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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397 disclosures

  1. Private Rented Sector Housing Conditions

    I am writing to request information relating to the condition of privately rented residential properties. Please could you provide the following information for each calendar year from 2021 to 2025 inclusive: 1) The total number of complaints or service requests received by the council relating to the condition of privately rented residential properties. 2) A breakdown of these complaints or service requests by the council's existing recorded category or issue type, where this information is held. 3) The total number of inspections, assessments or visits carried out by the council relating to the condition of privately rented residential properties. 4) A breakdown of the issues, hazards or deficiencies identified during these inspections or assessments, using the council's existing recorded categories or classifications, where this information is held. For example, where applicable, recorded issues may include damp and mould, excess cold, fire safety, electrical hazards, structural problems, disrepair, sanitation, ventilation, falls hazards or other housing-condition issues. I am interested in the council's existing records and classifications and are not asking the council to create new categories or manually review individual cases in order to classify them. If the council uses a specific housing-condition assessment or inspection framework, please provide the information according to the terminology and classifications already used by the council. We are not seeking to prescribe a particular assessment methodology. If the council does not routinely identify whether a property is privately rented within its general complaints or inspection systems, please provide the requested information where it is held within a relevant private-sector housing, environmental health, housing standards, housing enforcement or equivalent dataset. If the requested information is not held in exactly the format described, please provide the closest equivalent information already held by the council, where this can be provided without undertaking new analysis or creating a new dataset. I am requesting aggregated figures only and do not require any personally identifiable information, individual case details, addresses or information about specific landlords or tenants. Where figures for individual issue types are available, please provide the council's existing category names alongside the corresponding figures rather than grouping or recategorising them.

    Published: 7 October 2026

  2. Town Centre Car Parking Income

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding council-operated town centre car parks. For the purposes of this request, please use the Council's own definition or designation of a "town centre" rather than undertaking any new analysis to determine whether a car park falls within a town centre. For each of the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26, please provide: 1. The total income from parking charges received from council-owned or council-operated off-street car parks located within town centres. 2. The direct operating expenditure associated with those car parks. 3. The resulting net income/surplus or deficit, if this is already calculated by the Council. 4. The number of car parks and total number of parking spaces covered by the figures above, where this information is readily available. 5. The names of the car parks included within the figures, so that we can understand how the Council has interpreted "town centre". Please exclude income from Penalty Charge Notices or other parking enforcement activity. If season tickets, permits or other non-casual parking income are included within the income figure, please either identify the amount separately or indicate that they are included. Where information is not held in precisely this format, I would be grateful if you could provide the closest information already held by the Council rather than undertaking new calculations.

    Published: 6 October 2026

  3. Licensed Private Hire Vehicles and Hackney Carriages

    Freedom of Information Request - Licensed Private Hire Vehicles and Hackney Carriages

    I am writing to make an official request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to request details of all private hire vehicles and hackney carriages currently licensed by your council.

    Specifically, I request that the following information be provided in an Excel spreadsheet:

    · Licence number

    · Vehicle registration number

    · Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), if available

    · Vehicle make

    · Vehicle model

    · Licence type

    · Licence start date

    · Licence end date

    · Colour

    Published: 5 October 2026

  4. Household support fund

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information regarding the Household Support Fund (HSF) for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. I am requesting aggregate, anonymised information only. 1. Funding and households supported Please provide: a) The total amount of HSF funding allocated to the Council for the 2025–26 funding period; b) The total amount of HSF funding spent by the Council during the period; and c) The total number of households supported through the HSF during the period. 2. HSF expenditure Please provide the total amount of HSF expenditure during the period on: a) food or supermarket vouchers; b) energy/fuel support; c) other essential household costs; and d) housing-related costs. If the Council records expenditure using different categories, please provide the equivalent figures using the categories in its existing records. 3. Holiday food/voucher support Please confirm whether the Council used HSF funding to provide food or supermarket vouchers, or equivalent direct financial support, to families with children eligible for free school meals during the 2025 summer school holidays. If so, please provide: a) the number of households or children supported; and b) the total amount spent.

    Published: 30 September 2026

  5. Lift in RVP

    I would like to request under the FOIA 2000 the following: - on how many occasions in the past 12 months the lift in the Royal Victoria Place (by Boots) has been out of action - for each of these occasions, how many days it has been out of action - why the lift has been out of action, and what the council has done about it

    Published: 29 September 2026

  6. Direct Planning Applications to the Planning Department

    In light of the increased fees by the Planning Portal, which we understand to be a private company now, we are not aware of any legislation that prevents us submitting applications directly via consultants or as individuals. I am trying to understand the methods allowed by your planning department according to any internal rules or guidance that you might hold. I am not looking for any planning advice in this request, merely your policies as determined by your planning department. In light of this, please can you advise me as to whether we can submit a planning applications or prior approval requests directly to the local authority in accordance with the relevant legislation as laid down by the government. Please advise as to whether any forms are acceptable, provided they contain the same information as contained in forms supplied by the Planning Portal or via forms that contain your local authority branding as hosted by the Planning Portal. Please advise as to which email address the forms should be submitted. Please also advise as to how payment should be made to the local authority for the correct fee. Finally please advise on any additional fee to submit directly and the reasons for this fee.

    Published: 25 September 2026

  7. household bin warnings and fixed penalties

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information concerning the enforcement of household waste receptacle requirements under Sections 46 and 46A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This request does not include enforcement relating to fly-tipping, littering or breaches of the household waste duty of care. Please provide the information for each of these financial years: * 2023/24 * 2024/25 * 2025/26 1. How many written warnings were issued to householders for failing to comply with requirements concerning the presentation, placement or storage of household waste receptacles? 2. How many notices of intent to issue a fixed penalty were served? 3. How many final notices requiring payment of a fixed penalty were issued? 4. Please provide a breakdown of the written warnings and final notices by the reason or offence category recorded in the council’s system. This might include: * Leaving bins or waste out too early * Failing to remove bins following collection * Obstructing a pavement, road or other public access * Placing waste in the wrong location * Using an incorrect receptacle * Placing incorrect waste in a receptacle * Leaving excess or side waste * Allowing waste to attract vermin * Any other recorded reason I am requesting the council’s existing recorded categories and do not expect individual cases to be manually reviewed or reclassified. 5. For each financial year, please provide: * The standard value of the fixed penalty * The total monetary value of fixed penalties issued * The number and total value of fixed penalties paid * The number withdrawn or cancelled * The number successfully challenged or overturned 6. Please provide a street-level breakdown of the written warnings and final notices issued. I am requesting street names only and do not require house numbers, residents’ names or complete addresses. Please supply the information electronically in CSV or Excel format where possible. If providing a street-level breakdown would exceed the appropriate cost limit. Please do not reject the entire request without advising which information can be supplied within the cost limit.

    Published: 23 September 2026

  8. Local Authority LGR Spend

    1. How much has the local authority spent to date (2024-26) on matters relating to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution?

    2. How much has the local authority budgeted to spend in the future on matters relating to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution before it is abolished in 2028? Note: The above figures should include funds being allocated and spent by the council but covered by central government grants or other external sources of funding.

    Published: 15 September 2026

  9. Procurement and cyber security

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the Council's procurement and use of cyber security services. Where available, please provide details for the current contract(s), supplier(s) and procurement arrangements relating to the following services. 1. Procurement Routes 1. Which procurement platform(s) does the Council use for IT and cyber security procurements (for example Contracts Finder, Proactis, YORtender, Chest, Delta eSourcing or similar)? 2. Which framework agreements does the Council typically use for cyber security services (for example G-Cloud, DOS, CCS frameworks, Bloom or equivalent)? 2. Penetration Testing and Security Testing Please provide: * Current supplier name(s) * Contract start date * Contract expiry date * Contract value or annual spend * Procurement route or framework used * Whether services include infrastructure, web application, mobile, cloud, CHECK, IT Health Check or other penetration testing services 3. Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Please provide: * Current supplier name * Contract value or annual spend * Contract start date * Contract expiry date * Procurement route or framework used 4. ISO 27001 Please provide details of any external supplier used for: * ISO 27001 consultancy * ISO 27001 implementation support * ISO 27001 internal audit * ISO 27001 certification preparation Including: * Supplier name * Contract value or annual spend * Contract expiry date * Procurement route used 5. PCI DSS Please provide details of any external supplier used for: * PCI DSS consultancy * PCI DSS QSA services * PCI DSS penetration testing * PCI DSS compliance support Including: * Supplier name * Contract value or annual spend * Contract expiry date * Procurement route used 6. Incident Response and Digital Forensics Please provide details of any external supplier used for: * Incident response retainers * Digital forensics retainers * DFIR services * Cyber breach response services Including: * Supplier name * Contract value or annual spend * Contract expiry date * Procurement route used 7. Future Procurement Activity Where known, please provide: * The expected renewal or re-procurement date for each service * Whether the Council currently expects to re-tender, extend or recompete the contract 8. Relevant Departments Please provide the name of the department or team responsible for: * Cyber Security / Information Security * ICT / IT Services * Procurement and Commercial Management

    Published: 15 September 2026

  10. FOI Request - Crisis and Resilience Fund

    It is my understanding the new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) replaces the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments from April 2026, is delivered through local authorities. Please could you provide the following information for the period 1 April 2026 to [date]: 1. The total number of applications received for support under the Crisis and Resilience Fund, broken down by month (April 2026, May 2026, June 2026, July 2026, and August 2026 up to the end of the month as there are 20 working days to complete this request). 2. Of these applications, the number that were: a) Approved b) Refused c) Withdrawn or not proceeded with (if this is recorded as a separate category) 3. Where held separately, the figures in (1) and (2) broken down by type of support applied for (e.g. Crisis Payments vs. Housing Payments vs. any other CRF-funded payment type your authority operates). 4. The average and median processing time (in working days) between an application being received and a decision being made. 5. The total value of payments made under the CRF over the same period. If a monthly breakdown for any of the above is not readily available or would exceed the cost limit, I would be grateful for the total figures for the full period instead.

    Published: 15 September 2026