Freedom of Information Requests and Responses · 2 MPC 2051 2 MPC 2551 1 MPC 3000 14 MPC 4501...

Disclosure log 1st April 2013 – 31st March 2014

Freedom of Information Requests and Responses 1st April 2013 – 31st March 2014

Request ID

Date Request and Response

2653 02/04/13

1) Please provide the reference number for all planning applications in which Section 106s are currently being renegotiated.

2) Please disclose the number of renegotiated Section 106 planning agreements on developments of over 50 units since 2007 broken down annually. And please provide the relevant web link or attached PDF/file linked for each Section 106 renegotiated agreement.

3) Please provide the number of affordable homes that were part of the original Section 106 agreement prior to renegotiation.

(If this last question is too onerous please still supply me with the information that relates to the first two questions.)

Please find enclosed 4 S106 obligation agreements and 2 links which contain the information requested. Cheltenham is an urban borough council and developments of 50 dwellings and above are infrequent. There are no S106 agreements currently being renegotiated. The records do not show if those enclosed were renegotiated agreements but there are no other agreements on file. http://publicaccess.cheltenham.gov.uk/idoxpa17/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LOXM8GEL0E100 Link to Delancey Hospital Site documents http://publicaccess.cheltenham.gov.uk/idoxpa17/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=M58MPQEL08300 Link to 2 Gloucester Road documents


To request the attached section of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2614 03/04/13

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we would be grateful if you could review and provide us with any available information on Council owned Business, Innovation, Enterprise and Incubation Centres:

1. Does the Council own any Business, Innovation, Enterprise or Incubation Centres aimed at supporting small to medium sized businesses and business start-ups? Can you please provide some supporting information or website link for the facilities?

2. If yes to question 1, which of these centres are managed by the Council and which are managed by third party organisations?

3. If any centres are managed by third party organisations, please can you confirm when their management contract is due for renewal?

4. Can you please provide the contact details of the person or council department responsible for the facilities listed in question 1?

The following links should help with the information you have requested http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/200018/commercial_property/597/council_owned_property_for_rent_or_sale/2 - council owned property and contact details for the property team Berkeley Mews is council owned and provides units for small start up businesses. Link to commercial agents http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/347/cheltenham_s_economy/478/invest_in_cheltenham/4

2627 08/04/13

FOI regarding Urban Green Space The request and response are in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350


2640 08/04/13

1. Who provides the software (in-house/name of third party provider)

2. If you have changed provider in the past 5 years when did you change?

3. If you have changed provider in the past 5 years, who was the previous supplier (please put ‘in house’ if previous software was in house).

The activities of interest are:

a) Document–Records Management

b) Income Management

c) Cash Receipting

d) E-payments

e) General Ledger

f) Vehicle Management

g) CRM (Customer/ Citizen Relationship Management)

h) Waste Management

i) Environmental Health

j) Trading Standards

k) Licensing

l) Social Housing Management (if applicable)

m) Housing and Council Tax Benefits Administration

n) Council Tax Administration

o) Business rates (NNDR)

The software used by the Cheltenham Borough Council is supplied by a number of different companies. Civica Group Limited provide software for Cash Receipting, E-payments, Vehicle Management, Housing and Council Tax Benefits Payments Administration, Council Tax Administration and Business Rates (NNDR).


Idox PLC provide software that covers Document-Records Management, Environmental Health and Licensing. Unit 4 provide software that covers Income management and General Ledger activities. This has changed in the past five years, and the previous vendor was B-Plan. Waste Management uses an in-house developed application. No software is required for CRM (Client Relationship Management), Trading Standards or Social Housing Management, as these activities are not carried out by Cheltenham Borough Council. This can be summarised in three columns: Activity Vendor Previous

Vendor Document-Records Management Idox PLC Income Management Unit 4 B-Plan Cash Receipting Civica Group

Limited

E-payments Civica Group Limited

General Ledger Unit 4 Vehicle Management Civica Group

Limited

CRM (Customer / Citizen Relationship Management

N/A

Waste Management In-House Environmental Health Idox PLC Trading Standards N/A Licensing Idox PLC Social Housing Management N/A Housing and Council Tax Benefits Administration Civica Group


Limited Council Tax Administration Civica Group

Limited

Business Rates (NNDR) Civica Group Limited

2632 09/04/13

1. The proportion of all council housing tenants who fell into rent arrears during the most recent financial year for which full-year data is available (please state which financial year this is) Cheltenham Borough Homes records tenancies in arrears at a point in time however we do not have the data to provide the response to the specific question you are asking. At the end of March 2012 we recorded that out of the 4568 council tenancies that were in place at this point in time, 769 tenancies were in arrears.(CBH is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the management and maintenance of approximately 5,000 council-owned and leasehold properties in Cheltenham.) 2. Any forecast/estimate of the proportion (or failing that, number) of council housing tenants in the council area who are affected by the bedroom tax who will fall into rent arrears in 2013/14. To be clear, this is seeking the proportion of council housing tenants affected by the bedroom tax who will fall into arrears. It is not asking what proportion of all council housing tenants will be affected by the bedroom tax. Information not held 3. Any over-arching definition or methodology the council has used in determining the number of bedrooms in council housing properties, for the purposes of assessing under-occupation of council housing properties with regards to the bedroom tax The council's Benefit Service obtained the number of bedrooms in each property, direct from the social landlord under the revised data sharing regulations. This information was then used to calculate benefit entitlement from 1st April 2013. 4. Any over-arching definition or methodology the council has asked registered social landlords to use in determining the number of bedrooms in social/affordable housing properties, for the purposes of assessing under-occupation of social/affordable housing with regards to the bedroom tax


The council's Benefit Service obtained the number of bedrooms in each property, direct from the social landlord under the revised data sharing regulations. This information was then used to calculate benefit entitlement from 1st April 2013. 5. Any over-arching definition or methodology that registered social landlords have used in determining the number of bedrooms in social/affordable housing properties, for the purposes of assessing under-occupation of social/affordable housing with regards to the bedroom tax. Bromford Housing Group have provided the number of bedrooms each property has excluding except accommodation as defined by the customer's tenancy agreement. 6. Any forecast/estimate of the proportion (or failing that, number) of registered social landlord tenants in the council area who are affected by the bedroom tax who will fall into rent arrears in 2013/14. To be clear, this is seeking the proportion of RSL tenants affected by the bedroom tax who will fall into arrears. It is not asking what proportion of all RSL tenants will be affected by the bedroom tax. The information may be provided individually for different RSLs, or combined for a number of RSLs, or combined for all RSLs (the preference would be for separate data for different RSLs, but this is not cast in stone). Bromford Housing Group - Whilst it is impossible pre April to make assumptions about who will fall into arrears our data does tell us that around 26% of those affected are already in arrears before the changes come in.

2643 09/04/13

We have been asked to compile a survey for the British Retail Consortium on Council charges for abandoned supermarket trolleys under the EVPA1990 and Clean Neighbourhood Act 2005: Council contact – Trevor Gladding Have you implemented the said act – No What is your agreed charge for the collection of an abandoned trolley – N/A


What is your trolley storage cost (per day)? – N/A

2647 09/04/13

Within the council, who is in charge for sending information regarding public health funerals to the Treasury Solicitor, Duchy of Cornwall, Duchy of Lancaster, QLTR, Crown Solicitor and/or National Ultimus Haeres?

Would you please include some/all of this information - First and surname of the person - Gareth Jones Job title - Senior Environmental Health Officer Department he/she works in - Environmental Health Email address - [email protected] Telephone contact - 01242 775020

2663 09/04/13

1. The number of people currently employed across the organisation?

401

2. Who supplies you printer/copier/scanners across organisation?

Ricoh

3. What make and model of printers/copiers/scanners do you have and how many of each across the organisation?

MFD’s

5 MP 201SPF

1 MP 4500

1 MP 6001


2 MPC 2051

2 MPC 2551

1 MPC 3000

14 MPC 4501

Scanners

5 fi-5750C

1 fi-5530C

1 fi-6770A

1 ColorSmart LF Ci 40

4. How many multifunctional devices, printers, copiers, scanners are there across the organization?

26 MFD’s 8 Scanners No Copiers

5. When is the contract for this hardware due to end?

2013 with extension to 2015

6. What print management software’s do you use across the organisation?

Equitrack


7. What scanning software’s do you use across the organisation?

Kofax

8. What PDF software’s do you use across the organisation?

Adobe Reader, Adobe Standard, Adobe Professional

9. How much do you spend on PDF software’s across the organisation?

PDF software - circa £300k

10. What is the overall cost of the managed print service contract?

Print contract - circa £80k

11. What document management software’s/systems do you use across the organisation?

IDOX, Avantgaurd, Civica

12. What IT provider do you use within the organisation?

In house

13. What IT consultants do you use across the organisation?

None

14. Also could you include the name, title, contact number, and email address for the people responsible for managing the print estate in the organisation?


ICT, 01242 775000, [email protected]

2695 10/04/13

I am very keen to gather information on any private properties that are currently on Cheltenham borough council’s vacant property list. The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2665 11/04/13

1) Does your authority have plans to implement a new Intranet within the 2013 / 2014 financial year? Yes 2014 2) If so, will this be implemented using internal resource, external resource or a mixture of both? Both 3) What is the age of your current Intranet from the date it was released? 2006 4) Is your current Intranet provided or built by any 3rd party suppliers? No, in house wordpress installation 5) What integrations does your current Intranet have? By integrations this means modules such as employee telephone directory, room booking systems, payroll enquiries or look up addresses etc? None 6) If you are planning on a new Intranet, what additional integrations with other back end systems would you require? None


2696 11/04/13

The names of all Public Health Funerals/ bona vacantia estates passed or in the process of being referred i.e.

pending referral to The Treasury Solicitor (BV) Department or Duchy of Lancaster within the last 4 weeks. This is

a request for fresh information, as my last request was over 4 weeks ago

We request the following information only:

1) The full name of the deceased

2) The date of death

3) Last known address

4) Approximate value of estate ( if not exempt )

5) If pending referral to the Treasury or already referred to the Treasury

Thank you for your request for information, the Council does hold the information, however, the council are not releasing the information and are claiming the following exemptions: 1. Section 21(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The name, date of death and location is publicly available on the website http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/output/estates-list.aspx 2. The date of birth, marital status and any maiden surnames can be found on the death certificate of the deceased. Certificates can be obtained from the local Registrar where the event took place or from the General Registrar Office (GRO), PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD or by telephoning 0845 603 7788. Further details can be obtained from the GRO's website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/index.htm 3. Section 31(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information likely or would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. The Treasury Solicitor no longer publishes this information as it can lead to false claims. Therefore the Council will not release the information at this time. 4. Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 information intended for future publication. The Treasury Solicitor may publish the information in the future should a claim be admitted.


Section 31(a) and Section 22(1) are qualified exemptions and as such the Council has to consider whether or not it is in the public interest to release the information. In this instance, the Council does not consider it to be in the public interest following the advice on the Treasury Solicitor's website as it may encourage false or fraudulent claims.

2687 11/04/13

• The total estimated cost of responding to Freedom of Information requests in each financial year since the act's introduction [see note]

The council does not have a budget for servicing freedom of information requests as there is not any one member of staff dealing wholly with FOIs. Within customer relations freedom of information is one of a number of functions provided by myself (Customer Relations and Research Officer) and my manager (Customer Relations and Research Manager) who also deal with environmental information regulations requests, data protection, subject access requests and complaints.

• The total number of requests received in each financial year since the act's introduction - including where possible the total requests answered in full, the total answered partially and the total refused

See attached document

• The current number of FTE posts for which the primary function is to oversee, respond to or co-ordinate obligations under the Freedom of Information Act

Customer relations staff = 1.6 FTE

2688 11/04/13

As of 1st April 2013 the current supply and demand for social housing managed by Cheltenham Borough Council, as follows: 1) The number of properties managed by Cheltenham Borough Council as social housing broken down by number of bedrooms per property (e.g. 200 x 1-bedroom, 200 x 2-bedroom etc)

Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's (CBC) housing stock. Currently, CBH is responsible for the management of 4573 CBC properties, of which:


1324 have 1 bedroom 1615 have 2 bedrooms 1438 have 3 bedrooms 123 have 4 bedrooms 8 have 5 bedrooms 65 are bedsits 2) The number of existing households of social housing managed by Cheltenham Borough Council, broken down by number of bedrooms permitted by the recent ""bedroom tax"" allowances. (E.g. 200 families requiring 3 x bedrooms, 200 families requiring 2 bedrooms etc) CBH are required to hold core information on lead and joint tenants only on their housing management system, however, although they survey tenants regularly to understand more about them and their household (both in terms of household composition and any other needs or requirements e.g. disabilities), there is no compulsory requirement for tenants to provide this information once a tenancy has been granted. Therefore, we cannot provide a complete and accurate answer to the request for information made. 3) The same as number 2) but for the current waiting list for social housing 1bed 1559, 2 bed 893, 3 bed 413, 4 bed 95, 5 bed 9 and 6 bed 2 total on waiting list as at 1st April 2013 = 2971

2662 12/04/13

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request an electronic copy of any currently used planning policies / guidance (including both Statutory Local Development Plans and in wider masterplans/visions) that contain references/intentions to re-open/daylight/de-culvert culverted (buried) watercourses/streams/rivers in the area. Attached is the link to the Cheltenham Borough Local Plan 2006. Please direct to page 127, Policy UI 5 - Culverting of Watercourses. http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/downloads/file/778/cheltenham_borough_local_plan_second_review_2006 For information you may find it useful to look at the strategic flood risk assessments.


http://www.gct-jcs.org/EvidenceBase/StrategicFloodRiskAssessment.aspx

2666 15/04/13

a) How many benefit fraudsters have you identified in the last five years? 762 cases have been investigated and categorised as fraud. b) How many of these cases were prosecuted? 129 cases have been prosecuted, 8 received a summons, 207 received an administration penalty and the rest received formal cautions. c) What is the total debt outstanding in respect of benefit fraud? £467,570 d) Of those prosecuted how much money have you recovered? £232,235 e) Of those prosecuted how much money have you written off? £1,715

2670 15/04/13

1. The total number of ‘troubled families’ your local authority is to work with over the three years;

180 families will live within the Cheltenham district.

2. How many families in your local authority have been identified to work with under the Troubled Families programme;

a. Of these, how many families fit all three of the Government’s criteria of youth crime or anti-social behaviour, truanting, and an adult on out-of-work benefits?


Information held by Gloucestershire County Council

3. What ‘local criteria’ are you using to identify families beyond the Government’s stipulated criteria?

Information held by Gloucestershire County Council

4. How many families in your local authority have been ‘attached’, that is, have consented to engage in the programme;

44 in the first year just in Cheltenham

5. How many families in your local authority have declined to consent to being involved in the programme;

This figure has not been collated at this time.

6. Whether you are contracting out to voluntary sector organisation(s) to deliver the Troubled Families programme;

a. If yes, please state which, and whether it is all or some of the direct delivery.

This is a county council decision.

2696 15/04/13

What is the total number of people who applied for housing benefits whose nationality is from an EU country (excluding the UK) in the last year for which figures are available? Information not held - Cheltenham Borough Council do not request or record information regarding ethnicity from housing benefit applicants What is the total number of claimants of housing benefits whose nationality is from an EU country (excluding the UK) in the last year for which figures are available? Information not held - Cheltenham Borough Council do not request or record information regarding ethnicity from


housing benefit applicants

2699 15/04/13

1. Since February 2013 please provide details of any deceased persons you have dealt with who have no known next of kin (or you cannot find next of kin). 2. Date of Death and Date of Birth. 3. Last known address. 4. The date passed onto TSOL or The Duchy Solicitor (plus any pending). 5. The Value of estate if known (approximately). 6. Please email your response. Thank you for your request for information, the Council does hold the information, however, the council are not releasing the information and are claiming the following exemptions: 1. Section 21(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The name, date of death and location is publicly available on the website http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/output/estates-list.aspx 2. The date of birth, marital status and any maiden surnames can be found on the death certificate of the deceased. Certificates can be obtained from the local Registrar where the event took place or from the General Registrar Office (GRO), PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD or by telephoning 0845 603 7788. Further details can be obtained from the GRO's website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/index.htm 3. Section 31(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information likely or would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. The Treasury Solicitor no longer publishes this information as it can lead to false claims. Therefore the Council will not release the information at this time. 4. Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 information intended for future publication. The Treasury Solicitor may publish the information in the future should a claim be admitted. Section 31(a) and Section 22(1) are qualified exemptions and as such the Council has to consider whether or not it is in the public interest to release the information. In this instance, the Council does not consider it to be in the public interest following the advice on the Treasury Solicitor's website as it may encourage false or fraudulent claims.

2642 16/04/13 A breakdown of the top 20 most visited websites viewed on Cheltenham Borough council owned computers in the last three years (financial), broken down by website and number of visits


website hits The council do not have the software to monitor this activity and, as such, do not hold this information. However, the council has policies and procedures to ensure that employees use the internet appropriately. The number of days in the last three years (financial) which Cheltenham Borough Council’s computer system (part or all of) has been down (unusable/inaccessible), including the planning portal, broken down by specific problem e.g. planning portal down, remote working system down etc, and how long said problem took the specific area of the site or the whole site offline. downtime The council is in the process of changing software to monitor downtime and does not currently hold an accurate record of downtime. However, over recent months, the council has suffered downtime of approximately 5 days (total accumulated time) as a result of power loss across the town and approximately 8 days (accumulated time) as a result of the recent virus attack. This downtime affected many of the councils systems including the planning portal.

2686 16/04/13

Q1a. Does your council have a Working Party exploring RADICAL OPTIONS for responding to the continuing funding reductions? YES - Bridging the Gap Group which is a group of officers which meet with the lead Member on a monthly basis to discuss the long term approach to the reduction in funding. Q1b. If yes, please provide an email address for the person chairing that Working Party Chair is Pat Pratley - [email protected] Q2. If your Council is exploring any of the RADICAL OPTIONS listed above, please could you • give a very brief outline description of each initiative and • state how much savings &/or income you hope to achieve through each initiative in 2013/14 • Illustrative Example: 'Anytown Council is selling Legal advice services to 3 councils and also some local companies, £0 savings 2013/14 but new income 2013/14 £100,000 [estimate]. Anytown Council has also set up a Local Authority Trading Company (specialising in Highways Maintenance, Building Control, Pest Control, Building


Cleaning) from which the Council estimates it may receive £500,000 in 2013/14 profits.' The council has explored very many options over recent years and has included proposals for each of the years as part of the council's annual budget setting meeting in February annually. The council has recently developed a budget strategy for bridging the future years funding gap over the period of the Medium Term Financial Strategy (5 years). This is available on the website but is attached. Q3. If there are there any Council reports available that summarise these sorts of RADICAL OPTIONS, please send a copy (or web link to it). A summary of the approach is included in the budget strategy. Individual decisions about specific ideas have been subject to detailed business cases and agreed by cabinet / council at various times. To request the attached section of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2660 17/04/13

I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Please can you confirm how many/ which houses in Pilley Crescent Cheltenham are owned by the Council? Please find attached the list of houses owned by Cheltenham Borough Council in Pilley Crescent that are managed by Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH). CBH is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) with responsibility for the management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's social housing stock. To request the attached section of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2664 17/04/13

Please could you provide me with details of arrears and write offs as defined in the attached spreadsheet? The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2705 18/04/13 1. Existing Supplier(s) - If there is more than one supplier please split the contract up including the contract value, number of users, duration, contract dates and internal contact details.


Vodafone 2. Total contract value- If there isn’t a total contract value please cans you provide me with the latest annual spend on mobile phone for each network provider. Average annual CBH spend: £8316.00 net 3. Number of Users- Number of connections for each network provider. 129 4. Duration of the contract- please state if the contract also include contract extensions for each provider. 2 years 5. Call off Contract/Framework Agreement Start Date- please provide me with information on when the framework commenced and include the month and year and day if possible for each network provider. November 2012 6. Call off Contract/Framework Agreement Expiry Date- please provide me with information on when the framework expires and include the month and year and day if possible for each network provider. November 2014 7. The person within the organisation responsible for this particular contract. Can you send me the full contact details Contact Name, Job Title, Contact Number and direct email address for each network provider? ICT Manager [email protected]

2709 18/04/13 - Please tell me how much compensation money has been paid to traffic wardens as a result of accidents at work in the past five financial years (1 April 2008 - 31 March 2013)


Nil - Please also break this down per accident, giving details of a) the accident b) injuries sustained c) compensation paid out d) the year N/A

2668 19/04/13

1/ Whether Cheltenham Council has any knowledge of its computer records, website, phones or employees having been ""hacked"".

To the best of our knowledge Cheltenham Borough Council and its employees have not been hacked over the past 5 years. There are many systems in place to monitor and block hacking and although our corporate Firewall is constantly receiving attacks externally, nothing has penetrated the internal network

2676 19/04/13

For each of the past five financial years, including the current financial year to date, please state the total number of employees who have returned to work for the authority in a new position having previously been made redundant. There have been none In each case, state the amount paid as redundancy and the period of time elapsed between the redundancy and the employees’ return in a new position. N/A

2675 22/04/13

1. How many people are currently on the Council’s waiting list for council/social housing? 3025 2. How many people in the area are currently living in council/social housing properties? There are approximately 7,000 households in social housing 3. How many people on the current waiting list had been UK residents for less than 2 years at the time they

joined the list?


no records held 4. How many people, currently occupying one of the area’s council/social housing properties, have been

residents in the UK for less than 2 years? information not held 5. How many people on the waiting list for Council/Social housing are non-British citizens? 501 6. How many people currently occupying a council/social housing property are non-British citizens? CBH is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the

management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's (CBC) housing stock. We survey tenants regularly to understand more about them and their household needs, however there is no compulsory requirement for tenants to provide this information once a tenancy has been granted, therefore, we cannot provide a complete and accurate answer to this question. The most recent analysis of tenant data (Feb 2013) showed that out of a total of 5588 lead and joint tenants, we hold nationality data for a total of 4400 tenants, of which a total of 246 have indicated that their nationality is non-UK.

2698 23/4/13

Please would you tell me the amount paid to South West Parking Solutions Ltd for enforcement of parking at council owned properties? - NIL Where possible please give a break-down of which property/site and the amount paid for each. - N/A Can you also please clarify the terms of your agreement, Whether they work on commission, or for a flat fee from


yourselves? - N/A

2714 23/4/13

The names of all Public Health Funerals/ bona vacantia estates passed or in the process of being referred i.e.

pending referral to The Treasury Solicitor (BV) Department or Duchy of Lancaster within the last 6 weeks. This is

a request for fresh information.

We request the following information only:

1) The full name of the deceased

2) The date of death

3) Last known address

4) Approximate value of estate ( if not exempt )

1. Section 21(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The name, date of death and location is publicly available on the website http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/output/estates-list.aspx 2. The date of birth, marital status and any maiden surnames can be found on the death certificate of the deceased. Certificates can be obtained from the local Registrar where the event took place or from the General Registrar Office (GRO), PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD or by telephoning 0845 603 7788. Further details can be obtained from the GRO's website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/index.htm 3. Section 31(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information likely or would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. The Treasury Solicitor no longer publishes this information as it can lead to false claims. Therefore the Council will not release the information at this time. 4. Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 information intended for future publication. The Treasury Solicitor may publish the information in the future should a claim be admitted. Section 31(a) and Section 22(1) are qualified exemptions and as such the Council has to consider whether or not it is in the public interest to release the information. In this instance, the Council does not consider it to be in the


public interest following the advice on the Treasury Solicitor's website as it may encourage false or fraudulent claims.

2677 24/04/13

1) How many DWA licenses are currently issued in your area?

None

2) How many of these DWA licenses are issued for primates (monkeys, apes or prosimians such as lemurs)?

N/A

3) How many applications for licenses under the DWA Act have been refused in your area in the last 12 months?

NONE RECEIVED

4) How many of these applications were for primates and on what grounds were they refused?

N/A

4) What is the cost of obtaining a DWA license in your area (please indicate whether this includes any vet fees incurred)?

£150 exc vets fees

5) What is the cost of “renewing” a DWA license in your area (please indicate whether this includes any vet fees incurred)?

£120 every 2 years exc vets fees

6) If there are primates licensed in your area, please provide copies of the most recent relevant inspection report(s) for all such licenses (on the understanding that for data protection purposes, certain information may be obscured). If no written reports are available, please indicate the date on which the most recent report was


conducted, by whom, and the outcome of the visit. If not included in the report(s), please also provide the following information:

For each license issued for primates:

N/A

a) How many individuals of each species are covered (please provide the scientific name: i.e. Cebus apella)?

b) What is the age and sex of each licensed primate? If this information is not kept by your council, please indicate so.

c) Where was each primate obtained? If this information is not kept by your council, please indicate so.

d) Please confirm whether any restriction is placed on breeding of the animals licensed. If no restriction exists, please indicate whether the existing license would automatically cover the offspring, and until what age this cover would last.

7) Finally, would you or someone in your department be interested in sharing your experiences with licensing under the DWAA and dealing with primates under the AWA with Wild Futures, working towards better protection for primates and simplification of LA's duties?

YES - depending upon the organisation/body

2718 24/04/13

Freedom Of Information Act 2000:- (a) addresses and rateable values of all commercial properties that have any historic credit on their account above £1,000. (b) The names and addresses of the owners of those properties referred to in (a) if they are a limited company.


The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2716 24/04/13

1. The name and address of licensed clubs in your local council. - see attached spreadsheet 2. The name and address of licensed pubs/bars in your local council. - see attached spreadsheet 3. The population in your local council. - 15,732


2715 25/04/13

Please would you tell me the amounts paid to JS Facilities Group Ltd for any services provided at council owned properties? Where possible please give a break-down of which property/site, the amount paid for each, and the services provided. Can you also please clarify the terms of your agreement, Whether they work on commission, or for a flat fee from yourselves? Payment information can be found on the Council's transparency web pages: http://cheltenhamdata.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/supplier-payments-over-500/ The properties using JS Facilities Group Ltd services are Leisure@, the Swindon road depot and car parks The services they provide are a security presence to monitor and patrol the buildings to support staff in promoting safety, security and response to incidents. JS Security also provide key holding service and out of hours


response. JS Security lock and unlock car parks and also does vehicle releases. Contract information can be found on the Council's website: http://cheltenhamdata.wordpress.com/datasets/contracts-and-tenders/

2719 25/04/13

Under the freedom of information act please disclose the content and outcome of any challenges / re-assessments raised by HMRC, in the last 6 years, against your assessments on : a/your VAT liabilities and recovery input tax, and b/your liabilities for direct taxes. There have been no challenges or reassessments raised by the HMRC during the 6 years requested

2679 01/05/13

The allocation of DHP Information in DHP policy attached Approach to prioritising applicants who seek to downsize their current accommodation Gloucestershire Homeseeker's Allocations Scheme (of which Cheltenham Borough Council is a partner) has reviewed its Policy in light of the welfare reforms, the Localism Act and other new regulations. This review has recently undergone a consultation exercise and it is anticipated the changes will be approved by CBC's Cabinet next week (16th April). Please find attached copy of our proposed banding matrix. The changes will mean that under occupiers of social housing will be given Emergency Banding if they are wishing to downsize to non-family accommodation, or Gold Banding if they are seeking to downsize to smaller family accommodation. In addition, on new development sites, which include the provision of new affordable housing, we have started entering into Lettings Plans with Registered Providers to ensure that first priority can be given to households currently in social housing in Cheltenham who need to move to smaller social housing. The level of rent arrears which will trigger service on a tenant of a Notice Seeking Possession (NSP) and/or any other criteria which are relevant to determination of whether to serve an NSP.


CBH is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's (CBC) housing stock. The information provided to you below is held by Cheltenham Borough Homes. There is no specific rent arrears level that will trigger a Notice Seeking Possession. CBH arrears team is annually accredited with ISOQAR 9001; 2008 and follows an action based process that ensures communication between CBH and tenant and allows an arrangement that fits with the tenant’s situation to be made. Additionally secondary checks are made weekly on all arrears over £350 where no NSP has served and, each of these tenancies needs a justification as to why this is. These procedures are only carried through to a point of conclusion where the person in question fails to engage with CBH. At every point CBH offers support and signposting. CBH maintains the position that we want to sustain tenancies in as many cases as we can and, we ensure that mediation and intervention is offered whenever possible to that end. Provision in your homelessness strategy for tenants who may fall into arrears and subsequently be made homeless as a result of a reduction in their housing benefit make under 2012 Regulations Our Housing & Homelessness Strategy 2012-17 (attached) considers the impact of the welfare reforms generally, with emphasis on preventing households from becoming homeless. No specific reference is made to what will happen to tenants who do fall into arrears and who subsequently become homeless. This is because cases will be considered on an individual basis - applying relevant homelessness legislation. Our general position, however, is that anyone who is not deemed to have become homeless as a result of their own actions and/or omissions will not be considered to be intentionally homeless. Plans to issue specific guidance re the consideration of DHP applications from families with disable children. No specific guidance is being issued and content of circular U2, will be considered when the DHP application is made.

Your approach to classifying what "a bedroom" is for the purposes of applying the 2012 Regulations and for assessing whether tenants have a spare bedroom


Number of bedrooms are provided by the social landlord based on rental data and the spare bedroom calculation is defined in the housing benefit regulations. Whether you have carried out an assessment of the number and types of properties which will be required to provide correct housing for families affected by the 2012 Regulations and whether the properties required currently exist and/or are available. No assessment has been carried out at this stage. We are actively promoting house swaps, downsizing, taking in lodgers and waiting to see how many tenants can afford to pay the shortfall rather than move. Demand for one bedroom accommodation will then be reviewed. To request the attached section of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2682 29/04/13

I would like, preferably in Excel spreadsheet form, the records your authority holds on the charges for all tax bands and average rent charged in as many financial years as you can provide – preferably all of them.

I would like you to denote on the spreadsheet the financial years in which council elections were held (NB: excluding by-elections and other anomalies; I am referring only to the years in which scheduled elections took place).

Where possible, state the political group in overall control of the council at its annual meeting in each of the years for which figures are provided (or state no overall control, where applicable). To be clear, this would usually confirm the political group responsible for setting rent and tax for the subsequent year. Please do not refuse the request in its entirety on the basis of being unable to answer only this part of it.


2690 30/04/13

1. How many automatic wash/dry toilets your authority provided via Disabled Facility Grants in 2012/13? - 4


2. How many automatic wash/dry toilets your authority provided for your own housing stock in 2012/13? - 2

2745 30/04/13

With regard to street parties in your local authority area, do you (a) charge to apply for a street party and if so by how much? (b) levy any further charges for a successful bid to hold a street party and if so how much? The cost, if any, of holding a street party would depend on exactly what you wanted to do at the event. For example: Road closures If you felt it was necessary to close the road you may be charged by the County Council's Highways department for applying for a road closure. Gloucestershire County Council's contact details are here: http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=104727&contactid=107004&contact=yes Alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment If anyone is intending so sell alcohol at the event you would need to obtain a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003 (cost £21.00). That would authorise you to sell alcohol and provide other activities which need to be licensed, such as entertainment or selling hot food after 11pm. (note: some entertainment is exempt from requiring a licence so please contact us to discuss this if you intend to provide entertainment.) Further information on Temporary Event Notices can be found here: http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/860/licence-alcohol_entertainment_and_events/142/temporary_event_notices Street trading and objects on the highway If you intend to sell anything on the street or place an object (e.g. a marquee) on the highway you will probably need to apply for the appropriate permits to do so. Further information on street trading and objects on the highway can be found here: http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/200129/licences_and_street_trading-streets

2673 02/05/13

1. How many council allotment sites are there within your Council? How many council allotment plots are there in total in your Council? 2. Can you please send us the cost of an allotment within your Council for the years: 2012 and 2013 and what they will be for 2014. Please state clearly if this is for a full or a half plot and what size these are. 3. Can you please send us the cost of using water as charged to individual plot holders within your Council for the


years: 2012 and 2013 and what they will be for 2014. 4. Can you please send us the rate of the discount available for renting an allotment plot within your Council for the years: 2012 and 2013 and what they will be for 2014. 5. What has the cost of waste removal been to the Council in relation to allotment sites for 2012 and what are they likely to be for 2013 and 2014? 1. Cheltenham Borough Council manages 9 allotment sites. There are several other sites within the council area managed by parish councils. There are church-owned sites as well. Cheltenham Borough Council manages a total of 820 allotments of various sizes (many are smaller than the conventional full-sized plot). 2. In 2012, a full-sized allotment cost £70. In 2013, a full-sized allotment cost £73. In 2014, the cost of a full-sized allotment plot will be £75. A full-sized allotment is one which is between 200 and 300 square metres. 3. There is no individual water charge. It is included in the rent. 4. There is a discount of 20% for plotholders over the age of 60. This is not due to change in 2014. 5. We have an annual skip budget of £1300. We usually exceed this. In 2012/13, we spent an additional £5000 in waste removal, including asbestos, due to fly-tipping and plot clearances.

2680 02/05/13

How many public funerals did the council pay for in the following years: April 2009 - March 2010. - data not available for this year from this service April 2010 - March 2011. – 8 April 2011 - March 2012 - 8 April 2012 - December 2012. - 5 2. What was the financial cost to the Council for the above 3 years (please list the years separately) FOR FUNERALS AND OFFICER TIME: £2141.76 in 2010-11 after monies reclaimed from estate £5544.25 in 2011-12 £2024.96 April - Dec 2012


The basic cost of a 'no frills' burial is £531 for a single depth grave or £610 for a double. A cremation is £600 including a Medical Referee Fee of £20 No fees are charged for Children not exceeding 16yrs of age. 3. Please list what the costs were spent on (e.g. undertaker, service, gravedigger, administration, etc) Funeral includes undertaker fees, service, gravedigger etc. We went out to tender and now have a contract from last year with an undertaker. 4. How much money has been set aside to pay for public funerals in the next financial year (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) £5000 requested budget

2734 02/05/13

How many directly-employed staff in your local authority area earn over (a) £50000 per annum, (b) £100000 per annum, (c) £142500 per annum?

Job Title FTE pay floor £

FTE pay ceiling £

CHIEF EXECUTIVE 105000 109999

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 75000 89999

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 75000 89999

DIRECTOR WELLBEING & CULTURE 50000 64999

DIRECTOR COMMISSIONING 50000 64999

DIRECTOR RESOURCES 65000 74999

DIRECTOR BUILT ENVIRONMENT 50000 64999

CIVIC PRIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR* 75000 89999

*CBC pay 80% of this role's costs and Gloucestershire College pay 20%

2735 02/05/13 What percentage of your staff earning over (a) £50000 per annum,


- 37.5% (In this category one of the male roles cost is 80% funded by CBC and 20% paid by Gloucestershire College) (b) £100000 per annum, - 0% (c) £142500 per annum are women? - 0%

2727 02/05/13

1. Where was money received through the New Homes Bonus scheme in year two payments spent? This was paid from the Communities and Local Government department to councils in April 2012.

2. Has this money gone into a general fund, or been spent on a specific project? 3. If the money has been spent on housing, how many of those homes were affordable?

NHB funding has been used in Cheltenham to support the community in a number of ways including promoting Cheltenham's economy by supporting schemes which increase visitor numbers to the town, a number of local environmental improvement schemes and to maintain council services and the infrastructure maintenance programme as a result of using £250k of this money to support the annual revenue budget. To date, Cheltenham BC has not chosen to invest any NHB receipts in affordable housing provision, but does not rule out the possibility of doing so in the future. As a result of this, there are no new affordable homes currently completed / under construction in Cheltenham as a direct result of NHB funding; The Council continues to enable affordable housing schemes through planning gain (Section 106 agreements) and with direct capital funding which has primarily comprised recycled Housing Revenue Account capital receipts from the sale of surplus land and buildings. This is supporting a significant regeneration programme in relation to Council-owned sites, some of which have been transferred at nil value to our Arms Length Management Organisation, Cheltenham Borough Homes.

2692 03/05/13

A list of all properties with a rateable value in excess of £2600 currenlty vacant i.e where the property is vacant by reference to an empty rate exemption in place or it being noted as empty on the rate account. The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email:


[email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2689 03/05/13

This is a request for information, filed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We wish to obtain the information, from the Council, relating to unclaimed Credit Balances. We are aware that all Billing Authorities hold on account sums of money that are due to be returned to ratepayers and for a variety of reasons have not been repaid and maybe considered untraceable by the Council. This maybe because Companies do not know that there is an overpayment, they may have moved premises, merges and/or changed their name or simply ceased trading. In such circumstances, the monies could be due to the creditors of that company. Exacta shall use the information requested to trace those businesses who have failed to claim such credit balances. We therefore request a breakdown of credit balances accrued since your earliest records, for the amounts owing to all “incorporated” companies within the authorities billing area, including

• The name of each business in respect of which Non-Domestice Rate credit balances remain payable;

• The value of overpayment in each case which remains unclaimed; • The year(s) in which overpayment was made; and • The hereditament address

Please note that no personal data (as defined under the Data Protection Act 1998) is requested and any personal data contained within files concerning Non-Domestic Rates is exempted from this request.


2729 03/05/13

We would like to request an updated record of all business rates credit balances that remain unclaimed & written off from 1990 onwards. We require the company names, addresses, credit balances and the year in which they relate. Could you please provide this update on excel format. Excluding any personal data under the data protection act 1998 The information you have requested is shown on the attached spreadsheets. In cases where the ratepayer is a sole trader or individual this information has not been released as the Council considers it to be exempt under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, personal data relating to a third party.



2628 08/05/13

1. Please supply the number of iPhones that have been issued to staff, a list of the job titles of staff this device has been provided to, and their total cost. None 2. Please supply the number of Blackberry devices that have been issued to staff, a list of the job titles of staff this device has been provided to, and their total cost 33 - cost = £0.00 due to Vodafone equipment credit 3. Please supply the number of iPads that have been issued to staff, a list of the job titles of staff this device has been provided to, and their total cost. None 5. Please supply the number of Samsung Galaxy phones that have been issued to staff, a list of the job titles of staff this device has been provided to, and their total cost. None 6. Please supply the total number of employees employed by the council. 401

2703 08/05/13

1a. Has the council made any use of Voice Risk Analysis software - either directly or via Capita - at any point since the start of financial year 2011/12? - No 1b. Is the council at present considering using VRA software in future, and if so, for what purpose? - No This is Voice Risk Analysis software - http://www.capita-softwareandmanagedservices.co.uk/software/pages/vra.aspx. The benefits, council tax and/or housing departments would be familiar with any use the council has made of this software. If the answer to question 1a is 'no', there is no need to respond to questions 2-7. If the answer is 'yes', please continue.


2. What purpose(s) has the council used VRA for? (e.g. tackling housing benefit fraud, council tax discount fraud etc) - N/A 3. What was/is the time span of the council's use of VRA software? Is there any plan or intention to use the software again in the future, and if so for what purpose(s)? - N/A 4. What is the total value that Capita has been (or, if the contract is ongoing, will ultimately be) paid for VRA? If VRA is part of a wider contract with Capita, please state what the overall contract value is, and its start and end dates. - N/A 5. Please detail whether, when, and how councillors were notified of the decision to use VRA. Was it debated or voted on at full council or cabinet/executive? - N/A 6. Please supply any evaluation of or performance data regarding the effectiveness of VRA as used by the council. - N/A 7. Was the council a participant in the Department of Work and Pensions trial of VRA software in the processing of housing benefit between August 2008 and December 2010? If so, please supply any local performance data/evaluation from that trial. - N/A

2726 08/05/13

Please could you please provide me with the following information with regards to Housing Benefit; I) Number of payments made to claimants living in private accommodation for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Ia) Amount in GBP of payments made to claimants living in private accommodation for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 II) Number of payments made to claimants living as housing association tenants for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 IIb) Amount in GBP of payments made to claimants living in housing association accommodation for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013


III) Total amount paid out in Housing Benefit for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2744 08/05/13

1. Since March 2013 please provide details of any deceased persons you have dealt with who have no known next of kin (or you cannot find next of kin). 2. Date of Death and Date of Birth. 3. Last known address. 4. The date passed onto TSOL or The Duchy Solicitor (plus any pending). 5. The Value of estate if known (approximately). 6. Please email your response. Thank you for your request for information, the Council does hold the information, however, the council are not releasing the information and are claiming the following exemptions: 1. Section 21(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The name, date of death and location is publicly available on the website http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/output/estates-list.aspx 2. The date of birth, marital status and any maiden surnames can be found on the death certificate of the deceased. Certificates can be obtained from the local Registrar where the event took place or from the General Registrar Office (GRO), PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD or by telephoning 0845 603 7788. Further details can be obtained from the GRO's website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/index.htm 3. Section 31(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, information likely or would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. The Treasury Solicitor no longer publishes this information as it can lead to false claims. Therefore the Council will not release the information at this time. 4. Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 information intended for future publication. The Treasury


Solicitor may publish the information in the future should a claim be admitted. Section 31(a) and Section 22(1) are qualified exemptions and as such the Council has to consider whether or not it is in the public interest to release the information. In this instance, the Council does not consider it to be in the public interest following the advice on the Treasury Solicitor's website as it may encourage false or fraudulent claims.

2693 13/05/13

In accordance with the provisions specified within the above Act I hereby request the following information or an update of the information since the last request. All information requested relates to Business Rates.

Required Information;- A list of all live business rates accounts with a 2010 list Rateable Value greater than or equal to £25,000.

• Property Reference Number (also known as Billing Authority Reference Number) of the property on which the charge is made. Please note that this is not the Rate Demand or Rate Account Number.

• Current Rateable Value upon which the charge is based • The Business Name of the party liable for the charge • The hereditament address • The address(of the account holder) to which correspondence in respect of the property is sent including

the contact telephone number and email address • The date the current ratepayer became liable for the business rates • Where a property is currently empty please provide the date the ratepayer became liable for empty rates • Where there is an exemption on the account please provide the start and end date and type of exemption

applied (e.g. listed building) • Where there is a relief on the account please provide the date it was applied and the type of relief (e.g.

charity) • We do not require any personal information or sole traders.


2721 13/05/13 How much have you spent in each of the last five years with each of the following firms, broken down by firm: (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst & Young, (d) KPMG.


Please separate the figures into (i) payments for audit functions, (ii) any other functions. I can confirm that no payments have been made to Ernst Young, Deloitte or Price Waterhouse in the last 5 years. There have been payments to KPMG, all in respect of audit reviews / investigations, as follows:- 2008/09 £104,594 2009/10 £203,893 2010/11 £247,307 2011/12 £201,284 2012/13 £45,486 For information, KPMG are no longer the council's auditors, hence the reduction in costs in 2012/13.

2725 13/05/13

Do you produce a physical council newsletter or newspaper? Do you deliver it to households? How often is this newsletter produced? Is it in colour or black and white? How much did you spend in total in the last financial year on such material? What was your total advertising revenue in the last financial year for adverts placed in your material? What was the net profit/loss on this material in the last financial year? No Do you send email newsletters? How often do you produce these email newsletters? How many email addresses do you have in your database? - Cheltenham Development Task Force produce a quarterly email. Circulated electronically to 642 addresses. - Business Pride e-bulletin sent out quarterly. Currently we have approximately 700 members. Do you broadcast council meetings over the internet? If so, which meetings? No Do you provide Wi-Fi in the viewing gallery for public use during council meetings? No

2752 13/05/13 Health & Safety & Wellbeing protecting Your Employees From Violence and Abuse in the Workplace

Question Answer Description

Y/N( N-A)


Does your Council have a Corporate Potentially Violent Persons Register Yes

This is a register for the recording and managing of incidents, such as violence and abuse, by a member of the general public. Or the recording of intelligence about an individual. To be used by all members of staff who wish to view an address prior to a visit.

Does your council have a non-corporate Potentially Violent Persons Register N/A

i.e. A system which is only available to some departments within the council, but not all of them.

Has the system been developed in-house Yes - spreadsheets

Is it a bespoke system which has been developed by a third party N/A

Is the system a Commercial Off-the-shelf solution(COTS) N/A

Can you provide the supplier company name N/A

Is the system which records an incident a part of another ICT system such as Carefirst, or perhaps a CRM system No


Is your system available to all Council employees, or just certain departments, within the Council

Front line facing employees only

If you don't have a corporate system. Do you have an alternative? Such as spreadsheets, or access database. Or some other system. Please describe N/A

If you purchased the system. What did you pay for it? N/A

Are you considering changing the system you currently operate now? No

Is the system which you currently use mobile enabled.(assessible from a smart phone, Ipad) No

You may add further information should you wish to. N/A

2732 15/05/13

How many directly employed staff do you have on "zero hour" contracts? Further explanation of zero hour contracts can be found here : http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3886 We have 238 casual workers on the system currently


Do you have a policy on the use of "zero hour" contracts by contractors? We only have a policy for Casual workers for Cheltenham Borough Council. How many people working for your contractors are on "zero hour" contracts? Do not have access to this information.

2739 15/05/13

CBH is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's (CBC) housing stock. Please find to follow our responses to your freedom of information request on the topic of social housing fraud: 1. How many housing officers do you employ? Senior Neighbourhood Housing Officers - 3 f/t equivalent posts Neighbourhood Housing Officers - 2 f/t equivalent posts Neighbourhood Wardens - 3.5 posts 2. Do you have a specialist team for social housing fraud? If so, how large is this team? CBH does not have a specialist team for social housing fraud 3. How many cases of social housing tenancy fraud did you confirm in 2012? Nil 4. How many of your confirmed cases led to a recovered property? N/A 5. How many of your confirmed cases led to a court action? N/A 6. Please categorise your confirmed cases – unlawful subletting, key selling, non-occupation as principle home, wrongful succession, other N/A


7. Excluding the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), did you undertake a data matching exercise for social housing fraud with a third party in 2012? No 8. If you undertook a data matching initiative, how many homes did you assess? N/A 9. If you undertook a data matching initiative, how many homes were identified as requiring further investigation? N/A 10. If you undertook a data matching initiative, did it also include ALMO stock? N/A 11. If you undertook a data matching initiative, did it also include housing association stock? N/A 12. What is the average annual cost of housing a family in temporary accommodation, when social housing stock is not available? The total annual cost for B&B accommodation for placing homeless households in an emergency was just under £45,000, against which just under £44,000 was recouped back to the council in Housing Benefit.

2713 20/05/13

1. I would like to know how many fixed penalty notices the council has issued in each of the past three calendar years. If calendar years are not available, I would like the figures to be collated in financial years.

2. I would also like to know the total revenue from fixed penalty notices in each of the past three years. 3. I would also like to see a broad breakdown in categories of what these fixed penalties were issued for.

3. Finally, I would like to know how many fixed penalty notices have been issued - either partially or entirely - based on evidence from public space CCTV footage in each of the past three years.



2747 20/05/13

How many appeals against housing benefit decision awards did you receive between April 1 and April 30 2013? How many appeals did the authority have for the same period last year? How many appeals were upheld? How many were dismissed?

How many applications for discretionary housing payments has the council received between 1 April and 30 April 2013

How many applications for DHPs did the council receive during the same period in 2012?

First stage appeal (reconsideration) -01/04/2013 to 30/04/2013 received =23 changed = 14 not changed =8 still O/S = 1 First stage appeal (reconsideration) -01/04/2012 to 30/04/2012 received =11 changed = 4 not changed =7 Appeal to Tribunal Service -01/04/2013 to 30/04/2013 received = Nil Appeal to Tribunal Service -01/04/2012 to 30/04/2012 received = 2 dismissed = 1 upheld = 1


Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) - 01/04/2013 to 30/04/2013 Applications = 74 Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) - 01/04/2012 to 30/04/2012 Applications = 7

2746 20/05/13 Please provide me with a list of serving councillors, as of the date you receive this request, who have one or more unspent criminal convictions on their record of which you are aware. Please list the convictions. - Information not held

2728 23/05/13

How much did you spend in the last year on alcohol as a local authority? Please quantify how many bottles of wine you currently hold in your reserves or investment portfolio. The authority did not spend any money on alcohol in 2012/13 and does not hold any bottles of wine in its reserves or investment portfolio.

2768 23/05/13

1. How many individuals have been appointed to directly support lead members, cabinet members and political groups?

2. What are the job titles and salary grades of those appointed to directly support lead members, cabinet members and political groups?

3. How many members of staff are allocated to support each of Cheltenham political groups?

4. What is the yearly cost to Cheltenham for employing individuals to support lead members, cabinet members and political groups? Please highlight the relevant cost associated to each political grouping.

We do not employ any political advisors at the council.

2738 24/05/13

1. Do you have plans to implement a new council website design in the next 12 months? - We are currently reviewing the council website with another neighbouring council in the area as part of a review, If a change of system happens then a new design will be created as part of this work. This is expected within the next 12 months. (but not guaranteed).


2. Do you have plans to implement a new council website design AND build in the next 12 months? - We are currently reviewing the council website with another neighbouring council in the area as part of a review, If a change of system happens then a new design will be created as part of this work. This is expected within the next 12 months. (but not guaranteed). 3. What content management system (CMS) is your current council website built on? - Jadu. 4. Will you want to retain the same CMS if you re-develop your main council website? - We are currently reviewing the council website with another neighbouring council in the area as part of a review, If a change of system happens then a new design will be created as part of this work. This is expected within the next 12 months. (but not guaranteed). 5. Will you be using an external company to design or build your new website if you are intending to develop a new website? - We are working with another neighbouring council in the area as part of the above review, between the two organisations we have most skills to do this work, but would expect a small amount of external expertise to be purchased as part of this project.

2748 24/05/13

I would like to know whether an enquiry has been made about this site to 1. Vary the hours of working and days of working - an application was approved in 2009 to extend the opening hours to 9am - 7pm, 7 days a week. This application

was approved in April 2009. 2. Vary the type of permitted land use e.g. I think currently B1/B2 (in old speak of course) to something else - We have considered two pre-applications (one in August 2010 and one in July 2011) relating to a retail led

development. We have heard nothing since. 3. Has a Highways assessment been asked for? Any application would be considered in terms of its impact on highway safety and the County Council (as

highways authority) would be consulted should an application be submitted to redevelop the site. To my mind, a full transport assessment would be unnecessary for a site of this scale but of course this will depend on the nature and intensity of any development proposed. It is a matter that the LPA would take a view on if an application is ever submitted.


4. Has an Environmental assessment been made or likely to be made given the site is a former Petrol Station

and the tanks remain -An Environmental Impact Assessment would not be required for a site of this nature. Any contamination issues

would be considered by the Council's contaminated land officer who would be consulted over any application that is submitted.

2749 24/05/13

1. According to the records held by Cheltenham Borough Council, who is the current owner of the site at 86 Cirencester Road?

The Council does hold information relating to the current holder of 86 Cirencester Road however in cases where the ratepayer is a sole trader or individual this information has not been released as the Council considers it to be exempt under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, personal data relating to a third party.

Planning have no details of ownership beyond that stated in the 2009 planning application (details of which can be found on the Councils website). It is not necessary to disclose ownership information when submitting a pre-application. 2. Is the ownership in the process of changing? The Council has no information relating to this. The Council will only be advised at the point ownership changes.

2720 24/05/13

1. How many electric car charging points are you responsible for (either directly or through a contractor)?

2. How much have you spent on electric car charging in the past three years? Please give a separate total for each financial year (ending 2011, 2012 and 2013) and include installation, operating, maintenance and any other related costs. Please also include the use of any grants, rather than offset them.

3. How many times has each charging point been used in the past 12 months? Please use April 2012 – March 2013 if possible, otherwise the most recent 12 month period available.

I can confirm that at present we don't have any electrical charging points in the Cheltenham Borough Council area.

2770 24/05/13 (1) How much did Cheltenham Borough Council fund Gloucestershire Everyman Theatre Company in the years 2010/11 and 2011/12?


(2) How much is Cheltenham Borough Council funding Gloucestershire Everyman Theatre Company for the year 2012/13? (3) How much will Cheltenham Borough Council fund Gloucestershire Everyman Theatre Company in 2013/14 and 2014/15? (4) What reasons were given for any changes in funding? The term “funding” refers to both financial and in kind support. 1. 2010/11 £225,050, 2011/12 £220,050 2. 2012/13 £215,050 3. 2013/14 £210,050, 2014/15 £205,050 4. Annual reduction of £5k, as agreed as part of the council's medium term financial strategy, approved 2011.

2773 28/05/13

What are the nationalities of the non-British citizens on the waiting list for Council/Social housing? How long have the non-British citizens on the waiting list for Council/Social housing been in the UK? The council do not hold the information requested regarding nationalities of the non-British citizens on the housing waiting list and also how long they have been in the UK.

2765 28/05/13

I would like to make a Freedom of Information request. What is Cheltenham Council doing to ensure that the nationality of foreign citizens who live in Cheltenham is checked, before registering them to vote? Cheltenham Borough Council compiles the electoral register in the manner specified by the Representation of the People Acts. Guidance is also provided by the Electoral Commission. Each applicant's nationality is requested on the application form, and a declaration that all the information provided is true must be signed. If the ERO is not satisfied as to any applicant or elector's nationality, Regulation 24 of Representation of the People Regulations 2001 gives the ERO the power to require an applicant or elector to provide documentary evidence to confirm their nationality.

2753 29/05/13 I would like to obtain a list of the addresses of all the Houses in Multiple Occupation licensed by the council. If you


could send me the information by email rather than hard copy that would be really helpful. The response for this request is in a separate document. To request a copy of the response please email: [email protected] or ring 01242 264350

2772 29/05/13

Y Your information/data security policy; The information security policy is currently being reviewed and will be upgraded later this year. The current active policy is attached Y details of any training/information given to staff on security and data-handling. All new starters complete an on-line module covering theses items. Staff have 2 yearly refreshers, identified by managers normally at the annual appraisal

2731 30/05/13

Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) is a non profit making, Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), with responsibility for the management and maintenance of Cheltenham Borough Council's (CBC) housing stock. The data provided is solely for residential properties owned or managed by CBH. The information provided below is held by CBH.

How many properties in your local authority area have been sold under the 'Right to Buy' scheme since May 6th 2010?

Between 6th May 2010 and 30th April 2013 there have been 27 sales under the Right To Buy scheme for CBC owned housing stock.

How many social homes for rent have been built in your local authority area since May 6th 2010?

46 homes for social rent have been built since 6th May 2010.

How many social homes for rent to be built in future have, at this point in time, have both planning permission and financing in place?

There are 14 homes in the pipeline with both planning permission and financing in place.

2764 31/5/13 Recently, the public of Cheltenham were invited to an "open-day" to view proposed plans for the development of Albion Street and surrounding areas. I asked a representative from the Developer's how local schools etc would


cope with the influx of families and their children into the area (not only from the Albion St development, but also the North Place car park development). I was told that the developers give money to local councils in order to compensate for this, enabling the council to improve local facilities for the extra people that would live in those areas. If this is true, how much money is given by the developers to the Council, and what is planned for that money? How will it be used to improve town centre schools to cope with extra kids. Is money given for anything else such as road works and improvements for any extra traffic? If so, how will the money be used to improve roads in the town centre. I am responding to your request for information as detailed below in connection with the North Place car park and Albion Street developments. When a development is proposed that will have an effect upon the infrastructure around it, such as parking, public transport, local schools etc there is a requirement to mitigate the impact of the structure on the surrounding area. This is through either the developer providing a financial or a physical contribution, or both. The amount or type of contribution is very dependent upon the development itself and will be set out in a section 106 legal agreement which itemises the obligations upon the developer and any financial contributions which are to be made. The section 106 agreement for the North Place car park development is due to be finalised shortly and will be published on our website. I enclose the link to our website and you will see the officer reports and other documents which describe contributions to be made. http://publicaccess.cheltenham.gov.uk/idoxpa17/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=MN8MJMELD5000 Link to planning application details 13/00827/OUT

2778 03/06/13

1. To what extent is mobile and flexible* working prevalent throughout the Local Authority?

Mobile and flexible working takes place in selected areas


2. Where mobile and flexible working is implemented, are there supporting policies and guidelines for managers?

Corporate policies/guidelines exist with a specific focus on mobile and flexible working

3. Where mobile and flexible working is implemented, is there supporting training for managers?

a. No specific management training exists

b. Management training is in place and lead corporately

c. Management training is in place lead by the service departments

A combination of (b) and (c) is in place

2737 03/06/13

1. The number of car parking facilities which are administered or owned by your local authority setting out total capacity of these facilities for cars and motorcycles. Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) own & are responsible for 15 car parks within location to the town centre - 'pay & display' car parks. (total of 3,237 spaces) There are 3 small car parks within the boundary of CBC which are 'limited waiting' & patrolled by CBC Civil Enforcement Officers. 2. The number of facilities for commercial and heavy goods vehicle parking which are administered or owned by your local authority, detailing the total capacity of these facilities for commercial and heavy goods. North Place car park has the facility for Coach parking (limited allocated spaces only) please note this car park is due for closure & redevelopment. 3. The number of facilities which allow commercial and heavy goods vehicles to be parked between 18:00 – 8:00 in spaces designated for cars and motorcycle between 8:00 – 18:00 and how many will be converted for dual use over the next three years. Cheltenham Borough Council car parks do not have any facilities for commercial & heavy goods vehicles.


Cheltenham Borough Council are only responsible for off-street parking. If you require information for on-street parking, please contact Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) - [email protected] There are about 10 motorcycle spaces within the town centre location (on-street) please confirm with Gloucestershire County Council There are two 'park & ride' sites in Cheltenham & these are run by Gloucestershire County Council.

2742 03/06/13

a) How many households were in arrears for their council tax for the first month of this new financial year? b) What was the corresponding figure last year?

c) Of the households in arrears how many are either paying i) council tax for the first time or ii) paying increased tax due to changes to the council tax benefit system. If possible, please segment out the two numbers.

d) For the households in arrears, against how many have you launched legal action, e.g. a summons? a) On 26 April 2013 2968 household were in arrears with their first installment for this financial year. b) The corresponding figure for last year was 2931. c) Out of the households in arrears i) we are unable to identify how many were paying council tax for the first time. ii) We have made no changes to the amount benefit system this year. d) Approximately 754 Summonses relating to the 2013/14 financial year are due to be issued within the next

few days.

2761 03/06/13

1. In the last financial year 2012/13 how many incidents did your authority record where refuse collectors were assaulted by members of the public while carrying out council duties? Please give a brief description of the circumstances of the incident.

- Zero


2. How many working days were lost by refuse collectors during the financial year 2012/13 as a result of injuries connected wit

Freedom of Information Requests and Responses · 2 MPC 2051 2 MPC 2551 1 MPC 3000 14 MPC 4501...

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