Data on statutory overcrowding
To whom it may regard,
I am writing to make an open government request for all the information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 - related to council houses that are in breach of statutory overcrowding rules.
This request refers to statutory overcrowding by both the ‘space standard’ (determining how many people may occupy a dwelling with regard to the number of sleeping accommodation rooms in the dwelling and floor area of the rooms) and the ‘room standard’ (determining how many non-cohabiting people aged 10 and over of the opposite sex may share sleeping accommodation) as defined by the Housing Act 1985.
For the calendar years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (separately), please tell me:
1) How many statutory overcrowding breaches did the council record for households housed by the council in each year? Please provide a breakdown of breaches by a) space standard and b) room standard, and specify whether households may be captured as both a room and a space standard breach.
2) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than two people have lived in a home with one room
3) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than three people have lived in a home with two rooms
4) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than five people have lived in a home with three rooms
5) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than 7.5 people have lived in a home with four rooms
6) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than 10 people have lived in a home with five rooms
7) For breaches of the room standard, the maximum number of people sleeping in one room as recorded by the council
8) How many households who have applied for council housing are living in temporary accommodation
9) Please list all the types of temporary accommodation the council has placed households in (including but not limited to: shipping containers, caravans, B&Bs, converted office buildings, and any other kind of accomodation).
Please provide the requested data in a spreadsheet format.
If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters.
I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.
For clarity - I am using a Whatdotheyknow account created by my colleagues Claire Wilde and Harriet Clugston - but my name is Carly Roberts.
Thanks,
Carly Roberts.
Dear Sir/Madam,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2004
Thank you for your email requesting information from Wakefield Council.
Please note, responses may take longer than usual due to the current Coronavirus situation.
Your request will now be validated and logged for processing. For your request to be valid under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act it will need to include your full name and describe the information you are requesting clearly, we will write to you to seek clarification should this be required. It is our intention to have the response delivered to you within 20 working days from the working day your request is received. Please note, requests received on non-working days, such as weekends and bank holidays, will be recorded as being received on the next working day.
All requests submitted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 may be subject to exemptions, which the Authority is entitled to apply to refuse requests in full or parts of requests. Further information around the exemptions that may be applied can be found via the following link: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gui....
In some situations the decision to withhold information, or not, will be based on a public interest test. You will be advised of the considerations and decisions as well as your rights of appeal within your response.
Requests submitted under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004 may be subject to exceptions, which the Authority is entitled to apply to refuse requests in full or parts of requests. Further information around the exceptions that may be applied can be found via the following link: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gui....
Please note, you do not have to specify whether you are making your request under the FOI Act or under EIR. The officer dealing with your request will ensure it is processed under the relevant legislation during the validation process.
If you are requesting information in relation to a deceased person and have not yet provided the required proof of eligibility and identity, your request will not be processed until we received these. Please provide one of the following to confirm your eligibility to access the records:
* Grant of probate and certified copy of the last will & testament
* Letters of administration (if the deceased died intestate)
We will also require proof of your identity if you are requesting a deceased persons records. If you have not done so already, please provide one of the following as proof of your identity:
* Valid UK Driving Licence
* Valid Current UK Passport
* Birth certificate OR Certificate of Registry of Birth OR Adoption certificate
Wakefield Council publish a number of Data Sets in relation to different topics. You may wish to access the following links to check whether the information you require is already published.
Data Mill North
https://datamillnorth.org/publisher/wake...
Any queries or concerns in relation to this matter should be sent to the Senior Information Governance Officer, Information Management Team, County Hall, Wakefield WF1 2QW or e-mailed to [Wakefield City Council request email]<mailto:[Wakefield City Council request email]>.
Yours sincerely
Corporate Information Governance Team,
Legal Services
Wakefield Council, County Hall, Wakefield WF1 2QW
Email: [Wakefield City Council request email]<mailto:[Wakefield City Council request email]>
Tel: 01924 306112
________________________________
The WMDC Disclaimer can be found at:
Dear Ms Roberts,
Thank you for your e-mail.
In order that we may accept and process your request, we would
respectfully ask you for clarification with regard to the following;
Could you please confirm whether you have in mind properties which have
come to be known generically as “Council houses”?
We ask because Wakefield Council has no properties of this nature, having
transferred all our housing stock in 2005 to Wakefield District Housing.
Please find contact details for Wakefield District Housing below:
Wakefield District Housing
Head Office - Merefield House,
Whistler Drive,
Castleford,
West Yorkshire,
WF10 5HX
OneCALL 0345 8 507 507
[1]https://www.wdh.co.uk/ContactUs/
It may be, however, that you wish to submit an amended request to the
Council in relation to information that you require.
If this is the case, please note that the request will be placed “on hold”
until we receive a response from you.
Thank you for your kind co-operation.
Yours sincerely
Senior Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Legal and Governance
Wakefield Council
Tel: 01924 306112
E-mail: [2][email address]
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