Freedom of Information request to Medway Council

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Medway Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Medway Council,

I am writing to make a request for information to Medway Council under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please send me answers to the following questions:

* What was your Disabled Facilities Grant budget for the period from 1st April 2019 to 31 March 2020?
* What proportion of the budget mentioned above was spent on DFGs during the period from 1st April 2019 to 31 March 2020?
* How many applications for DFGs did you receive in the period from 1st April 2019 to 31 March 2020?
* How many applications for DFGs did you receive from people living with motor neurone disease in the period from 1st April 2019 to 31 March 2020?
* What proportion of DFG applications received during the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020 received a decision within the nationally recommended target timescale of 6 months?
* What proportion of approved DFG applications received during the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020 received funding within the nationally recommended target timescale of 1 year?
* Do you currently have a fast -track application process in place to provide DFG funding more rapidly to applicants with urgent needs? If yes, what are the eligibility criteria to access this process?
* How many applications were made under the fast track process (if applicable) during the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020, and how many of these were approved?
* Are there any circumstances in which the DFG mandatory means test is waived and if so what are those circumstances? (e.g. for adaptations under a certain cost or of a certain type)
* How many applications for DFGs did you receive in the period from 1st April 2020 to 31 March 2021?
* What proportion of DFG applications completed during the period from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 received a decision within the nationally recommended target timescale of 6 months?
* What proportion of approved DFG applications completed during the period from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 received funding within the nationally recommended target timescale of 1 year?
* Do you currently provide a single point of contact for applicants to approach for information and guidance during the process of applying for and receiving DFG funding?
* Do you currently have an accessible housing register for your local authority area that is publicly available?

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. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary.

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.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Joe Dunne

freedom, Medway Council

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Medway Council. Please quote the above reference number in all correspondence regarding this matter. This response is to acknowledge your email has been received. If this is an initial request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental Information Regulations 2004, you can expect to receive a response within 20 working days.

Please be advised that we are doing our very best to respond to requests within timescales, however, in the current climate, requests may be delayed due to staff shortages or deployment of staff to critical services. The ICO have issued advice which can be found on their website at www.ico.org.uk. Thank you for your patience during this time.

If your email relates to a current request for information, your email will be forwarded to the relevant case officer.
Should your email be because you are dissatisfied with the way we have processed your request the Council has an internal review process and your email will be forwarded to the Information Governance Team for review, you should receive a response within 20 working days.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioners' Office (ICO) www.ico.org.uk/concerns.

Kind Regards

Shakira Dongo| Information Governance Officer | Business Support | Medway Council
01634 337247| Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR

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