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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2,924 disclosures

  1. Use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) by employees

    I am writing to make an open government request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like answers to the question below:

    1) Are your employees allowed to use generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, Jasper, etc.) in the workplace for work purposes?

    2) Do you have a usage policy in place on the use of generative AI in the workplace? (NOTE: If employees are not allowed to use generative AI as per Q1, please answer "yes").

    3) If yes to the above question, can you please share your usage policy with us?

    4) Have you had incidents of the following since Jan 1st 2022? If possible please also share the number of incidents.

    a) Employees using generative AI outside the bounds of the workplace usage policy (if one exists)?

    b) Employees sharing confidential information (e.g. private personal data of employees or residents; confidential financial information) on generative AI platforms

    5) Has your organisation taken disciplinary action against employees for their use of generative AI - e.g. for using it outside the bounds of the workplace usage policy? If possible, please also share the number of incidents.

    6) Assuming your employees can use generative AI platforms at work - can they use publicly available open source tools like ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, and Jasper?

    7) Do you have a specific technology budget allocated to implementing generative AI tools in the workplace, and/or educating employees on their use? If so, and if possible, can you share the budget between Jan 1 2022 and Dec 31st 2024 (or nearest equivalent)?

    Published: 22 November 2023

  2. Transit site and pitch provisions for Gypsies and Travellers

    I am seeking information about the provision of transit sites for Gypsies and Travellers, and transit pitches on permanent sites, situated on land which is owned and/or managed by your public authority. Please find below a series of questions, submitted as a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    1. Does this local authority own and/or manage any transit sites OR transit pitches situated on permanent sites?

    If 'yes,' please continue to answer the following questions below.

    2. How many

    a) transit sites, and/or

    b) transit pitches are there in total in your local authority area?

    3. Of these transit pitches, on the 16th November 2023, how many were:

    a) occupied

    b) vacant?

    4. What is the name and full address of each transit site, and/or permanent site containing one or more transit pitch(es), within your jurisdiction?

    5. What are the criteria which must be met to be allocated a pitch on a transit site, or a transit pitch on a permanent site (if you have an allocation policy for one or both types of site, please can you share copies via email)?

    6. What is the process by which people can apply for a transit pitch, and what are the contact details for applying for a pitch (e.g., list telephone number of site warden, and/or online form, depending on specific site arrangements)? And;

    a) What are the operational hours on site?

    b) Are staff always on site?

    c) Is there weekend cover?

    7. What is the maximum length of time for which people are permitted to stay on the transit site(s)/pitch(es)?

    8. Please indicate how each transit site the local authority owns/manages is managed day to day, e.g.:

    * Managed in-house by your local authority which owns the site (please provide details)

    * Managed by another local authority within your jurisdiction, e.g., a district or borough council on behalf of a county council (please provide details)

    * Outsourced to a separate housing provider or similar (please provide details)

    * Managed by a security company (please provide details)

    * Leased to a named individual, who may themselves live on the site (please provide details)

    * Named person who manages them and contact details (please provide details)

    9. Have the police used Section 62a-e (Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) to direct people to the site?

    10. How much are the costs for:

    a) rent for a pitch?

    b) a deposit to secure a pitch?

    11. Are there any additional utility costs not included in the nominal rent amount for which residents are liable? Please provide details (e.g., water, electricity, other utilities).

    12. Is there a license agreement or another form of written contract for stays on the site, and if so, please can you share a copy?

    13. What facilities and services operate on the site? Please list, for example:

    * Traveller education

    * Health visitor

    * Support services

    * Meeting room to hold interviews

    * CCTV

    * Height restrictor/gate

    14. Does the local authority accept welfare benefit payments to cover rent for transit pitches, or transit sites?

    15. Have there been any difficulties with setting up Universal Credit or Housing Benefit payments to cover rent for a transit pitch? If so, please outline these.

    16. Following a stay on a transit site or transit pitch, is there a certain time period on each site before which those who have vacated are permitted to return to the transit site or pitch? If so, please specify.

    17. Have there been changes made to individual site policies, with regard to the amount of time before which those who have vacated are permitted to return to the transit site or pitch, since the introduction of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (if applicable in your area)? If so, please provide details.

    Published: 22 November 2023

  3. Special Educational Needs Provisions in Herefordsire

    I would like to make a Freedom of Information Request about Special Educational Needs provision in Herefordshire. I would be most grateful if you could address the following questions:

    1. Please provide the following details of any changes in capacity of SEND provision (e.g. school openings, expansions, closures etc) in your local authority over the last 12 months (state and private) for young people aged 0-25

    a. Name of school

    b. Location of site

    c. The new planned day pupil places

    d. The new planned residential pupil places

    e. The planned pupil age range

    f. The type of SEND acuity/acuities it will cater for

    g. The approximate planned opening date

    h. The name of the Trust/organisation that will run the school

    2. Please provide the following details, if known, of any planned changes to the capacity of SEND provision (e.g. school openings, expansions, closures etc) in your local authority over the next 4 years (state and private) for young people aged 0-25.

    a. Name of school

    b. Location of site

    c. The new planned day pupil places

    d. The new planned residential pupil places

    e. The planned pupil age range

    f. The type of SEND acuity/acuities it will cater for

    g. The approximate planned opening date

    h. The name of the Trust/organisation that will run the school

    3. Please provide a breakdown of the number of children (0-25) with, first, with diagnosed SEND, and, second, the number of those with an EHC plan, living and studying in your local authority for the last 5 years (if available)? Split by:

    a. Primary need

    b. Age group (e.g. 0-4, 5-11, 12-18, 19-25)

    c. School type attending (e.g. mainstream state, maintained special, non-maintained special, mainstream private, special private etc)

    4. If your local authority has made any internal projections of future numbers of young people aged 0-25 with EHCPs in the local authority, please provide can you provide them (if possible split by primary need).

    5. If available, please provide the total level of annual EHCP funding for young people aged 0-25 whose primary needs are either SEMH or ASD/ASC over the last 5 years in your local authority, if possible split by funding for SEMH and funding for ASD/ASC/

    Published: 22 November 2023

  4. Number of children recorded for home schooling from 2018-2023

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information:

    1. The number of children registered for elective home education over the past five school years (2022/23, 2021/22, 2020/21, 2019/20, 2018/19)

    Ideally I would like a monthly breakdown of this information for Sept 2022 - August 2023 - as well as the four years preceding this (Sept 2021 - August 2022; Sept 2020 - August 2021; Sept 2019 - August 2020; Sept 2018 - August 2019)

    2. If you have monthly data for September and October 2023 that you can provide separately that would also be helpful.

    Published: 21 November 2023

  5. Community hubs capital grants 2023

    I understand that a sum of money for charities to bid against to develop Community Hubs was recently launched and then withdrawn. I have the following questions.

    1. How many applications were received?

    2. How many applications received met the quality and criteria for the grant?

    3. How many, if any, grants have been awarded?

    Published: 21 November 2023

  6. Consolidated Fund account query

    This is a freedom of information request.

    Does council tax collected by the council go to the Consolidated Fund account?

    Published: 21 November 2023

  7. Unregulated Provision and Children's Homes Costs

    Under the FOIA 2000, please provide the following figures relating to

    a) the use of unregulated provision for Looked After Children, and also

    b) the cost of Children's Home placements.

    UNREGULATED PROVISION USE

    1/ What is the total number of Looked After Children (LAC) aged 16 and 17-years-old who are currently placed in unregulated provision? Please provide the number of these individuals in such provision at the point this request is answered. Registration became mandatory in October.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-bans-unregulated-accommodation-for-young-people-in-care#:~:text=The%20measures%20mean%20that%20from,homes%20with%20no%20meaningful%20oversight.

    2/ What is the total number of LAC under the age of 16-years-old who are currently placed in unregulated provision? Directors of Children's Services typically authorise this directly. Please also provide the age of the youngest child placed in such provision.

    COST OF ALL LAC PLACEMENTS

    3/ What is the highest weekly cost paid to a provider in the period April 1st 2022 to date for an LAC placement in a children's home? Please provide any mitigating detail (e.g. 3-to-1 care) if you believe it to be relevant to the high cost.

    4/ What is the highest annual cost paid in the 2022/2023 financial year for an individual LAC's placement in children's home(s)? Please provide the total annual cost if the child has been placed in multiple placements.

    Published: 21 November 2023

  8. Networks Strategy

    Please could you assist me by sending information regarding the following:

    • Please can you direct me to the authority's current IT Network strategy?

    • What does the council currently use for their Networks (Wifi/LAN/SD-WAN)?

    • Who are you currently working with for your Networks?

    • When does that contract come up to an end?

    • What does the council consider most important when reviewing their Network Strategy?

    • Who is the best contact around this area?

    Published: 21 November 2023

  9. Special Educational Needs - High Needs Provision Capital Allocation Grant

    I would like to request the following information, which will be held by your finance and special educational needs and disability (SEND) teams:

    High Needs Provision Capital Allocation

    In March 2022, the Department for Education announced the allocation of High Needs Provision Capital Allocation (HNPCA) grants for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years.

    As part of the assurance arrangements for this grant, the Department for Education requested that each local authority:

    "complete and return a short grant assurance data return at an appropriate interval, to provide details on the projects they intend to fund using HNPCA. LAs should therefore complete the

    published template on GOV.UK, setting out their intentions for the funding"

    The Department for Education requested a completed HNPCA template form from each local authority. They requested an original template form to be returned by 1st October 2022, and an updated form to be returned by 1st October 2023.

    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 HNPCA grant. If possible, please provide a copy of the completed Excel template file (.xlsx) rather than a pdf file.

    Published: 20 November 2023

  10. Number of potholes reported, repaired and compensation paid

    Can I please request, in the form of a spreadsheet such as Excel or CSV file, information on potholes reported to and repaired by the council since 2017.

    1. The total number of potholes reported to the council, broken down by month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).

    2. The total number of potholes repaired by the council, broken down by month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).

    3. The total amount of money paid out in compensation due to potholes, broken down by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).

    4. The amount of money spent by the council on fixing potholes, broken down by calendar year in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).

    Published: 20 November 2023