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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3,136 disclosures

  1. Children placed in unregulated accommodation

    The number of children placed in unregulated accommodation by the council.

     

    - Please provide the figures for the following calendar years: 2023 and 2022.

     

    - I.e in 2023, the council placed 10 individuals under 16 in unregulated accommodation settings.

     

    Please note: By unregulated accommodation, I am referring to unregulated independent or semi-independent or supported placements not approved by Ofsted

     

    Please note: By children – I mean any individuals under the age of 16

     

    Please note: if for data protection reasons you are unable to provide the figures broken down by year, please collate the figures over the two-year period.

     

    - I.e. between January 1st 2022 and 31st December 2023, 15 individuals under 16s were placed in unregulated accommodation settings by the council

     

    Published: 14 June 2024

  2. Firewall, Anti-virus, and Enterprise Agreements

    I am currently embarking on a research project around Cyber Security and was hoping you could provide me with some contract information relating to the following information:

    You may have received the same request in the past and this information sent has now expired and I require an update as soon as possible for the following information. If nothing but the expiry date has changed then please provide me with the new expiry date:

    1. Standard Firewall (Network) - Firewall service protects your corporate Network from unauthorised access and other Internet security threats

    2. Anti-virus Software Application - Anti-virus software is a program or set of programs that are designed to prevent, search for, detect, and remove software viruses, and other malicious software like worms, trojans, adware, and more.

    3. Microsoft Enterprise Agreement - is a volume licensing package offered by Microsoft.

    The information I require is around the procurement side and we do not require any specifics (serial numbers, models, location) that could bring threat/harm to the organisation.

    For each of the different types of cyber security services can you please provide me with:

    1. Who is the existing supplier for this contract?

    2. What does the organisation annually spend for each of the contracts?

    3. What is the description of the services provided for each contract?

    4. Primary Brand (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 1&2)

    5. What is the expiry date of each contract?

    6. What is the start date of each contract?

    7. What is the contract duration of the contract?

    8. The responsible contract officer for each of the contracts above? Full name, job title, contact number and direct email address.

    9. Number of Licenses (ONLY APPLIES TO CONTRACT 3)

    Published: 14 June 2024

  3. Locksmiths or building contractors who secure empty properties

    Under the Freedom of Information Act I would like to request the following information:

    1. Does your council have a contractual relationship with a firm of locksmiths or building contractors who are engaged to secure empty properties?

    2. Does your council have a panel of approved locksmiths or building contractors who are engaged to secure empty properties?

    3. Please supply the name of the firm of locksmiths or building contractors that are contracted or on your panel of approved contractors.

    Published: 14 June 2024

  4. Physical assaults against refuse collectors in the last financial year 2023/24

    1. In the last financial year 2023/24 how many incidents did your authority record where refuse collectors were physically assaulted by members of the public while carrying out council duties? Please give a brief description of the circumstances of the incident.

    NOTE: By refuse collectors I mean all employees whose main duties are involved in the collection of rubbish (all types) from homes and businesses with your authority.

    NOTE: If the refuse collection duties are carried out by a third party company hired by the council the information is still HELD by the council, because it is information held on your behalf.

    Published: 13 June 2024

  5. Early years childcare provision for children with special educational needs

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information, regarding local childcare availability in your local authority:

    - The number of childcare places available for children aged 0-5 with special educational needs or disabilities in each of the last five years;

    -  The number of children aged 0-5 with an EHC plan or an application for an EHC plan in each of the last five years.

     

    Published: 12 June 2024

  6. EHCPs to date, and SENs from 2021 to date

    1) As of date of receipt of this email (8th May) how many children with EHCPs are currently waiting for a school place in your council area?

    2) As of date of receipt of this email (8th May) how many children are awaiting assessment for an EHCP in your council area?

    3) How many SEN appeals were undertaken in the years of 2021, 2022 and 2023?

    4) How many of these appeals ended up at tribunal, broken down by the years 21, 22, 23?

    5) How many SEN appeals were upheld/partially upheld in favour of the council, broken down by the years 21, 22, 23?

    6) How much was spent by the council on the SEN appeals process in the years of 2021, 2022, and 2023? This includes appeals that went to tribunal, and those which were settled before tribunal was necessary. It should also include a breakdown of legal fees where possible.

    7) As of date of receipt of this email (8th May) how many SEN appeals are currently on your authority's caseload? This includes appeals which are yet to go to tribunal, appeals which are at tribunal stage, and any other appeals which are outstanding.

    Published: 12 June 2024

  7. Temporary Accommodation

    I would also like to make a FOI request for an answer to the question, "How many people/families have Herefordshire Council placed in temporary accommodation in B&B/hotels for longer than the 6 weeks allowed in the past year?

    Published: 12 June 2024

  8. Distribution of Household Support Fund allocation and Local Welfare Assistance April 24 - Sept 24

    These questions relate to your current processes for distributing your latest Household Support Fund allocation (April 2024 - September 2024) and any Local Welfare Assistance Scheme you are operating. Please only share information about how you currently distribute these schemes and not how they have been distributed in the past.

    We understand that the late announcement of the extension of the Household Support Fund in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget may mean that you are still making spending decisions. Please write back to us answering each question below in order. If you would like to share additional evidence to illustrate your specific answers to our questions please do.

    Questions regarding the Household Support Fund (April 2024 - September 2024):

    1. How are you currently distributing the Household Support Fund to residents?

    2. Do you offer cash payments to residents as part of the Household Support Fund? This includes bank transfers or BACS payments, vouchers (such as Post Office vouchers or PayPoint vouchers which can be exchanged for cash), or direct cash payments. Please note - the definition of cash payments does not include supermarket vouchers or in-kind support.

    3. If you do offer cash payments, do you put any limitations on how residents can spend the payments? For example requesting payments are spent on food or household bills, and asking for evidence of how the money is spent.

    4. Are cash payments available to all residents or are only certain residents able to receive them? For example if you send bank transfers automatically to certain residents, but other residents can only apply for payments via supermarket vouchers.

    5. Are residents able to apply directly for help from schemes linked to the Household Support Fund? Or do they need to access support through another agency, or by being automatically eligible for support?

    Questions regarding any Local Welfare Assistance scheme you are running:

    By Local Welfare Assistance scheme, we mean a discretionary service which:

    - provides grants to your residents when facing a crisis (these grants may take the form of cash, vouchers or the item itself, e.g. a cooker).

    - has a claims process through which any member of the public can apply for support i.e. it is not targeted at specific cohorts of people.

    1. Please confirm if you have a Local Welfare Assistance Scheme. If you do please share its name and a link to its webpage and answer the questions below.

    2. How are you currently distributing your Local Welfare Assistance scheme to residents?

    3. Do you offer cash payments to residents as part of your Local Welfare Assistance scheme? This includes bank transfers or BACS payments, vouchers (such as Post Office vouchers or PayPoint vouchers which can be exchanged for cash), or direct cash payments. It does not include supermarket vouchers or in-kind payments.

    4. If you do offer cash payments, do you put any limitations on how residents can spend the payments? For example requesting payments are spent on food or household bills, and asking for evidence of how the money is spent.

    5. Are cash payments available to all residents or are only certain residents able to receive them? For example if you send bank transfers automatically to certain residents, but other residents can only apply for payments via supermarket vouchers.

    Published: 11 June 2024

  9. Council Tax Liability Orders and Enforcement Procedures

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting detailed information concerning the procedures and documentation related to the issuance and enforcement of Council Tax Liability Orders by Herefordshire Council.

    This request is particularly focused on understanding compliance with Regulation 35 of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, especially following amendments that removed the requirement for liability orders to be issued in prescribed forms (such as Form A and Form B).

    1. Documentation and Verification of Liability Orders

    1.1 In the absence of prescribed forms, what type of documentation does Herefordshire Council use to establish the legality and enforceability of Council Tax liability orders?

    1.2 How does this documentation comply with the legal requirements for enforceability?

    2. Procedure for issuing Liability Orders

    2.1 Please provide a detailed, step-by-step breakdown of the procedure followed by the council to issue liability orders for Council Tax debts, including any internal checks or reviews to ensure compliance.

    3. Authority for Enforcement Actions

    3.1 How does the council ensure it possesses the requisite legal authority to enforce council tax debts in the absence of a court issued Liability Order?

    3.2 What documents or records are relied upon to initiate enforcement actions, such as sending Enforcement Agents or applying for Charging Orders?

    3.3 Please explain how the council's enforcement actions comply with Section 35(3) of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, especially how Liability Orders are made enforceable in accordance with these regulations? 

    3.4 Detail the legal authority granted to enforcement agents acting on behalf of the council in evidence their authority, and how does this comply with legal requirements?

    4. Impact of Regulatory Charges on Council Practices

    4.1 How have the legislative changes, particularly the removal  of prescribed forms, impacted the council's procedures for enforcing Council Tax debts? What adjustments have been made to ensure continued legal compliance?

    5. Compliance with Legal Standards

    5.1 How does Herefordshire Council ensure compliance with the legal standards set out in the amended Regulation 35 when applying for and enforcing Liability Orders?

    5.2 Could you provide examples of internal reviews or audits conducted to ensure that enforcement actions for council tax debts are legally supported?

    6. Requests for Liability Order Documentation

    6.1 How does Herefordshire Council respond to requests from individuals for documentation proving the existence of Liability Order against them?

    6.2 Given the removal of Form A and Form B, what documents are provided to inhabitants who require the Judicially executed court document that provides a 3rd party, like an enforcement agent, with authority to enforce the Liability Order?

     

    Published: 10 June 2024

  10. SEN information for the financial years 2020/21 to 2023/24

    Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information regarding care and education for children with special educational needs (SEN).

    Please kindly include responses on the attached Excel spreadsheet.

    I am aware of data published by the Department for Education. However, the ‘Education, health and care plans' data set (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans) does not provide any granular breakdown by primary type of SEN need. I am also aware of the 'Special education needs in England' data set (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen), which includes the number of pupils with SEN by primary type of need but excludes independent special schools, meaning that it cannot be directly compared or combined with the ‘Education, health and care plans' data set.

    Published: 10 June 2024