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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353 disclosures

  1. Compensation for damage caused by council-owned trees

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information concerning claims alleging that trees owned by the council, or situated on council-owned land, caused subsidence or other damage to property. Please include claims handled by the council’s insurers where this information is held by or on behalf of the council. For each of the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, please provide: 1. The number of claims received during that financial year. 2. The total amount paid in compensation or settlement during that financial year.

    Published: 31 July 2026

  2. Fly Tipping

    Please could you provide the following information relating to fly-tipping within areas that fall under Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's authority for the period 1 June 2016 to 30 June 2026: * The total number of fly-tipping reports received. * The total number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued. * The total number of prosecutions commenced. * The total number of fines imposed by the courts following prosecution, where this information is held. Please provide this information broken down by: * Year; and * Month, if this is readily available. If held, please also provide a breakdown of the location type where the reported fly-tipping incidents occurred (for example: parks, highways, commercial land, private residential property, public open spaces, or any other categories you use).

    Published: 31 July 2026

  3. Street lighting

    I would like to request information regarding street lighting maintenance, reports, and replacement timelines within your local authority area. Specifically, please provide answers and data for the following questions for the financial year 2025/6. 1) How many total individual reports or notifications of non-functioning, damaged, or faulty street lights (or bulbs/lanterns requiring replacement) were received by the council? 2) How many of these reports resulted in a complete bulb/lantern replacement versus a full column (post) replacement? 3) What was the average time taken (in calendar days or working days) from the initial report being logged to a field technician attending/replacing a faulty bulb or lantern unit? 4) What was the longest recorded single delay (in days) to repair/replace a reported street light bulb during this period?

    Published: 31 July 2026

  4. Chinese CCTV cameras

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information.

    Please can you tell me how many CCTV cameras the council operates and how many of these are produced by Chinese companies. Please can you show this as two figures.

    Please also provide the total number of the council’s CCTV cameras that use either live or retrospective facial recognition and how many of these are produced by Chinese companies.

    If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.

    Published: 30 July 2026

  5. 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

  6. Works of art

    1. Could a list please be provided of all publicly owned works of art which have been sold by the council since January 2015? Could the name of the work, where it was being displayed, and the price it was sold for please be provided

    Published: 27 July 2026

  7. Development and acquisition of homes by council

    These questions relate to homes built or developed or acquired by the council, not by others. It relates to all tenures of housing, not just council housing (for example, some councils will be building homes for market sale, private rent, either directly or via a housing company). 1) In the 2025/26 financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) how many new build homes of any tenure did the council complete? This question refers to any new homes developed by the council or bought new build. It does not refer to "second hand" homes. 1) a) Please can you provide a breakdown of the tenure of these new build completions (for example, how many were social rent, shared ownership, market sale, temporary accommodation, etc)? 2) If the council has a council-owned housing company, in the 2025/26 financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) how many new homes of any tenure did the company complete? As above this refers to any new build homes developed or acquired by the council. 2) a) Please can you provide a breakdown of those completions, by tenure (for example, how many were social rent, shared ownership, market sale, temporary accommodation, etc)? 3) In the 2025/26 financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026), in total how many 'second-hand' (meaning not a new build) homes did the council acquire? (If some/all of these homes were bought by a council-owned housing company, please can you let me know and break down how many this applies to). 4) How many of these were buy backs of homes formerly sold under the Right to Buy? (If some/all of these homes were bought by a council-owned housing company, please can you let me know and break down how many this applies to). 5) Please can you provide a breakdown of how these "second hand" homes have subsequently been relet – e.g., how many have been relet at council/social rent? How many at affordable or London affordable rent? Have any been turned into temporary accommodation? Or otherwise used (perhaps renovated or demolished as part of a regen project?) 6) How many new homes does the Council expect to build/acquire in the next five years (ie, from April 2026-March 2031)? 7) If the Council has a Council-owned housing company, how many new homes does it expect to build/in the next five years (April 2026-March 2031)? 8) How many second hand homes does the Council expect to acquire in five years (ie, from April 2026-March 2031)?

    Published: 27 July 2026

  8. Discretionary Council Tax

    This is an information request regarding discretionary council tax and other council tax discounts for recipients of benefits.

    Please include the following information for the following years: 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26

    * Total amount spent on discretionary council tax relief per year

    * Total number of applications received by the council for discretionary council tax relief?

    Please break it down by

    * Successful

    * Unsuccessful

    * Pending

    * Provide the number of successful applications for 100% council tax relief due to the discretionary council tax relief

    * Provide a list of all other council tax discount schemes that apply to people on benefits.

    * Provide a breakdown of the number of successful applications per alternative benefit pathway resulting in council tax discounts

    * Provide separately the number of successful applications per alternative benefit pathway for 100% council tax relief.

    Published: 27 July 2026

  9. Council Tax Credits

    In terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I hereby request a list of unclaimed council tax credit balances. Please note I am not asking for business rates credits.

    Please can this information be provided to me in an Excel Spreadsheet, including the following fields:

    * Ratepayer name

    * Property Address

    * Billing Authority Reference

    * Amount of credit

    * The period or financial year of the credit

    I appreciate that properties where the ratepayer is an individual would be excluded from my request. In such cases, please provide the remaining information with the Ratepayer either blank or listed as 'individual'

    Published: 27 July 2026

  10. Online and print media spend

    Please can you provide me with your spending for 2025-6 on:

    * Print media advertising, broken down by newspaper or outlet; and

    * Online media advertising, broken down by platform, eg Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc If possible please provide this information in a spreadsheet.

    Published: 24 July 2026