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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3,017 disclosures

  1. Children in Care who Identify as Transgender/Gender Fluid

    Please advise:

    1. How many of the children in care in your local authority identify as transgender, according to your records?

    2. How many of the children in care in your local authority identify as gender fluid, according to your records?

    Published: 15 June 2026

  2. No. of Women where Recorded Cause of Homelessness is Leaving Prison, 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2026

    This is a request for information according to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Please note there is one part to my request, which relates to homelessness and former prisoners.

    (1) Please can you confirm the number of women owed a housing duty where the recorded cause of homelessness is leaving prison.

    A local authority owes a homeless applicant the main housing duty when the relief duty ends and the authority are satisfied the applicant is:

    * homeless

    * eligible for assistance

    * in priority need

    * not intentionally homeless

    Please can you provide data from 1 April 2021 up to and including 31 March 2026.

    Published: 15 June 2026

  3. Education & Youth Justice Software Suppliers

    In each of the children and youth offending services departments within your local authority, please provide the following details:

    * Who is your current software supplier? for Education Services & Youth Justice

    * What was the total contract value, as originally contracted?

    * What was the contract term in years and what is the expiry date?

    * Are there any planned/optional extension periods, if so how many?

    * What procurement route was used (e.g. open tender, direct award, framework)

    In each of the following service areas:

    Statutory Education provision (for recording of DfE data and returns for areas such as admissions, early years, attendance, exclusions, education psychology)

    Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

    Youth Justice (used to manage statutory YJB case management and returns)

    Post-16/NCCIS youth provision (used for returns to DfE for education, training and employment 16+)

    Virtual school (used to record information related to children looked after)

    Family information service (FIS)/early years/children's centres (used for early years data/case management and statutory funding)

    Statutory schools' data collection (used to pull in and aggregate data from all school management information systems).

    Published: 15 June 2026

  4. Animal Welfare Cost Data

    We have been commissioned by the RSPCA to undertake research into the scale of animal abuse and neglect in the UK, and the associated costs to individuals, the economy, and wider society.

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we would be grateful if you could provide any of the following information:

      *   The total expenditure on any contracted service related to animal welfare (e.g. kennelling, veterinary care, or rehoming) incurred as a result of any animal welfare enforcement activity, broken down by service (including farmed, wild and companion animals) for the following financial years: 2023/24 (01/04/2023 – 31/03/2024), 2024/25 (01/04/2024 – 31/03/2025), 2025/26 (01/04/2025 – 31/03/2026).

     


      *   Total legal costs associated with animal welfare prosecutions broken down by court fees, counsel/legal representation and prosecution-related legal expenses for the following financial years: 2023/24 (01/04/2023 – 31/03/2024), 2024/25 (01/04/2024 – 31/03/2025), 2025/26 (01/04/2025 – 31/03/2026).


      *   Any other staff time and associated costs attributable to animal welfare enforcement activities. This may include, but is not limited to, inspections, case management, and liaising with other organisations such as RSPCA and the police for the following financial years: 2023/24 (01/04/2023 – 31/03/2024), 2024/25 (01/04/2024 – 31/03/2025), 2025/26 (01/04/2025 – 31/03/2026). If you are not able to provide the exact figure, please provide a rough estimate.

     


      *   Any other costs associated with animal welfare enforcement activity not already included under staffing costs, legal costs or contracted services. This may include any other operational, administrative or incidental costs related to enforcement activity involving farmed, wild and companion animals, for the following financial years: 2023/24 (01/04/2023 – 31/03/2024), 2024/25 (01/04/2024 – 31/03/2025), 2025/26 (01/04/2025 – 31/03/2026).

     


    If you cannot provide the information requested above in financial years, please provide it in calendar years (2023, 2024, 2025) or however your data is stored. If you do not have this data for all the years requested, please provide the data for the years you have. If the requested years are missing altogether, please provide data for the latest available time period.

    Published: 15 June 2026

  5. Current Staff Numbers and Agency Staff Spending

    Please advise:

    1. The total number of employees of your Council currently. Please provide a breakdown of headcount by department if possible.

    2. Your Council's total spending on agency staff for the financial year 2025/26. Please provide by department if possible.

    Published: 12 June 2026

  6. Temporary Accommodation Expenditure & Commercial Hotel Contracts

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information regarding Herefordshire Council's expenditure on, and use of, commercial hotel and Bed & Breakfast (B&B) accommodation for homeless applicants.

    Please provide data for the following financial years: 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26 (to date).

    1. Total Expenditure and Placement Volumes

      *   What was the council's total net expenditure on nightly-paid temporary accommodation (B&Bs, commercial hotels, and private hostels) for each of the specified financial years?

     
      *   How many unique households were placed in nightly-paid temporary accommodation by the council during each of these years?



    2. Spend and Placement Breakdown for Budget Hotel Chains

      *   What was the council’s total expenditure, specifically on Travelodge properties within Herefordshire (including the Hereford Travelodge on Pomona Place and Hereford Grafton Travelodge on Ross Road), for each of the specified financial years?

     


      *   What was the council's total expenditure, specifically on Premier Inn properties within Herefordshire for each of the specified financial years?

     


      *   How many unique individuals or households were accommodated in Travelodge and Premier Inn properties in each of these financial years?


    3. Procurement and Contractual Frameworks

         Are room bookings with Travelodge and Premier Inn conducted on an ad-hoc "spot-purchase" basis, or does the council operate under a formal contract, block-booking framework, or guaranteed occupancy agreement?
             If a formal contract or block-booking agreement is in place, please provide the contract start date, end date, and the annual value of the contract.

    4. Average Nightly Rates

         Please provide the average nightly rate paid by the council to Travelodge in Hereford City for:

                A single-occupant room
            A family room
                An accessible/disabled-friendly room (if charged at a different rate)


    5. Duration of Placements in Commercial Hotels

      *   What was the average, shortest, and longest length of stay (in nights) for a household placed in commercial hotel accommodation (specifically Travelodge) during the specified financial years?

     


      *   Of the households currently placed in commercial hotel or B&B accommodation, how many have been accommodated there for longer than the statutory 6-week limit?



    6. Accommodation Suitability and Amenities

      *   How many complaints, formal reviews, or incident reports has the housing team received in the last 24 months regarding the lack of cooking and food storage facilities (e.g. lack of hobs, ovens, or refrigeration) for applicants placed in commercial hotels?

     

    Published: 12 June 2026

  7. Council Tax Arrears Data for each Financial Year from 2015/16 to 2025/26

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

    1 . The number of households in council tax arrears for each financial year from 2015-16 to 2025-26.

    2. Of those households who are in council tax arrears please provide the average amount of arrears a household is in for each financial year from 2015-16 to 2025-26.

    3. The total amount of council tax arrears for each financial year from 2015-16 to 2025-26.

    Published: 12 June 2026

  8. Autism Partnership Board

    I am writing to request information regarding the authority’s arrangements for meeting expectations set out in statutory guidance issued under the Autism Act 2009.

    The statutory guidance for local authorities and NHS bodies (2015) sets an expectation that areas establish and maintain effective multi-agency partnership arrangements for autism, commonly operationalised through an Autism Partnership Board. The national autism strategy (2021–2026) further reinforces the expectation that local areas have active partnership arrangements of this kind.

    In this context, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information:

    1. Please confirm whether the authority currently has:

    a) an Autism Partnership Board; or

    b) an equivalent multi-agency partnership arrangement intended to meet these expectations.

    2. If the authority does not have a dedicated Autism Partnership Board, please provide:

    a) a description of how the authority maintains effective multi-agency partnership arrangements for autism

    b) an outline of how those arrangements have changed since 2015

    3. For any Autism Partnership Board or equivalent arrangement, please provide:

    a) Contact details

    b) Terms of Reference

    c) Membership, including how autistic people and/or family representatives are included

    d) Copies of agendas and minutes for meetings in the last 24 months (or links where publicly available)

    4. Please provide the specification for any work currently commissioned or provided by the local authority and/or local ICB that offers low-level support for autistic adults without requiring a Care Act assessment/eligibility.

    Low level support could include, for example, short-term coaching, peer support, drop-in sessions or group learning, and may aim to:

    · prevent or delay the need for longer term or more intensive support

    · improve wellbeing and independence

    · support autistic adults to develop skills and confidence in areas such as accessing the community, social/support groups, relationships, managing household routines, managing bills/paperwork, taking part in volunteering/employment etc.

    Published: 12 June 2026

  9. Supported living services for adults

    Freedom of Information Request
    Under the Freedom of Information Act/Environmental Information Regulations, I would like to request the following information:
    This request is regarding residential and supported living services for adults with learning disabilities (LD), mental health (MH) and Complex Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

    Unless otherwise stated, please provide data for:
    Financial Year 2024/2025 (previous FY)
    Financial Year 2025/2026 (current FY)

    Where averages are requested, please provide the arithmetic mean.
    Please provide answers wherever possible separately for each category of LD, MH, and ASD.


    1. Average Fee Rates (Framework Placements Only) Please provide the average fee rates paid to external providers on framework arrangements (excluding in-house services):

    a. Residential care (weekly rate, £ per week)



    Please provide the average weekly fee rates for the following service user groups:
    i. Learning Disability (LD)
    ii. Mental Health (MH)
    iii. Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
    iv. Please provide the overall average residential weekly fee.


    b. Supported living (hourly rate, £ per hour)



    Please provide the average hourly fee rates for the following service user groups:
    i. Learning Disability (LD)        


    ii. Mental Health (MH)


    iii. Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

     
    iv. Please provide the overall average hourly supported living weekly fee.

     
    c. If you have a complex framework rate please could you state this (£).



    2. Spot Purchase Placements

      1.
    a. Please provide the total number of spot purchase placements commissioned in:
    i. FY 2024/2025


    ii. FY 2025/2026 (to date or full year if available)


    b. Please provide the average weekly fee (£ per week) for spot purchase residential placements.


    c. If available, please also provide average weekly fees banded as:
    i. Low care needs
    ii. Medium care needs
    iii. High care needs
    (If bandings are not formally defined, please provide your internal categorisation or confirm not held.)



    Please provide the average hourly rate for spot purchase supported living placements.



    3. Out of Area Placements
    a. Please provide the number of out-of-area (out of county) placements commissioned for adult LD, Mental Health and Autism services in:
    i. FY 2024/2025


    ii. FY 2025/2026

     

    b. Please define how your authority classifies an “out-of-area” placement.


    4. Fee Uplifts

      1.  Please provide the average annual fee uplift (percentage) applied to externally commissioned LD, Mental Health and Autism services in FY 2024/2025.
    Where possible, please separate by service type:

      1.  Residential care
      2.  Supported living


    b. Please provide the proposed or implemented average annual fee uplift (percentage) for FY 2025/2026.
    Where possible, please separate by service type:

      1.  Residential care
      2.  Supported living


     5. Expenditure

      1.  Please provide total expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2024/2025:

      1.   LD,
      2.  ASD
      3.  MH

      1.  Please provide total expenditure related to long-term placements in supported living for adults aged 18-64 during FY 2025/2026:

      1.   LD,

      1.  ASD

      1.  MH

     

     

     

    Published: 12 June 2026

  10. Looked After Children's Placements

    Please provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

    1) How many children were registered as “looked after children” by the local authority in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025?


    2) Please provide the number of placements outside of the local authority area for 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

     
    3) Regarding those children housed outside of the local authority area for 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, please provide a list of local authorities where those children were placed. If not, please provide the county/region.

     
    4) How many children from outside of the local authority area were housed by the local authority in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025?

     
    5) In 2024, how much money was spent by the local authority providing transport so families can visit looked after children housed outside of the local authority area.

     

     

    Published: 12 June 2026