Freedom of information (FOI) releases from TWBC

This is a disclosure log of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's responses to freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) requests that might be of wider public interest.

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265 disclosures

  1. Blue Badges

    I am requesting the following information in relation to Blue Badge misuse and enforcement in your local authority area. For the past five full calendar years (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025), please provide: -The number of reports of suspected Blue Badge misuse received from the public or third parties -The number of Blue Badge-related Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by your authority (including offences for misuse of a Blue Badge, parking in disabled bays without a valid badge, expired badges, etc.) -The number of badges seized by enforcement officers

    Published: 13 February 2026

  2. burial charges for non-residents

    I am seeking details on the charges applied to residents versus non-residents and the income generated from these services. Please provide the following information: 1. Burial Fees and Surcharges · Does the council currently apply a surcharge or increased fee for the burial of individuals who lived outside the borough/council at the time of their death? · If yes, what is the current "Resident" fee vs. the "Non-Resident" fee for: o A standard adult interment (burial). o The purchase of the "Exclusive Right of Burial" (the lease for the plot). · What is the specific criteria used to define a "Non-Resident" (e.g., number of years lived outside the borough)? 2. Financial Data For the most recent completed financial years (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25), please provide: · The total gross income received by the council from all burial and cemetery-related payments. · The total income specifically generated from the non-resident surcharge (i.e., the "extra" amount paid by non-residents above the standard resident rate). · If the specific surcharge income is not tracked as a separate line item, please provide the total number of non-resident burials conducted in the same financial year. · If you could provide this info in an Excel spreadsheet that would be great. 3. Policy and Rationale · Please provide the date when the current non-resident fee structure was brought in

    Published: 13 February 2026

  3. Bereavement services

    I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding Bereavement services Please provide the following information (NIL returns are required) The information required to be within this timeframe - January 2016 to January 2026

    1) Has the Council or contractor responsible for preparing graves for interment uncovered human remains while re-excavating a double grave?

    2) Has a burial team (Contractor) breached clauses in a contract which resulted in their removal from the contract? If so, please provide as much detail as possible relating to the incident.

    3) Has any disciplinary action been taken against Council staff following a breach of Burial Law/ICCM regulations/Statutory duties following discovery of human remains during grave preparation.?

    4) Have procedural changes been made following any incident where the Council/contractor has uncovered human remains during grave preparation?

    5) Has any member of staff been disciplined/dismissed due to lack of communication or escalation to senior management or authorities following operational errors during grave preparation? If a sanction was assigned please confirm disciplinary action taken.

    Published: 12 February 2026

  4. Electoral Services

    1a. Requests to be entered onto the Electoral Register

    - 1aa. During the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many people submitted requests to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered to vote?

    - 1ab. During the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many of the requests submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered to vote led to the individual being added to the electoral register?

    1b. Requests to be entered onto the Electoral Register with a second address

    - 1ba. If held as a discrete data field, during the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many requests were submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered to vote were for individuals with more than one address?

    - 1bb. If held as a discrete data field, during the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many of the requests submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered to vote and having more than one address, led to the individual being added to the electoral register?

    1c. Requests around postal votes

    - 1ca. During the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many requests were submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered for postal voting?

    - 1cb. During the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, how many requests submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered for postal voting resulted in the applicant being granted a postal vote?

    - 1cc. If held as a discrete data field, during the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, out of all requests submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Elections Team to be registered for postal voting that led to applicants being granted a postal vote, how many of the requests were in the form of a new electoral registration request (as in the postal vote application was accompanied by a new request to be entered on the electoral register)?

    - 1cd. If held as a discrete data field, during the period 01/01/2025 - 01/01/2026, out of all requests submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Kent to be registered for postal voting that led to applicants being granted a postal vote, how many of the requests were from individuals previous entered on the electoral register?

    2. Entries on the Electoral Register

    - 2a. At the point in time of 01/01/2026, how many people were registered to vote on Kent’s electoral register?

    - 2b. At the point in time of 01/01/2026, did Kent hold any data or estimates relating to electoral registration completeness (as in, an estimate of the percentage of people registered to vote out of every person entitled to be registered to vote in the region covered by Kent’s Kent)? If yes, what is this percentage/estimated percentage?

    Published: 12 February 2026

  5. Asylum seekers

    Is the council aware if the Borough will be housing migrants/ asylum seekers, like Crowborough has been forced to do?

    Published: 11 February 2026

  6. Grey/Green belt reviews

    1. Please provide any information regarding the council’s grey/green belt reviews to date. 2. How many sites have you identified as being grey belt * And what is the acreage of these sites individually. By green/grey belt, I am referring to the environmental land classification set out in this framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2

    Published: 11 February 2026

  7. Climate related information

    From the current financial year's budgeted figures and the prior three years outturn (i.e. years ended 31st March 2023, 31st March 2024 and 31st March 2025: 1. Climate-related posts a) The number of posts (headcount, and FTE where recorded) employed by the council with job titles that include any of the following terms: Climate; Net Zero; Sustainability; Carbon; Emissions; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Climate Action; Climate Policy; Climate Programme; Climate Project; Climate Data; Climate Reporting; Climate Adaptation; Climate Resilience; Energy and Climate; Sustainable Procurement; Green Finance; Green; Climate crisis; Climate emergency. 2. Cost of those posts The total employment cost for the posts identified in Question 1, including salary and employer on-costs (e.g. pension and National Insurance), as recorded by the council. 3. External consultants The total amount paid during the same financial year to external consultants, companies, or contractors where the expenditure is recorded under any cost centre, project code, budget line, or purchase description that includes one or more of the following terms: Climate; Net Zero; Sustainability; Carbon; Emissions; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Climate Action; Climate Policy; Climate Programme; Climate Project; Climate Data; Climate Reporting; Climate Adaptation; Climate Resilience; Energy and Climate; Sustainable Procurement; Green Finance; Green; Climate crisis; Climate emergency. This should include, but not be limited to, expenditure coded to professional services, consultancy, advisory services, or specialist support. If the council does not record expenditure in this way, please provide the closest equivalent recorded information held (for example, totals by relevant cost centre or project). If any information requested is not held, please state this clearly. If figures are held only in aggregated form, please provide the aggregated figures. Estimates derived from recorded financial information are acceptable.

    Published: 11 February 2026

  8. The Manor House 3-5 Church Road Tunbridge Wells

    Please could I request any public held information on the business? TWBC may hold information that has been published or referred to relating to the operation and expansion of the business between 1st December 2024 up to the present day. Please provide this by email only.

    Published: 9 February 2026

  9. Young children in temporary accommodation

    I am requesting the following information under FOI:

    1) How many children were 0-1 years old when they were placed in temporary accommodation in each of the calendar years 2024 and 2025?

    2) How many children were 1-2 years old when they were placed in temporary accommodation in each of the calendar years 2024 and 2025?

    3) Do you provide cots to households in temporary accommodation?

    4)Do you provide written or verbal safer sleep advice to families with children under the age of 2 moving into temporary accommodation?

    5) Do you currently have any local policy on the space that must be provided in temporary accommodation to a family with a child under 2 who will need space for a cot? If yes, please provide this policy.

    Published: 9 February 2026

  10. Noise complaints

    Please could you provide me with the following information broken down by calendar year: 1. In each of the past five calendar years, how many noise complaints has your authority received? 2. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints required formal action to be taken? 3. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints concerned amplified music? 4. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints concerned animal noises (barking dogs etc) 5. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints concerned DIY/construction (drilling/sawing/hammering etc) 6. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints concerned general household noise (banging of doors/arguments/shouting)? 7. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints concerned gatherings/parties? 8. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints have led to noise abatement notices issued by the council? 9. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those noise complaints have led to prosecutions by the council? 10. In each of the past five calendar years, how many of those prosecutions were successfully prosecuted by the council? I have attached a template excel document, with a row for each year requested, and a column for each request. Please note it is in descending order from 2025-2021. Please can you provide the information by inputting the requested data into the corresponding section of the document provided and sending it back.

    Published: 6 February 2026