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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3,102 disclosures

  1. Marsh Farm Development

    I request the following information in relation to the Marsh Farm Development in HIldersley, Ross-on-Wye:

    A list of infrastructure additions provided since the County Council approval of all housing developments from St Mary’s Village onwards - and by whom they were provided.

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    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED:

    The Service Area have asked for the following clarification please:

    What type of infrastructure does the request refer to, i.e. highway infrastructure or other infrastructure such as schools or play areas?

    Is the request for public infrastructure only, i.e infrastructure that is available to the general public rather than just residents of a private estate?

    Presumably when the request states ‘all housing developments from St Mary’s Village onwards’ this is in relation to time and not geographical area?

    If the request is in relation to time does the request include infrastructure provided as part of the approvals for St Mary’s Village or just any infrastructure provided after the approvals (i.e. not including infrastructure as part of those approvals).

    What geographical area is requested – could a plan be provided.

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    CLARIFICATION RECEIVED:

    My purpose is to ascertain whether or not the County Council Planning Committee ensures that when extra housing is approved (and therefore extra council tax  is received) that it either pays for proportional extra infrastructure or ensures that the land managers such as Landra and the developers do so.

    For the avoidance of doubt, I am also asking these questions on behalf of the very large number of residents of Parsons Croft, The Glebe and Hildersley who constitute an extremely potent opposition to the Marsh Farm Planning Proposals.

    In response to your questions below, I offer these responses to your questions:

    * When new housing projects are approved by Herefordshire County Council, I presume that the approval is conditional upon proportionate increases in school places, surgery places, social service provision etc.

    *the request relates to extra provision for the general public of Ross-on-Wye and the surrounding area

    * yes, it is time related

    * as I have already said above, it is related to any infrastructure which was promised as a condition of approval

    * the area covers the whole local area which is dependent upon infrastructure such as extra school places, national health provision, social service provision - indeed all areas of provision which come under greater pressure as a result of the increased population.

    Please do let me know if I have adequately clarified the rationale for my freedom of information request.

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    Published: 3 August 2026

  2. School Transport for Children with SEND — Numbers of Applications, Refusals and Appeals

    In one sentence: we are asking for a small set of yearly numbers — how many families applied for school travel assistance for a child with special educational needs or a disability, how many were refused, how many refusals were challenged, and how many challenges succeeded. We need numbers only: no personal data, no case files, no explanations of individual decisions.

    WHO THIS COVERS

    Children of compulsory school age (roughly ages 5 to 16) where the application for travel assistance was made because the child's special educational needs, disability or mobility problems mean they cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school. (This is the eligibility route under section 508B of, and Schedule 35B to, the Education Act 1996.) We call these "SEND-ground applications" below.

    If your records cannot separate these from other transport applications, that is fine — see "If any of this is difficult" at the end.

    WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR

    For each academic year — 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 (year to date) — please provide:

    1. Applications decided: the number of SEND-ground applications your authority made a decision on.

    2. Refused in full: of those, the number where no travel assistance of any kind was awarded.

    3. Stage 1 challenges: the number of those refusals the family asked you to look at again (your first review or appeal stage, whatever it is called locally).

    4. Stage 1 successes: of those, the number where the outcome changed so that some assistance was awarded.

    5. Stage 2 appeals: the number that went on to your second (final) appeal stage — an appeal panel or equivalent.

    6. Stage 2 successes: of those, the number where some assistance was awarded.

    And one non-numerical question:

    7. Who currently decides your Stage 2 appeals:

    (a) a panel independent of the original decision-makers,

    (b) elected councillors, or

    (c) a council officer?

    Answer: A panel independent of the original decision-makers.

    Please also provide a copy of, or a link to, your current home to school travel policy and appeals procedure.

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    IF ANY OF THIS IS DIFFICULT

    - Cannot separate SEND-ground applications? Give the same numbers for children with an Education, Health and Care plan instead; if that is also not held, give them for all home to school transport applications for children of compulsory school age. Just tell us which basis you used.

    - Your appeal process has a different shape? Use your actual stages and briefly say what they are — we will map them to Stage 1 / Stage 2.

    - Years: count each decision, review or appeal in the academic year (1 September to 31 August) in which its outcome was issued. Please do not spend time matching appeals back to the year of the original refusal. For 2025/26, figures up to the date you run the search are fine — please just state that date.

    - Format: whatever is easiest for you — numbers typed into the table above, a system export, or an existing internal report. If your policy is to suppress small numbers, "fewer than 5" is acceptable.

    - Cost limit: if answering one of the questions would take your team over the cost limit (section 12), please still answer the rest and tell us which question was the problem, in line with the section 16 duty to advise and assist — we will refine it.

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    Published: 3 August 2026

  3. Major Developments Proposed at Marsh Farm - Meeting Minutes

    I have been absolutely appalled by the proposals contained in the Landra documentation. Apart from major implications for flooding, wildlife habitat, pollution, the already dangerous onward access onto ‘Brands Hatch’ (the A40), - still to be assessed - the most pressing issue is the absolutely LUDICROUS proposal for access to a site for 156 houses through a tiny Glebe cul-de-sac which contains just 15 houses.

    To facilitate this crazy scheme, the proposal is to demolish two and a half of these 15 homes to provide access to the site - although we are aware that this would be only the first phase. According to the stats, 156 houses could imply parking for 186 cars which would enter and exit the tiny cul-de-sac in the Glebe. But we are aware that this number could well be expanded once further development is approved.

    We are also aware that, that although residents try hard to park on their own property rather than on the roads, birthdays happen, family visits happen, life happens! So parking on the roads, whilst understandable, is another factor which statisticians ignore.

    In the meantime, we in are being bombarded with lorries and diggers from the Model Farm development from dawn to dusk. If the new proposals are approved, we will be the filling in a development sandwich.. Similarly the residents of The Glebe, many of whom are elderly, did not sign up for a situation in which they will be tormented by demolition/construction vehicles, let alone trying to compete with enormous traffic jams in order to attend events such as doctors’ appointments. The statistics regarding the width of the Glebe roads are a world away from the reality of the situation - and a member of the Fire Service has stated that access to a fire on the proposed estate could be a major issue.

    All of this nonsense could have been avoided had the Council, who own the Model Farm land, pointed Landra in the direction of an access road on that land land. Landra have told us that they could not propose that because they did not own the land (the Council did) and therefore could not suggest what would have been a far better, less contentious, proposal.

    Which brings me to my question under the Freedom of Information Act. We would like to see ‘minutes’ of the meetings between Landra and the Council Planning representatives, particularly those which relate to the lack of direction towards a Model Farm access route for the Marsh Lane proposal and the rationale.

    On the one hand, we have all been invigorated by the call to arms. We already have a very large support base and system and are committed to whatever battle we will face. And yes, we will battle. But we are also totally dismayed by the fact that we have to commit so much of our time and energy to a battle which could so easily have been avoided had this farcical access proposal been properly thought through.

    Published: 31 July 2026

  4. Expenditure on Placing Statutory Notices in Newspapers 2025/26

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information for the financial year 2025–26.

    If figures for statutory notices cannot be separated from wider newspaper or public notice advertising within the cost limit, the council is asked to provide the total newspaper advertising figures and indicate this in its response:

    1. The council's total expenditure on placing statutory notices in newspapers (that is, notices the council is required by legislation to publish in a local newspaper), across all council departments and functions.

    2. The total income received by the council from third parties (for example developers, utility companies or other applicants) by way of recharge, reimbursement or fee income towards the cost of that newspaper advertising.

    3. The net cost to the council of statutory notice newspaper advertising after that income is taken into account, if this figure is held or readily calculable from the answers above.

    Published: 31 July 2026

  5. Council Tax Breakdown Across the Council for the Last 4 Financial Years plus Current Financial Year

    THE CONTEXT: A 54% RISE. DECLINING SERVICES. NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

    Since 2016, Council Tax in this area has risen by approximately 54%. The proposed further increase of 4.95% compounds an already unsustainable burden on residents who are simultaneously navigating a cost of living crisis affecting food, fuel, energy, and housing.

    What have residents received in return? Roads in disrepair. Reduced bin collections. Closed amenities. Restricted recycling access. The gap between what residents are asked to pay

    and what they visibly receive is no longer a matter of perception. It is a matter of public record, and it demands a public answer.

    Meanwhile, credible concerns have been raised about council spending priorities including capital expenditure on council buildings, reliance on high-cost recruitment consultants, a

    growing number of six-figure salary roles, and expenditure on events, hospitality, and councillor provisions. These concerns are not fringe complaints. They represent a systemic pattern observed across local authorities nationally, and residents deserve to know whether this council is implicated.

    I am therefore formally requesting full disclosure of the following:

    PART ONE: COUNCIL EXPENDITURE AND PUBLIC SERVICES

    SECTION 1: FULL EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN

    1) A complete, itemised breakdown of all Council Tax expenditure for the most recent complete financial year, including departmental allocations and all spending categories.

    SECTION 2: SPECIFIC AREAS OF CONCERN

    Detailed figures relating to:

    2a) All expenditure on council buildings, including headquarters, refurbishments, and capital projects, with total costs and justifications.

    2b) Total spending on external recruitment consultants and agencies, with a breakdown by contract or supplier where possible.

    2c) The number of employees earning £100,000 or more, their job titles, and the total salary cost of these roles to the public purse.

    2d) All expenditure on events, hospitality, catering, food, drink, and provisions for councillors and officers, itemised by occasion or category.

    SECTION 3: CORE PUBLIC SERVICE EXPENDITURE

    A clear breakdown of spending on services that directly affect residents:

    3a) Road maintenance and pothole repair, including the number of reported defects versus repairs completed.

    3b) Waste collection, including any changes to collection frequency in the past two financial years and any associated cost savings.

    3c) Maintenance, investment in, or closure of public parks and play areas.

    3d) Recycling centre operations, including any reductions in opening hours or accessibility.

    SECTION 4: COST-SAVING MEASURES

    4) Full details of any cost-saving measures implemented by the council in the two financial years prior to the decision to increase Council Tax, including what savings were achieved

    and how they were reinvested into front-line services.

    SECTION 5: JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PROPOSED INCREASE

    5) Copies of, or direct access to, any internal reports, financial assessments, impact analyses, or documented justifications used to support the proposed Council Tax increase, including

    projected outcomes for residents and any performance metrics or service improvement targets attached to this increase.

    PART TWO: SENIOR MANAGEMENT COSTS

    SECTION 6: SENIOR EMPLOYEE SALARIES

    6a) The total number of council employees currently earning a salary of 100,000 pounds or more per annum, inclusive of all contractual allowances and supplements but excluding

    pension contributions.

    6b) A breakdown of those roles by job title, salary band, and department.

    6c) The total combined salary cost of all roles earning 100,000 pounds or more, for each of the last three complete financial years.

    6d) The number of roles earning 100,000 pounds or more that have been created or newly filled in each of the last three complete financial years.

    SECTION 7: EMPLOYER PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS ON HIGH-EARNING ROLES

    7a) The total employer pension contributions paid in respect of all employees earning 100,000 pounds or more per annum, for each of the last three complete financial years.

    7b) The employer pension contribution rate applied to these roles.

    SECTION 8: INTERIM, AGENCY AND CONTRACTED SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

    This section concerns individuals engaged to perform senior management or director level functions who are not directly employed by the council, including those engaged through

    personal service companies, staffing agencies, or other intermediary arrangements.

    8a) The total number of interim, agency, or contracted individuals performing director level or senior management functions at any point during each of the last three complete financial

    years.

    8b) For each such engagement: the job title or function performed, the daily or hourly rate paid, the duration of the engagement, and the total cost to the public purse.

    8c) The total combined spend on interim, agency, and contracted senior management in each of the last three complete financial years.

    8d) Whether any such individuals were subsequently offered or accepted permanent employment with this council following their interim engagement, and if so, in what role.

    SECTION 9: SEVERANCE, REDUNDANCY AND COMPROMISE AGREEMENTS

    9a) The total number of severance, redundancy, or compromise agreement payments made to employees earning 50,000 pounds or more per annum, in each of the last three complete financial years.

    9b) The total combined value of all such payments in each of those years.

    9c) The highest single severance or compromise agreement payment made during this period, stated without identifying the individual recipient.

    9d) Whether any individual who received a severance or compromise agreement payment subsequently returned to work for this council in any capacity, including as an interim or

    contractor, within 24 months of their departure. If so, how many such instances occurred.

    SECTION 10: RECRUITMENT COSTS FOR SENIOR ROLES

    10a) The total spend on external recruitment consultants and agencies specifically for the recruitment of roles paying 75,000 pounds or more, in each of the last three complete financial years.

    10b) The names of any external recruitment firms used for these appointments, and the total fees paid to each.

    10c) The average cost of recruiting a single senior appointment of 75,000 pounds or above via external recruitment, where this data is held.

    SECTION 11: TOTAL SENIOR LEADERSHIP COST

    11) A consolidated figure representing the total cost to the public purse of the council's senior leadership, defined as all employees and contractors performing at director level or above, for the most recent complete financial year. This should include salaries, employer National Insurance contributions, employer pension contributions, car allowances, and any other

    contractual benefits.

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    CLARIFICATION REQUESTED FOR 1, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3c, 3d & 5:

    Please can you clarify what timeframe/s you require for questions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3c, 3d and 5.

    Please can you also clarify the following questions:

    1) A complete, itemised breakdown of all Council Tax expenditure for the most recent complete financial year, including departmental allocations and all spending categories.

    - Please be advised there is no such thing as 'Council Tax expenditure'. Do you mean the total expenditure by the Council?

    2b) Total spending on external recruitment consultants and agencies, with a breakdown by contract or supplier where possible.

    - Does this mean the recruitment costs for the consultants and agency workers (i.e. a recruitment agency charges 20% for placing a worker or adds a charge to each invoice for their fees) or the amount we spend on paying the actual workers?

    2d) All expenditure on events, hospitality, catering, food, drink, and provisions for councillors and officers, itemised by occasion or category.

    - Data is not analysed/recorded by event, or whether it’s spent on officer or councillor provisions. However we could provide the 2024/25 total council spend for catering (provision of refreshments & kitchen) and total council spend on promotions and events. Would this be acceptable?

    4) Full details of any cost-saving measures implemented by the council in the two financial years prior to the decision to increase Council Tax, including what savings were achieved and how they were reinvested into front-line services.

    - Can we seek clarification regarding which years you are referring to when stating “in the two financial years prior to the decision to increase Council Tax” as the council has increased council tax for a number of years?

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    CLARIFICATION RECEIVED FROM REQUESTER:

    Let me be completely direct…

    my original request was written in plain, standard English. You are now asking for clarifications that do not need explaining, which looks very much like a deliberate tactic to drag your feet and avoid complying with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. That will not work. Plain English means exactly what it says

    When I used the phrase “complete and full breakdown”, there is only one possible meaning: everything, no summaries, no gaps, no leaving out details you don’t want to share. If your team struggles to understand basic English vocabulary, that is your internal problem — not a reason to delay this request.

    When I refer to “Council Tax expenditure”, I mean all money raised from Council Tax and every item of spending funded by that income, which corresponds directly to the Council’s total audited annual expenditure.

    For all questions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3c, 3d, 4a and 5, provide details for:

    The last 4 completed financial years, plus the current financial year

    2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26 to the current date

    For question 4a: this covers the four financial years immediately before your most recent Council Tax increase. If you do not know your own Council’s financial history, look it up — do not ask me to do your job for you.

    3. Specific clarifications

    • 2b: I require all fees, charges and contract payments made to recruitment consultants and agencies only — this does not include wages or salaries paid to the workers themselves.

    • 2d: If you cannot break this down by individual event, I accept the aggregated figures you mentioned, but they must be the full total spend for every category, not partial or edited amounts.

    4. Legal obligation – Common Law only

    I do NOT want references to Acts of Parliament, statutes, regulations, orders, or secondary legislation. Those are administrative rules, not the foundational law.

    I require you to state the binding principle under Common Law that creates a legal obligation for me to pay Council Tax. If no such principle exists, you must say so clearly and openly.

    You have a legal duty under the FOIA 2000 to respond within 20 working days. Unnecessary requests for clarification on simple wording are not a valid reason to extend this. If you continue to stall, redefine plain language, or refuse to provide the information asked for, I will immediately escalate a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office and ask them to investigate your conduct.

    Process this properly, provide the full information requested, and stop wasting time.

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    Published: 31 July 2026

  6. Information request – planning applications for data centres (last 3 years)

    I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, whichever you consider applicable.

    My request concerns planning applications relating to data centres — including data storage or data processing facilities, whether new build, change of use, conversion or extension — within the area covered by your authority.

    For the three-year period from 1st January 2023 to 21 July 2026 inclusive, please provide:

    1. The total number of planning applications received/validated that relate to data centres.

    2. A breakdown of those applications by outcome:

    a) granted/approved;

    b) refused;

    c) withdrawn;

    d) still pending/awaiting determination.

    Where possible, I would also be grateful for a list of the relevant applications showing, for each one: the planning reference number, the site address, the date received, the current status, and (where decided) the decision and decision date.

    As data centres may not be recorded under a single category, I appreciate you may need to identify relevant applications from the description or use class (for example B8 or sui generis) — please interpret "data centre" reasonably and note any assumptions you make.

    I'm happy to receive the information electronically, ideally as a spreadsheet or within the body of an email. If any part of this request is unclear, or if you expect the cost of compliance to exceed the appropriate limit, please contact me so that I can refine or narrow it rather than have it refused.

    Published: 30 July 2026

  7. Landscaping for the Hereford Transport Hub

    Please provide information about the implementation of landscaping for the Hereford Transport Hub.

    I specifically would like to be provided with the following:

    The date or dates when trees and shrubs were delivered to the site The date or dates when trees and shrubs were planted - i.e. when they were actually put in the ground

    A full schedule of the subsequent watering regime with dates of when water was applied and the quantities of water that were used. (These details should be available as they are required in order to confirm that the frequency of watering and the volumes of water applied were in accordance with those specified in the Landscape Management Plan that formed part of the approved planning application)

    Published: 30 July 2026

  8. Children Subject to Police Protection / Section 46 Children Act 1989

    Please treat this as a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Please provide the following information held by Herefordshire Council Children’s Services for the period 1 April 2022 to the date of this request, broken down by financial year where possible.

    1. The number of children in Herefordshire who became known to Children’s Services as being under police protection under section 46 Children Act 1989.

    2. Of those children, the number aged:

    * under 1 year;

    * 1–4 years;

    * 5–10 years;

    * 11–15 years;

    * 16–17 years.

    3. The number of section 46 / police protection incidents where the child was subsequently:

    * returned home within 72 hours;

    * accommodated under section 20 Children Act 1989;

    * made subject to an Emergency Protection Order application;

    * made subject to care proceedings;

    * placed with foster carers;

    * placed with connected/family carers.

    4. Any policy, protocol, joint protocol, guidance, practice note or template used by Herefordshire Council Children’s Services in relation to section 46 police protection, including any joint working protocol with West Mercia Police.

    5. Any guidance on recording:

    * why police protection was considered necessary;

    * what less intrusive alternatives were considered;

    * whether an Emergency Protection Order was considered;

    * whether a safety plan or family arrangement was considered;

    * proportionality and necessity.

    6. The number of formal complaints received by Children’s Services during the above period concerning police protection, emergency removal, section 46, or out-of-hours emergency removal.

    7. Of those complaints, the number upheld, partially upheld, not upheld, withdrawn, or otherwise resolved.

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    Please provide anonymised aggregate data only. I am not requesting personal data or case-specific records.

    If exact categories are not held, please provide the closest recorded category and briefly explain how the information is recorded.

    If any part of this request would exceed the section 12 cost limit, please answer the parts that can be answered within the limit and provide advice and assistance on how the request may be refined.

    Published: 29 July 2026

  9. MALD usage within Herefordshire Council

    Freedom of Information Request Subject: Parenting Assessment Models, Neurodivergence Training, and Toolkits Used by Social Work Practitioners

    1. MALD® is recognised as a specialist parenting assessment model, training programme, and toolkit developed by experts in neurodivergence, learning needs, and social work practice. Thousands of MALD® assessments have been completed nationally and courts throughout the UK direct MALD® Assessments daily. Please confirm whether your Local Authority’s social work teams have had the opportunity to explore the MALD® model?

    2. Following the Family Justice Council’s 2025 Neurodiversity Guidance and the ongoing Family Law and Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC) campaign, please advise whether your social work teams are trained, confident, and equipped to work effectively with vulnerable parents, including neurodivergent parents?

    3. The MALD® toolkit, developed by Autism and Learning Needs specialists, is designed for use from the first social work visit. Please confirm whether your Local Authority has reviewed this toolkit and whether it is being considered to support more accessible, needs‑led engagement with parents?

    Published: 29 July 2026

  10. Provision, accessibility, and cost of public toilets

    I am writing to request information regarding the provision, accessibility, and cost of public toilets maintained or operated by your local authority.

    Please provide the following information for each calendar year from 2016 to 2026 inclusive (with the 2026 figure representing the data current to the date of this request). If fulfilling the entire historical period risks exceeding the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the Act, please prioritise the most recent years and work backward (e.g., 2026, 2025, 2024...) providing as many years of data as the threshold allows.

    Questions: 1 -- Total Provision: How many public toilets did the local authority maintain, operate, or directly fund (including those operated via third-party contractors or parish partnerships on behalf of the council) in each calendar year?

    2 -- Breakdown of Accessibility & Facilities: Within the total figures provided for each year, please break down: --> How many were free to use vs. how many required a fee/charge. --> How many offered full toilet facilities (defined as containing at least one toilet bowl/cubicle) vs. how many were urinal-only facilities.

    3 -- Pricing: What was the maximum price charged for a single use at any of your public toilets in each calendar year?

    Format of Response: In accordance with Section 11 of the Act, I request that this data be provided in a machine-readable, reusable format, preferably as a .csv or Excel (.xlsx) spreadsheet, structured by year. If you require any clarification to fulfill this request, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you within the statutory 20-working-day timeframe.

    Published: 28 July 2026