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.

Filters

Clear filters
  • Keywords filters

  • Year filters

  • Month filters

3,190 disclosures

  1. A) Staffing levels

    1) How many FTE members of staff were employed by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    2) How many FTE members of staff were employed by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    3) How many FTE members of staff were employed by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    4) How many FTE vacancies (if any) were your trading standards service carrying in 2018/19?

    5) How many FTE vacancies (if any) were your trading standards service carrying in 2022/23?

    6) How many FTE vacancies (if any) were your trading standards service carrying in 2025/26?

    B) Trading standards activities

    1) How many enforcement visits were carried out by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    2) How many enforcement visits were carried out by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    3) How many enforcement visits were carried out by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    4) How many prosecutions were commenced by your trading standards service in 2019/19?

    5) How many prosecutions were commenced by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    6) How many prosecutions were commenced by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    7) How many informal cautions, letters of advice and written warnings were issued by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    8) How many informal cautions, letters of advice and written warnings were issued by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    9) How many informal cautions, letters of advice and written warnings were issued by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    10) How many age restricted test purchases (e.g. alcohol and tobacco, vapes, fireworks, knives etc) were carried out by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    11) How many age restricted test purchases (e.g. alcohol and tobacco, vapes, fireworks, knives etc) were carried out by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    12) How many age restricted test purchases (e.g. alcohol and tobacco, vapes, fireworks, knives etc) were carried out by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    13) How many shop closures (either temporary or permanent) were ordered by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    14) How many shop closures (either temporary or permanent) were ordered by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    15) How many shop closures (either temporary or permanent) were ordered by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    16) How many premises in your council area had their licences revoked or removed following concerns raised by your trading standards service in 2018/19?

    17) How many premises in your council area had their licences revoked or removed following concerns raised by your trading standards service in 2022/23?

    18) How many premises in your council area had their licences revoked or removed following concerns raised by your trading standards service in 2025/26?

    Published: 8 September 2026

  2. 1. The number of complaints received by your Trading Standards service relating to the sale or supply of mattresses or beds suspected of being unsafe or non-compliant.

    2. The number of investigations undertaken by your Trading Standards service relating to mattresses or beds suspected of being unsafe or non-compliant.

    3. The number of mattresses or beds seized, removed from sale, or otherwise prevented from being supplied as a result of Trading Standards action.

    4. Where already recorded and readily available, the reason for any seizure, removal from sale or other enforcement action, for example concerns relating to fire safety, product safety, labelling or counterfeit products.

    *Note: For the purposes of this request, "unsafe or non-compliant" is intended to include mattresses or beds where Trading Standards has identified, suspected or investigated concerns relating to product safety, fire safety, construction or materials, labelling or safety information, applicable product regulations or standards, counterfeit products, or other regulatory non-compliance.

    Historic examples of relevant Trading Standards concerns have included "mattress scams", mattresses that failed fire safety tests, and sellers using false brand trademarks. This is intended as a broad description rather than an exhaustive definition, and I would be grateful for information based on the categories or classifications already used by your service.

    Published: 8 September 2026

  3. Please see attached questions in relation to this FOI.

    Published: 7 September 2026

  4. Under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 where applicable, please provide information about complaints received by the council concerning invasive weeds growing on neighbouring or adjoining land.

    For each of the five complete calendar years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, please provide:

    1) The total number of unique complaints received concerning invasive weeds.

    2) A breakdown of these complaints by the following plant species:

    · Japanese knotweed

    · Bamboo

    · Giant hogweed

    · Himalayan balsam

    · Other invasive plant species

    Please provide the information electronically, preferably as an Excel or CSV file.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For the purposes of this request:

    · Please include cases where the plant had spread, was alleged to have spread or was considered at risk of spreading from neighbouring or adjoining land.

    · Please include complaints concerning privately owned, commercially owned and council-owned neighbouring land.

    · Please exclude reports made solely about an invasive plant growing on the reporting person’s own land, unless the report also concerned its spread from neighbouring or adjoining land.

    · Please exclude routine inspections, scheduled maintenance and infestations identified internally where no corresponding report was received from a member of the public.

    · “Other invasive plant species” means any other plant recorded by the council as invasive, non-native, encroaching or requiring control because of its spread.

    Please count each unique case or council reference number once, even if multiple communications were received about the same case. Please allocate the complaint to the calendar year in which it was first received.

    If one complaint concerned more than one named plant species, please include it under each relevant species.

    Where records confirm that no relevant complaints were received, please record the figure as “0”.

    If responding to the full request would be manifestly unreasonable, please prioritise providing the total number of unique neighbour complaints for each year, followed by the species breakdown in the order listed above.

    If any part of this request requires clarification or refinement, please contact me.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Published: 7 September 2026

  5. 1. Does the council have a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE)?

    If yes, please provide responses to the following questions. If no, please disregard the following questions.

    1. Please confirm the names and religious denominations of all Group A members of the SACRE from 2019 until present.

    2. Please confirm the names of all Group C members of the SACRE from 2019 until present.

    Published: 7 September 2026

  6. I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.

    1. Does the council operate funding schemes whereby individual councillors are provided with funding that they can distribute to charities and other organisations at their discretion? These schemes have different names in different areas, such as “member budgets”, “ward budgets”, “locality budgets” etc.

    If the council is uncertain of whether a particular funding scheme fits this criteria, please check with me.

    If the answer to question 1 is “no”, the council need not respond to the rest of this FOI request.

    If the answer to question 1 is “yes”, please proceed with the remainder of this request.

    2. For each year since 2024/25 (including 2026/27 year to date), please list each councillor, their political party/grouping that year, their ward, their annual budget under the scheme(s), and the list of entities they chose to distribute funding to under the scheme(s) covered by question 1. For each recipient entity, please state:

    a. The name of the recipient entity (e.g. the name of the charity)

    b. The amount of funding

    c. What the funding was for (if recorded)

    Published: 4 September 2026

  7. For the following FOI request, I request information for the following period

    1. September 2025 (start of school term) to 20th July 2026 (or end of term)

    I request information about short-notice temporary cancellations of home-to-school transport for children and young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

    Please provide:

    a. How many pupils are provided with SEND home to school transport each day, on average, including non-statutory post-16 provision.

    b. The number of days when at least one SEND home to school transport route did not operate, due to staff shortages

    c. For the date with the highest number of routes cancelled at short notice, please advise

    1. what number of routes were cancelled on this date?

    2. how many passengers were impacted?

    3. What was the total number of passengers scheduled to travel on that date?

    d. The number of days where a route has operated as normal, but at least one passenger from that route has been asked to make alternative arrangements, due to a lack of available staff with appropriate training (eg passengers requiring suction being asked to make alternative transport arrangements when a travel assistant temporarily covering that route isn’t suction trained)

    e. Discounting weekends and INSET days, what is the longest number of consecutive days that a particular route has been cancelled at short notice?

    f. What, on average, is the mileage rate offered under a Personal Travel Budget to parents/carers/guardians when their child’s home to school transport is cancelled at short notice by the local authority – if any?

    g. For home to school transport provided by private contractor, is there a KPI or monitoring regime for short notice cancellations? Is there something similar for services operated in-house by council staff and vehicles?

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For this purpose, please use “short notice” as to mean any time within seven days of the transport due to operate. Please include routes provided “in house” by the council, and also by contractors if possible.

    Please include instances where the route didn’t operate in the morning, but did operate in the afternoon (and vice-versa).

    Please do not include cancellations if they were a result of poor weather or an unforeseen school closure (eg central heating boiler failure etc).

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Published: 4 September 2026

  8. Please see below a Freedom of Information request regarding service provision and engagement (across all boroughs) for individuals aged 16 and over, including those identified as using child-to-parent abuse.

    The request relates to the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025 and seeks aggregate data only (no personal or identifiable information).

    Please note that I am requesting summary statistics and general service information only, in line with the requirements of the Act.

    If it would assist in processing the request, I would be happy to clarify or refine any part of it.

    REQUEST:

    For the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025, please provide the following aggregate information only (no personal or identifiable data):

    1. Service Eligibility and Provision

    a) What age range does your service work with?

    b) Who commissions/funds your work?

    c) Does your service accept referrals for individuals aged 16 and over?

    d) If applicable, up to what age does your service support individuals with additional needs?

    2. Referrals and Engagement (Aged 16+)

    a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over referred to your service.

    b) Of those referred aged 16 and over, how many:

    i) fully engaged with your service (e.g., completed a programme or planned intervention)?

    ii) partially engaged (e.g., attended some sessions but did not complete)?

    iii) did not engage?

    c) Where definitions vary, please briefly indicate how your service defines:

    i) Full engagement

    ii) Partial engagement

    (e.g., programme completion, number of sessions attended), if readily available.

    3. Child to Parent Abuse (CPA) Cases

    a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over your service worked with who were identified as using CPA.

    b) A general description of the types of support or interventions offered (categories only, not case-level detail).

    4. Non-Engagement and Outcomes

    a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over referred but who did not engage.

    b) Where known:

    i) whether they accessed support elsewhere

    ii) the types of services accessed

    iii) the reasons given for non-engagement

    5. Transitions and Service Boundaries

    a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over supported in transitioning between children’s and adult services.

    Clarification received: Children who will require adults’ services at the age of 18 due to their needs and because they have turned 18 years old (but only those using child to parent abuse)

    b) Whether support for this group is delivered within:

    i) children’s services

    ii) adult services

    iii) a combined service

    iv) or a dedicated transition pathway

    6. Complex Needs and Multi-Agency Involvement

    a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over referred to your service who were also involved with:

    i) the criminal justice system

    ii) CAMHS

    iii) SEND services

    iv) children’s social care (including those living outside of the family home)

    7. Optional (if readily available)

    a) If your data systems allow, please provide a breakdown by age groups (e.g. 16–17, 18–20, 21–25), where this can be done within cost limits.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

    The Service Areas have asked for the following clarification please:

    1) Please identify if there is an upper age limit for your request.

    Is it the 25 years as suggested at the end of the request when you ask for a breakdown in age groups, i.e. " If your data systems allow, please provide a breakdown by age groups (e.g. 16–17, 18–20, 21–25), where this can be done within cost limits."?

    Or are you wanting information on 16+ and includes all age groups (which can go up to 65+ in our Adults Services)?

    Please clarify the upper age limit/s you would like per question, as this will determine which Service Area/s can answer each question.

    2) Also, Question 1(b) asks - " Who commissions/funds your work?"

    This question is a very broad question as there are a number of areas that are covered, e.g. Corporate Parenting (which includes Care Leavers) , Safeguarding, Early Help, etc.

    So we are able to answer this question within the appropriate time limit, are you able to clarify if there is a specific area you are interested in for this question?

    CLARIFICATION RECEIVED:

    Thank you for your email regarding FOI reference 2026/01339

    I am happy to clarify the scope of Questions 1 and 2.

    My request relates to Local Authority provision, whether delivered directly by Worcestershire County Council or commissioned by the Council, that may receive or support individuals aged 16 and over where child-to-parent abuse (CPA), also sometimes recorded or described as child/adolescent-to-parent violence or abuse (CAPVA/APVA), is identified.

    This may include relevant provision within children’s social care, early help or family support, youth justice, transition services and any specialist or commissioned service that works specifically with CPA/CAPVA or harmful behaviour towards parents or caregivers.

    For Questions 1 and 2, I am therefore seeking information about the relevant service or services within this scope, rather than all Local Authority provision generally.

    Where more than one service falls within scope, I would be grateful if the Council could provide the information by service where readily available. If the Council does not have a specific CPA/CAPVA service or pathway, please confirm this and provide the information for the service or services most likely to receive or support these referrals.

    The focus of the request is on individuals aged 16 and over because my research is examining service responses and transitions for older adolescents and young adults, particularly where cases may cross children’s and adult service boundaries.

    I hope this provides sufficient clarification to progress the request. Please let me know if any further clarification is required.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

    The Service Area have advised: we need confirmation that the Requester would like the information for aged 16 – 25 as that is what is alluded to at the end of the request but the rest of it states 16+.

    Please confirm if you require the information for ages 16 - 25.

    If you require the information for a different age range, please specify exactly what age range you require.

    CLARIFICATION RECEIVED:

    Thanks, the information is for 16-25 but if there is any information for young people over 25 that would also be appreciated.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

    Please confirm if your request is for Herefordshire Council or Worcestershire County Council.

    CLARIFICATION RESPONSE:

    Yes, I would like to amend my request to read Herefordshire Council, instead of Worcestershire County Council

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

    The Service Area have advised:

    To ensure that we provide exactly what the requestor is looking for, it would be beneficial to go back to them for a further check and clarification on the requirements.

    1.b) Who commissions/funds your work?

    – We’re not entirely sure what the requestor is asking here as it’s a statutory service, which would be the government. Please can the requester clarify exactly what they are after.

    5.a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over supported in transitioning between children’s and adult services.

    – Is this referring to care leavers or children who will require adults’ services at the age of 18 due to their needs? Please can the requester clarify this.

    CLARIFICATION RESPONSE:

    1.b) Who commissions/funds your work?

    - Government funding is fine as an answer, is there a specific pot? I have asked all LA's and orgs the same question as some are commissioned by a LA.

    5.a) The total number of individuals aged 16 and over supported in transitioning between children’s and adult services.

    – children who will require adults’ services at the age of 18 due to their needs and because they have turned 18 years old (but only those using child to parent abuse)

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Published: 3 September 2026

  9. Freedom of Information Request regarding Animal Services.

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to make the following request for information relating to the animal services provided by your local authority.

    Dog Warden Service

    1. Does the local authority employ a dog warden or outsource the role? If the role is outsourced, who is responsible?

    2. What has been the local authority’s annual spend on the dog warden service for the last three years? Either for inhouse or outsourcing the role.

    2023 2024 2025

    Dog bites on authority workers

    1. Does the local authority have a documented standard operating procedure or policy regarding dog safety for workers visiting private property in the course of their employment?

    • Please include both workers employed directly by the local authority and workers contracted to work on the authority’s behalf, for e.g. including, but not limited to, refuse collectors, social workers, housing officers etc.

    2. How many instances of dog bites were reported to RIDDOR (https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/) in the last three years by the local authority?

    • Please indicate whether your available data separates workers from members of the public. If it does, please supply the two figures separately.

    2023 2024 2025

    Published: 3 September 2026

  10. I am requesting the following recorded information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 concerning housing allocations made through Herefordshire HomePoint.

    For each of the financial years:

    2022/23

    2023/24

    2024/25

    2025/26

    please provide:

    1. The total number of households that were allocated social or affordable rented accommodation through Herefordshire HomePoint during each financial year.

    2. Of those allocations, the number where the lead applicant was recorded as a British citizen/UK national.

    3. Of those allocations, the number where the lead applicant was recorded as not being a British citizen/UK national.

    4. For the applicants identified in question 3, please provide a breakdown by recorded nationality/citizenship, together with the number of allocations for each nationality.

    5. Please state whether the HomePoint housing register records any of the following information about applicants:

    * nationality;

    * citizenship;

    * immigration status;

    * settled status;

    * pre-settled status;

    * refugee status; or

    * other eligibility status relating to immigration control.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For question 5, I am only asking which of these data fields/categories are recorded by the council/HomePoint. I am not requesting any personally identifiable information.

    If nationality or citizenship is not held as a specific data field, please state this explicitly and identify which of the above fields, if any, are used when determining an applicant's eligibility for the housing register.

    Please provide the information in electronic format, preferably Excel or CSV where the information is held in tabular form.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Published: 3 September 2026