for the increased pool hire pricing and 

2) evidence that the Change Protocol Requests from Tarka’s operator had NDDC authorisation

Response provided:

Prices provided in Appendix 3 of the Services Specification are 2017 prices

Part 1.17.2 of the contract states: The Authority has provided the current prices in appendix 3 which shall increase as a maximum at the rate of inflation (CPI) for the Services Period

Any changes to this would require addressing through Change Protocol, but annual price increases have been in line with inflation and have been agreed via email exchange annually