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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341 disclosures

  1. Parking Infrastructure and Electric Vehicle Provision (2016–2026)

    I am writing to request information regarding the council's managed parking spaces over the last 10 calendar/financial years (from 2016 to the current year, 2026). Specifically, for each year between 2016 and 2026 inclusive, please provide the following data broken down by year: - Entirely Free On-Street Parking: The total number of designated on-street parking spaces within the local authority area that are entirely free of charge at all times. - Partially Free On-Street Parking: The total number of on-street parking spaces that are free during certain hours/days (e.g., free overnight, during early mornings, evenings, or weekends) but metered or restricted (for example to resident permit-holders) at other times. - Free Off-Street Parking: The total number of parking spaces within council-operated off-street car parks that are entirely free of charge. - Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking: The total number of parking spaces (both on-street and off-street) that are exclusively reserved for electric vehicle charging or parking.

    Published: 17 July 2026

  2. Pride Month

    This is an information request relating to Pride month 2026 Please include the following information:

    • Whether any events have been organised for Pride month. If so please provide the date, start and end time, and title/topic of the event

    • Whether any LGBT themed merchandise has been purchased for Pride month. i.e. since the beginning of the 2026/27 financial year. If so please provide me with information on what has been purchased and the cost

    • Whether the organisation has sponsored any Pride events. If so which events and please provide details of the nature of the sponsorship (particularly the financial value)

    Published: 13 July 2026

  3. Cost of Local Plan

    I would like to make a Freedom of Information request regarding the cost of the recent Local Plan, what does it cost and what has it cost to put through and get our new Local Plan done. This is just as a matter of interest when there are so many cuts needed parliamentary level, I was interested to know how much it just cost to put forward a Local Plan.

    Published: 13 July 2026

  4. Local authority commercial real estate investment

    1. How many properties are in your investment portfolio? Please split into retail, office, industrial, leisure, and other. I am not asking for commercially sensitive information so if you are unable to confirm what the asset is, could you just confirm type e.g. shopping centre or hotel.

    1. Please list any property acquisitions in the last five years. As above, I am not asking for commercially sensitive information so if you are unable to confirm what the asset is, could you just confirm type e.g. shopping centre or hotel.

    1. Can you please list the reasons the authority invested/acquired these properties?

    1. Can you please confirm if there are any other reasons not mentioned above why your authority invests in or acquires commercial property?

    1. What were the outcomes of your investments? (For example, did it lead to delivery of a regeneration scheme? Did it bring in income? Did investing lead to a budget deficit? Etc. Please note that this is not asking you to provide commercially sensitive information nor commentary, just list any outcomes).

    1. What is the Council's process for identifying investment opportunities? I.e. Do you have an investment strategy?

    1. What is the procedure followed by the council when an investment opportunity is identified and how do you manage risk?

    1. How does your authority fund commercial property investment/acquisition? Please just list the financing methods used.

    Published: 13 July 2026

  5. Dog Breeding Licensing and Enforcement (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026)

    Please provide the following information for dog breeding licensing only. Unless otherwise stated, please provide information for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. Where requested, please provide a snapshot as at 31 March 2026.

    1. In which team or department does responsibility for animal activity licensing sit? For example: Environmental Health, Licensing, Legal, Trading Standards, Animal Health, or another team.

    2. How many active dog breeding licences did your authority have as at 31 March 2026? If your authority records the number of licensed dog breeders separately from the number of active licences, please also provide that figure.

    3. Of the active dog breeding licences as at 31 March 2026, how many were issued for:

    a) One year

    b) Two years

    c) Three years

    4. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, how many new dog breeding licence applications were:

    a) Received

    b) Approved

    c) Refused

    d) Withdrawn

    5. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, how many dog breeding licence renewal applications were:

    a) Received

    b) Approved

    c) Refused

    d) Withdrawn

    6. For any refused new or renewal applications, please provide the reason for refusal.

    7. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, how many inspections were carried out in relation to:

    a) New dog breeding licence applications

    b) Dog breeding licence renewal applications

    c) Interim, additional, unannounced or compliance inspections outside the grant/renewal process

    8. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, how many complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports did your authority receive relating to dog breeding?

    9. Of these complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports, how many related to:

    a) Alleged or suspected unlicensed dog breeding

    b) Complaints or allegations about licensed dog breeders

    c) Other dog breeding-related concerns (for example, noise, sickness in puppy)

    10. How many complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports resulted in a physical visit or inspection to a site or premises? Please split, where held, between:

    a) Licensed dog breeders

    b) Alleged or suspected unlicensed dog breeders

    11. How many complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports were investigated but did not result in a physical visit or inspection?

    12. Where complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports were investigated without a physical visit, please briefly describe the main method or methods used. For example: desktop review, online advert checks, telephone/email contact, review of licensing records, or liaison with another agency.

    13. Of the complaints, allegations, service requests or intelligence reports received, how many were recorded as:

    a) Founded/substantiated

    b) Unfounded/unsubstantiated

    c) No further action

    d) Still under investigation at 31 March 2026

    14. How many alleged or suspected unlicensed breeders investigated during the period subsequently applied for a dog breeding licence?

    15. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, how many enforcement actions were taken in relation to dog breeding following complaints, allegations, visits, inspections, grant applications or renewal applications? Please provide numbers for:

    a) Written warnings

    b) Improvement Notices

    c) Fixed Penalty Notices

    d) Licence variations

    e) Licence suspensions

    f) Licence revocations

    g) Prosecutions commenced

    h) Referrals/reports to the RSPCA, SSPCA, USPCA or another enforcement body

    16. How many prosecutions relating to dog breeding were undertaken or concluded during the period, and which team recorded or led those prosecutions? For example: Licensing, Legal, Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Animal Health, or another team.

    17. For each concluded prosecution, please provide, where held:

    a) Whether the case related to a licensed or unlicensed breeder

    b) Offence type

    c) Outcome

    d) Fine

    e) Costs awarded

    f) Disqualification order

    g) Proceeds of Crime Act/confiscation order, if applicable

    18. Does your authority undertake any online proactive monitoring of puppy adverts, dog breeding adverts or social media sales activity as part of dog breeding licensing or enforcement work? If yes, please state which platforms or sources are monitored, where held.

    19. How many full-time equivalent staff are involved in animal activity licensing work, and what are the job titles of officers undertaking dog breeding inspections, visits or complaint investigations? Please also state whether your authority has a dedicated animal welfare, animal health, animal licensing or equivalent officer post responsible for animal licensing and welfare work.

    20. For each officer undertaking dog breeding inspections, visits or complaint investigations, please provide:

    a) The name of any OFQUAL-approved or other formal animal licensing training course completed

    b) The course provider

    c) A brief description of the practical element of the course, where held.

    Published: 13 July 2026

  6. 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).

    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?

    Published: 13 July 2026

  7. Glyphosate and pesticide management

    I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000/Environmental Information Regulations about the use of glyphosate for amenity weed killing and any breaches of UK pesticide regulations. The queries are as follows: 1. Do you or your landscape/ grounds maintenance contractors use glyphosate? 2. Have you or your contractors used any alternative products or methods to glyphosate for weed control? If so what are they? 3. Has your council's policy regarding use of glyphosate to kill weeds changed in the last 5 years? Are there any plans to change in the future? 3. Have your grounds maintenance teams or contractors been found to be in breach of Health & Safety Executive Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2020 or Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 in the last 12 months? If so, please outline: the nature of the infringement of each incident and whether it led to of the following: Improvement Notice Fee for Intervention Prosecution

    Published: 25 June 2026

  8. Council tax

    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. 4. The highest amount owed by one household for 2025-26 for the most recent financial year.

    Published: 24 June 2026

  9. Household Food Waste Liners

    This is a request for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Please provide the following information relating to liners used in your household food waste collection service: 1. Does the council recommend or require residents to use food waste liners in kitchen food caddies? 2. If yes, what types of liners are accepted? • Compostable liners only • Plastic liners • Any liner type • No liners accepted 3. Does the council supply food waste liners to residents? • Yes • No 4. If yes, please state the type supplied. 5. What treatment process is used for collected food waste? • Anaerobic digestion • In-vessel composting • Other (please specify) 6. Are food waste liners removed from the food waste stream at any stage of the treatment process? • Yes • No • Partially • Information not held by the council 7. If liners are removed, please state: a) which liner types are removed; b) at what stage of the process they are removed; and c) the final destination of the removed liners (e.g. energy recovery, landfill, recycling or other treatment process). 8. If the council's food waste is processed by a third-party contractor, please provide the name of the processing contractor and facility used. 9. Please provide a copy of, or web link to, the current guidance issued to residents regarding the use of food waste liners. I would appreciate the information in electronic format where possible.

    Published: 23 June 2026

  10. Commercial Waste Collection Noise and Enforcement

    For the period 1 January 2023 to the date of this request, please provide:

    1. The number of complaints received concerning noise arising from commercial waste collections.

    2. The number of complaints specifically relating to commercial waste collections occurring before 07:00.

    3. The number of such complaints investigated by Environmental Health.

    4. The number of warning letters, advisory notices or other informal interventions issued in relation to commercial waste collection noise.

    5. The number of statutory nuisance abatement notices or other formal enforcement notices issued in relation to commercial waste collection noise.

    6. The number of prosecutions or other formal enforcement actions taken in relation to commercial waste collection noise.

    7. Copies of any policies, guidance, protocols, service standards, operating procedures or codes of practice used by the Council when assessing complaints relating to commercial waste collection noise.

    8. Copies of any policies, guidance, agreements, memoranda of understanding or other documents relating to commercial waste collections occurring before 07:00.

    9. Copies of any documents referring to an "agreed 7am" collection start time, including the source, purpose and status of that agreement.

    10. Copies of any guidance provided to Environmental Health officers regarding the evidence required before formal action may be considered in relation to commercial waste collection noise.

    11. Any target timescales, service standards or internal guidance relating to the review of evidence submitted by complainants and the communication of assessment outcomes.

    12. Copies of any guidance, policy, protocol, service standard or internal instruction relating to the handling, review or assessment of resident-submitted noise recordings or video evidence.

    Published: 16 June 2026