Freedom of information (FOI) releases from Herefordshire Council

This is a disclosure log of Herefordshire Council's responses to freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) requests that might be of wider public interest.

If you can't find the information you're looking for, you can make a new FOI request.

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2,717 disclosures

  1. Social Worker Workforce

    I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information regarding Herefordshire Council’s social worker workforce. Specifically, I would like to request the following information for the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024:

    1. The number of social workers who left the council in 2024, broken down by children's and adult's services. In terms of what type of social worker, I'm referring to "just people in social worker roles", please

    2. The number of social workers who joined the council in 2024, also broken down by children's and adult's services. I would like it to include agency workers as well as direct employees, please

    3. The average time it took to fill a social worker vacancy measured from the date the role was advertised to the date the vacancy was filled.

    UPDATE: I would like information for any role that has the responsibilities of a Social Worker, please. I would like to receive this information in Excel format, please. I look forward to hearing from you within 20 working days. If you need any clarification please contact me.

    Published: 1 December 2025

  2. IR35

    I am submitting this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This request relates to suppliers contracted by the Council to provide passenger transport services, including (but not limited to) SEN transport, school transport, adult social care transport, community transport, and any contracted taxi/minibus services. Please provide the following information:

    1. IR35 Compliance Requirements

    a) Does the Council require passenger transport suppliers to demonstrate IR35 compliance during tendering or contract award?

    b) If yes, please provide copies of any policies, guidance, standard contract terms, or supplier instructions relating to IR35 compliance.

    2. Monitoring and Audit

    a) Does the Council carry out checks or audits to ensure that passenger transport suppliers are employing staff in compliance with IR35 legislation (i.e., that workers who should be classed as employees are not operating via personal invoices or self-employed arrangements)?

    b) If such monitoring exists, please outline the process and frequency.

    3. Concerns or Reports

    a) Since 2018, has the Council received any concerns, complaints, whistleblowing reports, or alerts regarding passenger transport suppliers using staff who fall within IR35 but are not employed under PAYE?

    b) If so, please provide: - The number of such reports, - A summary of the nature of concerns (no personal data required), - Whether any investigations took place and, if so, their outcomes.

    4. Legal Position on Worker Status in Passenger Transport Please confirm the Council's current operational stance on:

    a) The use of self-employed Passenger Assistants who provide support to children or vulnerable adults while on transport,

    b) Whether suppliers are expected to employ such workers directly under PAYE to meet safeguarding, liability, and regulatory requirements.

    5. Council Stance and Internal Understanding of IR35 Please provide any recorded information that outlines the Council's stance or operational understanding of IR35 compliance in relation to contracted suppliers. This should include, where held:

    a) Internal staff guidance, briefing notes, presentations, training documents, or policy statements regarding IR35.

    b) Instructions, evaluation guidance, or procurement criteria issued to Procurement or Passenger Transport staff regarding IR35.

    c) Any written communications issued to transport suppliers referencing IR35 obligations or worker classification expectations.

    6. Legal Duty to Assess Employment Status in the Supply Chain Under the Public Sector IR35 Off-Payroll Working Rules (April 2017), public authorities are required to assess employment status for tax purposes where services are supplied through intermediaries.

    Please provide:

    a) Any recorded information acknowledging or referencing this legal duty, including internal guidance, procurement instructions, policy documents, training materials, or briefing notes.

    b) Any internal communications or memos identifying which department(s) or roles are responsible for ensuring IR35 compliance among passenger transport suppliers.

    c) Any risk assessments, internal reviews, or compliance reports relating to this duty since April 2017.

    I am not requesting personal data or legally privileged advice. I request only recorded operational information, as permitted under FOIA. If any part of this request may exceed the cost limit, please advise so I may refine the scope. I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as required.

    Published: 1 December 2025

  3. Waiting times for care packages for each of the past five years (2020-2025).

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request copies of the following:

    Waiting times for care packages:

    1) The average waiting time for eligible individuals to receive a care package following their assessment, for each of the past five years (2020-2025).

    If available, please include the longest and shortest waiting times recorded each year.

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    CLARIFICATION:

    •         What do you mean by eligible individuals?

    -By eligible individuals, I mean people who have been assessed by the local authority (or Trust, if applicable) and determined to have eligible care and support needs under the Care Act 2014 (for adults) or under the Children Act 1989 (for children’s social care, if relevant).
So, I’m referring to service users who have completed an assessment and been approved to receive a care package funded or arranged by the authority — not those awaiting assessment or deemed ineligible.

    •         What care package are you referring to?

    -By care package, I mean any formal arrangement of care and support services put in place following an eligibility assessment.
This includes, for example:

    * Homecare/domiciliary support

    * Residential or nursing care placements

    * Supported living arrangements

    * Day services or other commissioned care services.

    -If it’s difficult to provide data for all types, please prioritise homecare and residential/nursing care packages.

    •         Do you require data by Financial Year or Calendar year?

    -Calendar year

    •         What do you mean by waiting time?

    -By waiting time, I mean the time elapsed between the date an individual’s assessment determined them eligible for support and the date their care package actually started (i.e., services began being delivered).
If that data isn’t recorded precisely, please use the closest equivalent measure your system tracks (e.g., date of approval vs. first care provision).

    Published: 1 December 2025

  4. Special Educational Needs HNPCA Grant 2025-26

    Please provide me with copies of the completed assurance data return template files that your council sent to the Department for Education under the conditions of the 2025-26 HNPCA grant. If possible, please provide a copy of the completed Excel template file (.xlsx) rather than a pdf file. Please also redact any commercial sensitive data.

    Published: 28 November 2025

  5. 2025 Noise Complaint Data

    Please could you supply your answer in the form of a simple Excel document where the first column gives the question number and the subsequent column(s) provides the answer(s) to the corresponding question and as indicated.

    1) Your name _________________________________________________

    2) Your email _________________________________________________

    3) For which local authority or shared service are you submitting data? * _________________________________________________

    4) Which region is your local authority in? ( ) South East ( ) South West ( ) Greater London ( ) East of England ( ) West Midlands ( ) East Midlands ( ) Yorkshire and the Humber ( ) North East ( ) North West ( ) Wales

    5) What is the total number of noise complaints your LA received during the period 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025? * _________________________________________________

    6) Within the total number of noise complaints received can you clarify how many were/are: * 1. Resolved without further contact other than issue of standard notification, e.g. issue of standard letters, diary sheets or initial verbal advice. 2. Resolved through informal action e.g. telephone call letter(s), site meeting(s) etc. 3. Require formal action e.g. Abatement notice, Community Protection Warning, Closure Order, Planning intervention, Control of Pollution Act 1974 notice etc. 4. Ongoing complaints awaiting resolution. 5. Resolved following prosecution. 6. Duplicate/invalid complaints. Please answer to the best of your ability. If you do not record this information as individual codes on your database, please answer as ‘Information not recorded’.

    7) Please indicate the total number for each of the actions listed below during the period 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025 * : Environmental Protection Act 1990 Abatement notice (for any noise related nuisance) Environmental Protection Act 1990 Prosecution for failure to comply with requirements of Section 80 abatement notice Environmental Protection Act 1990 Works in default e.g. seizure of equipment Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 Community Protection Notice – Noise Control of Pollution Act 1974 Section 60/61 Notice – Construction Noise Control of Pollution Act 1974 Section 62 Notice - Loudspeakers in streets Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005 Section 77 - Silencing of Intruder Alarms Licensing Act 2003 Formal review process associated with the Licence Condition Town & Country Planning Act 1990 – Advice provided, conditions sought, enforcement visit Noise Act 1996 – Any use

    8) Do you use the Noise App or any other kind of app-based technology as part of your service for service users to submit evidence? * Yes / No If so, how many different users were recorded in the period 1st October 2024 – 30th September 2025?

    9) Does your LA record a breakdown of noise complaints by noise source? * ( ) Yes ( ) No If yes, please provide by way of screenshots or other means your breakdown of noise complaints by noise source.

    10) If you were to receive a complaint about noise from an air source heat pump installed at a domestic premises, into which of the codes/categories existing within your database would the complaint fall? *

    11) How many noise complaints relating to the following potential sources of noise nuisance has your local authority received between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025? * • Wind turbine(s) • House alleged or proven to have been rented out as a short term let or a holiday let e.g. Air BNB • Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) • Domestic battery storage • Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) generators

    12) If applicable, how many noise complaints relating to air source heat pumps (ASHP) installed at domestic properties that were received between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025 has of today been found to be justified following investigation?

    13) What was/were the main cause or causes of the interference in justified complaints relating to air source heat pumps between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025?

    14) Does your current database provide the functionality to create new codes to reflect the introduction of newer sources of complaint like the above in Q11? * Yes / No

    15) If an officer was to be investigating a complaint about an Air Source Heat Pump, what guidance apart from the IoA/CIEH (2022) guidance would your officers refer to? * Please either specify “No other guidance” or identify other guidance.

    16) What is the total Full Time Equivalent (FTE) capacity allocated to working on noise and nuisance complaints at your Local Authority? * Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) = Total hours worked by Part-Time and Full-Time Employees ÷ Number of available Full-Time hours in year

    17) Please provide the hourly rates for the 2024/2025 financial year for all of the different grades of Officers who may be involved in a prosecution under any of the legislation listed in question 7. *

    18) Please can you supply an anonymised or template copy of the authorisation granted to officers who routinely deal with nuisances so that we can identify the breadth of scope of the legislation you utilise.

    19) What means do you use to try to prevent noise nuisance complaints or situations from escalating? Please tick all that apply or specify where not already listed: a) Involvement in Licensing Act 2003 process(es) to identify and design out problems b) Involvement in planning permission process(es) to identify and design out problems (Town & Country Planning Act) c) Use of either in-house or third-party mediation service(s) d) Other – please specify

    20) Do you operate a noise investigation service that operates out of normal office hours/overnight? * () Yes () No If yes, please share a hyperlink that describes the hours of operation and what the service entails.

    21) This year, we are hoping to gather case studies of successful interventions to give the final report more impact and to explain the great work being done by Environmental Health teams. Would you be happy for us to contact you with further questions about your prosecutions or project work in relation to noise? ( ) Yes ( ) No

    22) Is there anything else you would like to add to your submission? Thank you for your time.

    Published: 28 November 2025

  6. Social care services and policies and procedures

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request copies of the following: To deliver social care services in your region:

    * How many subcontractors do you have?

    * How long have each of these subcontractors been working with you?

    * What policies and procedures do you require each of your social care providers to hold?

    * How often do you require social care providers that work with you to update their policies and procedures?

    * UPDATE: q3 and 4 includes all social care providers including sub contractors

    Published: 28 November 2025

  7. Highway Obstructions

    1) Please supply the number of reported obstructions on unsealed highways and Rights of Way in the past three years broken down into

    A) wilful

    B) natural

    2) the number of Notices and prosecutions in this period under s137, s143, s154(1) or (3), etc

    3) the number that have been successful in getting the obstruction removed.

    4) the number where landowners have claimed ‘it is not a highway’. The following may assist with the reason for this request, but is not an FoI request:- It is known that a very large and increasing number of highways are wilfully obstructed in Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire. Many are ‘copycat’. Farmers do talk to each other, one gets away with it, others try it on. Prosecution costs can be reclaimed from the obstructor. Just one prosecution can deter many others and be cost saving. Yet there are hundreds of obstructions left unattended in these three counties.

    CLARIFICATION: Enforcement Actions against obstructions only.

    Published: 28 November 2025

  8. Current site licenses for caravans within Herefordshire

    Please provide all parks/sites/ properties with current site licenses for caravans and or park home or touring caravans in the County.

    Also any that are older parks/land that have had caravans or mobile homes stationed on them previously.

    Published: 28 November 2025

  9. Hereford point estate

    Would you be possible to let me know if Bloor Homes discussed /offered Hereford council toadopt the open spaces in Hereford point estate,BEFORE they appoint the existing management company Trinity estate /Vantage Point, 23Mark Rd, Hemel Hempstead HP2 7DN

    Published: 28 November 2025

  10. Active Travel Strategies in Herefordshire

    As part of this research, I am gathering information about how active travel interventions are evaluated and measured in local areas. I have looked at the material available on your website and have not been able to find the information below. I would be very grateful if you could complete the following questions.

    1. Name of local authority

    2. Do you have an Active Travel Strategy? y/n If yes, please can you provide a copy of this (or link to the document)

    3. Has your Local Authority set targets to increase active travel? Yes /no If yes, what are the targets and timescales for Mode of travel Target Date Cycling Walking

    4 What is your local authority’s performance on Active Travel England’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy 2 targets?

    Measure 2018/19 performance 2023/24 2024/25

    Percentage of short journeys in towns and cities that are walked or cycled Walking activity, measured as the total number of walking stage per person per year

    Cycling activity, measured as the estimated total number of cycling stages made each year

    Percentage of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school (Walking includes jogging, non-motorised scooters, prams, pushchairs, and toy bicycles.)

    5. Were any of these funding sources used to provide initiatives to increase active travel (including infrastructure and promotion) in 2023/24?

    a) Funding from Active Travel England y/n

    b) Mainstream Council budgets y/n

    c) Public Health grant (or budget) funding y/n

    d) Other /external sources (please specify)……………………………..

    Published: 28 November 2025