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Homeless Applications

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Dear Powys County Council,

1. Over the past twelve months, how many people have made a homeless application at the Council?
2. Over the past twelve months how many people have been provided with interim accommodation pursuant to s.188 (1) of the Housing Act 1996?
3. Over the past twelve months, how many people have been provided with interim accommodation pursuant to s.189 (b) of the Housing Act 1996?
4. Over the past twelve months, how many homeless applicants have had their personal property protected by the local authority?
5. Please state the average length of time that the homeless applicant’s personal property is stored by the local authority?
6. Please provide details of the average cost of storing a homeless applicant’s personal property?
7. Under what circumstances do the local authority protect the personal property of homeless applicants?
8. As part of the homeless application process does the local authority expressly ask the homeless applicant, whether they need their personal property protected?
9. If not, please state the reasons why not?
10. Please provide copies of the local authorities’ policies regarding homeless applications?
11. Please provide a copy of the local authorities policy regarding protecting the personal property of homeless applicants?
12. Please disclose a copy of the council's homeless procedures manual or policy document followed by housing solutions officer at its homeless service centres/ homeless persons offices?
13. Please detail over the past three years, the number of complaints that have been made by homeless applicants because of the Council’s failure to protect their personal property?

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Boyle

Information Compliance, Powys County Council

 

Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Acting Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall

Spa Road East

Llandrindod Wells

Powys LD1 5LG
  If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
 
Information Compliance
 
Tel / Ffôn:  01597 82 7543        
 
Email/Llythyru electronig:
  [1][email address]

  Our ref / Ein cyf:  F2019-1108

Date / Dyddiad:   11/10/19

 

 

Request Accepted

 

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

Reference No: F2019/1108

 

Dear Mr Boyle

 

Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
10/10/19, in which you requested details of the following:

 

Homeless Applications  

 

The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.

 

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

 

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you choose not to make a payment then your request will
remain unanswered.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

The due date for responding to this request for information is 7/11/19.

 

Should you need to discuss this further please contact the Information
Compliance Team on 01597 827543.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Compliance Team

 

 

We keep your details safe and we have updated our privacy notice in line
with the requirements set out in General Data Protection Regulations.  We
will only ever use the details you share with us to enable us to undertake
our statutory obligations.  You can find out more by looking on our web
site. https://en.powys.gov.uk/privacy

 

 

show quoted sections

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1. mailto:[email address]

Information Compliance, Powys County Council

Good Afternoon Mr Boyle

 

I see from my records that a response to your request is due out today.
Unfortunately I am still waiting on some information to be provided by the
service area so this response might be a few days late. I have chased the
service area again and as soon as I receive this information I will
forward this response on you accordingly.

 

We regret the delay you have experienced with this request. We acknowledge
that Powys County Council has failed in its obligation under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000, to provide you with a response to your request
within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. Please accept our
apologies for this and for any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

Regards

 

Jonathan Davies

Information Compliance Officer | Swyddog Cydymffurfio Gwybodaeth

Digital Services | Gwasanaethau Digidol

Powys County Council | Cyngor Sir Powys

__________________________________________
Tel           | Ffôn   | 01597 826548 |

Email      | Ebost | [1][email address]

 

 

 

From: Information Compliance <[email address]>
Sent: 11 October 2019 14:28
To: Jonathan Boyle <[FOI #610662 email]>
Subject: Acknowledgement - F2019-1108F Homeless Applications

 

 

Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Acting Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall

Spa Road East

Llandrindod Wells

Powys LD1 5LG
  If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
 
Information Compliance
 
Tel / Ffôn:  01597 82 7543        
 
Email/Llythyru electronig:
  [2][email address]

  Our ref / Ein cyf:  F2019-1108

Date / Dyddiad:   11/10/19

 

 

Request Accepted

 

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

Reference No: F2019/1108

 

Dear Mr Boyle

 

Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
10/10/19, in which you requested details of the following:

 

Homeless Applications  

 

The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.

 

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

 

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you choose not to make a payment then your request will
remain unanswered.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

The due date for responding to this request for information is 7/11/19.

 

Should you need to discuss this further please contact the Information
Compliance Team on 01597 827543.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Compliance Team

 

 

We keep your details safe and we have updated our privacy notice in line
with the requirements set out in General Data Protection Regulations.  We
will only ever use the details you share with us to enable us to undertake
our statutory obligations.  You can find out more by looking on our web
site. [3]https://en.powys.gov.uk/privacy

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://en.powys.gov.uk/privacy

Information Compliance, Powys County Council

Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Acting Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall

Spa Road East

Llandrindod Wells

Powys LD1 5LG
  If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
 
 
 
Tel / Ffôn:  01597 82 7543        
 
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][email address]

Our ref / Ein cyf:  F2019-1108

Date / Dyddiad:   13/11/2019

 

Reference No: F2019-1108

 

 

Dear Mr Boyle

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 10/10/19 concerning
Homeless Applications

 

This is to inform you that your request has been considered and I can
provide the following response:

 

The Request/Response

 

1.    Over the past twelve months, how many people have made a homeless
application at the Council?

 

There were 441 applications in the time-frame requested

 

2.    Over the past twelve months how many people have been provided with
interim accommodation pursuant to s.188 (1) of the Housing Act 1996?

 

92 people had a tenancy start date at this time

 

3.    Over the past twelve months, how many people have been provided with
interim accommodation pursuant to s.189 (b) of the Housing Act 1996?

 

Of the 92 tenancy agreements mentioned in question two, 33 of these
agreements took priority as these tenants were deemed “a person who is
vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical
disability or other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or
might reasonably be expected to reside.”

 

4.    Over the past twelve months, how many homeless applicants have had
their personal property protected by the local authority? 

 

2 homeless applicants

 

5.    Please state the average length of time that the homeless
applicant’s personal property is stored by the local authority?

 

2 months

 

6.    Please provide details of the average cost of storing a homeless
applicant’s personal property? 

 

£80 per month (3 bed house size)

 

7.    Under what circumstances do the local authority protect the personal
property of homeless applicants?

 

This would be only be considered if applicants are unable to afford or
genuinely unable to arrange protection of belongings

 

8.    As part of the homeless application process does the local authority
expressly ask the homeless applicant, whether they need their personal
property protected? 

 

As part of the Assessment taken by the Authority when a homeless person
presents, we ask for details of where the applicant will store their
belongings if they needed to.  Depending on the answer, the Authority will
look to make arrangements if required to safeguard the belongings in
discussion with the applicant.  

 

9.    If not, please state the reasons why not?

 

N/A

 

10. Please provide copies of the local authorities’ policies regarding
homeless applications? 

 

Officers follow the published Code of Guidance which was provided by the
Welsh Government.  The guidance is currently being reviewed, but the
present version can be found by following this link 
[2]https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...,
therefore Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act is engaged.

 

11. Please provide a copy of the local authorities policy regarding
protecting the personal property of homeless applicants? 

 

Officers follow the published Code of Guidance which was provided by the
Welsh Government.  The guidance is currently being reviewed, but the
present version can be found by following this link: 
[3]https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...,
therefore Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act is engaged.

 

12. Please disclose a copy of the council's homeless procedures manual or
policy document followed by housing solutions officer at its homeless
service centres/ homeless persons offices? 

 

Officers follow the published Code of Guidance which was provided by the
Welsh Government.  The guidance is currently being reviewed, but the
present version can be found by following this link
[4]https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...,
therefore Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act is engaged. 
Officers also receive regular refresher training on a regular basis.

 

13. Please detail over the past three years, the number of complaints
that have been made by homeless applicants because of the Council’s
failure to protect their personal property? 

 

There have been no complaints

 

Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Powys County
Council, when refusing to provide such information (because the
information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:

(a)  states that fact;

(b)  specifies the exemption in question and

(c)  states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption
applies.

In this instance the relevant exemption is Section 21 of the Freedom of
Information Act.

Section 21: Information accessible to applicant by other means -

(1) Information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant otherwise
than under section 1 is exempt information.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) -

(a) Information may be reasonably accessible to the applicant even though
it is accessible only on payment, and,

(b) Information is to be taken to be reasonably accessible to the
applicant if it is information which the public authority or any other
person is obliged by or under any enactment to communicate (otherwise than
by making the information available for inspection) to members of the
public on request, whether free of charge or on payment.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), information which is held by a
public authority and does not fall within subsection (2) (b) is not to be
regarded as reasonably accessible to the applicant merely because the
information is available from the public authority itself on request,
unless the information is made available in accordance with the
authority’s publication scheme and any payment required is specified in,
or determined in accordance with, the scheme.

We regret the delay you have experienced with this request. We acknowledge
that Powys County Council has failed in its obligation under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000, to provide you with a response to your request
within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. Please accept our
apologies for this and for any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

We believe that this request is now complete and shall be closed
immediately. Should any further information be requested regarding this
topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Compliance Team

 

 

The supply of documents under Freedom of Information does not give the
person or organisation who receives them an automatic right to re-use the
documents in a way that would infringe copyright.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example, by publishing the information or issuing copies to the public
will require the permission of the copyright owner.

 

The copyright of most of the information that we provide in response to
Freedom of Information Act requests will be owned by Powys County Council.
The copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organisation, as indicated in the information itself.

 

For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the Office of
Public Sector Information(OPSI) website.

[5]http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...

 

If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received in relation to
your request and wish to make a complaint, please contact Information
Compliance. We respectively remind you that complaints into the handling
and outcome of your request should be made within 40 working days to
[6][email address] in line with the Freedom of
Information Act Code of Practice.

 

If you are still not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to
the Information Commissioner, who is the statutory regulator. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner's Office

2nd floor

Churchill House

Churchill way

Cardiff

CF10 2HH

Tel: 029 2067 8400

Email: [7][email address]

[8]www.ico.org.uk

 

 

 

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References

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...
3. https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...
4. https://gov.wales/allocation-accommodati...
5. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
6. mailto:[email address]
7. mailto:[email address]
8. http://www.ico.org.uk/

We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are Jonathan Boyle please sign in and let everyone know.