Actual Service Charge Costs for Estates/Blocks in 2022-2023
Dear Lambeth Borough Council,
Please provide the "actual" service charge costs for year 2022-2023 for the estates and blocks managed by Lambeth, as sent to Leaseholders. Only the estate/block level amounts are requested.
I assume the estates will be similar to those previously provided in this request: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i... (though perhaps some estates/blocks have been built/demolished since then).
Please provide this in csv format including columns for:
- Estate Name
- Estate Rateable Value
- Block Name
- Block Rateable Value
- All the items listed in the leaseholder service charge invoice such as Boiler Repairs and Maintenance, Cleaning, Communal Electricity, Communal Electrical Maintenance, etc. I count that there should be 27 columns for the charges.
Yours faithfully,
Alasdair Ross
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Alasdair Ross
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 16 January
2024.
We are dealing with your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and we aim to send a response by 13 February 2024.
In some case, a fee may be payable. If we decide a fee is payable, we will
send you a fee notice and we will require you to pay the fee before
proceeding with your request.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may restrict the release of some or
all of the information you have requested. We will carry out an assessment
and if any exemptions apply to some or all of the information then we
might not provide that information to you. We will inform you if this is
the case and advise you of your rights to request an internal review and
to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
We will also advise you if we cannot provide you with the information
requested for any other reason together with the reason(s) why and details
of how you may appeal (if appropriate).
Yours faithfully
Janine Wragg
FOI Team
London Borough of Lambeth
E-mail [Lambeth Borough Council request email]
Website: [1]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
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Dear Lambeth Council,
In order to avoid any confusion, or wasted effort, here is an example of the output I am hoping for. I have included the values for Southwyck House Estate (those are the only ones I have) so that you can validate the correct figures have been extracted.
After my signature below, you will see 2 lines of text which you can copy/paste into a text file as csv data (header row, and one row of data). Unfortunately the WhatDoTheyKnow site doesn't allow me to add this as an attachment.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
-------------------------------------------------
Year_Start,Year_End,Estate_Name,Estate_RV,Block_Name,Block_RV,Block_Boiler_Repairs_and_Maintenance,Block_Cleaning,Block_Communal_Electricity,Block_Communal_Electrical_Maintenance,Block_Communal_Ventilation_Maintenance,Block_Communal_Water_Quality,Block_Communal_Window_Cleaning,Block_Concierge,Block_CCTV,Block_Disinfestation,Block_Door_Entry_System,Block_Dry_Riser,Block_Lightning_Protection,Block_Lift_Services_and_Repairs,Block_Fire_Ventilation_Maintenance,Block_Repairs_and_Maintenance,Block_TV_Aerial,Block_Ext_Cleaning,Block_Ext_External_Tree_Maintenance,Block_Ext_Grounds_Maintenance,Block_Ext_Repairs_and_Maintenance,Estate_Cleaning,Estate_CCTV,Estate_Communal_Electricity,Estate_Grounds_Maintenance,Estate_Repairs_and_Maintenance,Estate_Tree_Maintenance
2022,2023,Southwyck House Estate,52320,Southwyck House 100-377 Cons,51546,60351.48,53203.48,76404.18,8472.29,8478.37,1070.22,0.00,254692.01,0.00,2324.72,120.71,6898.87,0.00,10563.28,0.00,99399.64,2097.39,0.00,0.00,0.00,0.00,0.00,0.00,19101.04,10353.87,749.00,1345.63
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Sir / Madam
Thank you for your request for information received on 16 January 2024.
Please find attached our response to your request.
Yours faithfully
FOI Team
London Borough of Lambeth
Website: [1]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
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Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for sending this data, however it appears to be missing a crucial feature.
Can you tell me which field in the data you have supplied I can use to identify which blocks are on which estates?
My original request asked for the data in the same output file so that it would be clear which blocks were impacted by which estate costs.
Please either supply the data in the format I suggested on 31st Jan, or add an estate name field to the "Blocks.csv" so that the costs can be linked to those shown in "Estates.csv".
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Council,
In addition to my previous reply asking for a key to join the estate and block data together, I have noticed some errors in the data that you sent me. I have been provided by residents with copies of the paper invoices for some properties in blocks across the borough. Comparing the figures in these invoices with the figures you have provided, I have noticed the following errors:
- EA103, Southwyck House Estate, BD000655, Southwyck House 100-377 Cons: Missing Boiler Repairs and Maintenance
- EA105, Spurgeon Estate, 87117, BD000270, Stambourne House 1-20: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- EA087, Penwith Manor Estate, BD002924, Penryn House 1-66: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- EA104, Springfield Estate, BD000284, Farnley House 1-48: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- Data for Wellington Mill Estate, Mead Row 1-16 Cons is missing
- Data for Rosendale Gardens Estate, Gannet Court 11-12 is missing
- Data for Cowley Estate, Chardin House 1-15 is missing
- EA111, Tanswell Estate, 81033, Santley House 1-115: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- Data for Leigham Court Estate, Barcombe Avenue 239-241 is missing
- EA058, Hope Park Estate, BD001881, Hope Park 74-108 [Even]: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- EA058, Hope Park Estate, BD001879, Hope Park 77-117: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- EA068, Larkhall Estate, BD000348, Seymour House 1-18: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
- ENBR2, , BD000870, Brixton Road 355 Flats A-D & 353a: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance, This is also shown as "Br2 Non-Estate" on the service charge invoice.
- EA046, Foxley Road Estate, BD001119, The Caxtons 7-12: Missing Block Communal Electricity Maintenance
Obviously I only have a very small subset of data to check with, so this may not be all the errors in the data that you sent.
Please provide an updated and corrected set of data as per my original request:
Please provide the "actual" service charge costs for year 2022-2023 for the estates and blocks managed by Lambeth, **as sent to Leaseholders**.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Sir / Madam
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Please see attached amended sheet as requested by you.
Yours faithfully
FOI Team
London Borough of Lambeth
Website: [1]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
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Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for supplying the estate name, however this revised dataset still appears to contain the errors I detailed in my previous message. For example, the boiler repairs and maintenance cost is still missing for Southwyck House, and the Communal Electrical Maintenance costs are missing for Stambourne House and Penryn House (I've only checked these 3 rows).
Please provide a corrected dataset with all the block/estate charges as shown on the leaseholder service charge invoices.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Council,
Following my messages regarding the errors in the data you sent in response to this request, could you provide an update on your progress and an ETA when you expect to provide the correct data?
Many thanks,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Borough Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Lambeth Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Actual Service Charge Costs for Estates/Blocks in 2022-2023'.
The request is now 1 month overdue. Although a response with some data was provided within the correct timeframe, that data was incorrect. It was missing some properties, there was no way to link the 2 files that were provided, and charges for several properties were missing. The data that was missing included items such as charges for boiler repairs amounting to tens of thousands of pounds per block - i.e. significant amounts.
Although I have asked for an update, I have not yet received a response or a timeframe for when the correct data will be provided.
I believe the data should be relatively easily accessible as it would be the same dataset that was used to send service charge invoices to leaseholders in September.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...
Yours faithfully,
Alasdair Ross
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Alasdair Ross
Thank you for your request for a review. I am sorry that you are
dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and for the delay you have experienced.
I can confirm that we are considering your concerns and we will aim to
provide you with a response by 10 April 2024.
Yours sincerely
L Nairne
Complaints & Information Officer
Internal Review Team
London Borough of Lambeth
E-mail: [email address]
Website: [1]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Corporate Complaints Unit
Residents Services
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London SW2 9QQ
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
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emails may contain information that is legally-privileged or copyright
protected. Any views or opinions expressed in emails are solely those of
the author and do not necessarily represent those of Lambeth Council.
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and inform the sender by return email. Please note however, that
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Lambeth Council reserves the right to monitor, record and retain any
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any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless the
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Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with
our [2]Privacy Notice.
Disclaimers apply - full details at [3]www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
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Dear Lambeth Council,
You stated that you would reply to my request for internal review of this request by 10th April, yet I have not received anything from you.
This request was originally due to be completed by 13th February (according to your initial response).
Although you provided some data, the data was incorrect and although I have provided details of the errors you have not provided a correct dataset.
I will be performing analysis on the data and may publish my findings. It is important for us both that accurate data is provided or incorrect conclusions may be drawn from the data.
If you do not reply or provide a response, you will leave me with no choice but to contact the ICO. I hope that we can resolve the matter before reaching that stage.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Alasdair Ross
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your request.
Please find attached additional information which I trust fulfils your
information request.
I hope this information is useful. If you are not content with the
outcome of this Internal Review you have the right to apply directly to
the Information Commissioner’s Office for a further decision. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk
Helpline on 0303 123 1113
Yours sincerely
L Nairne
Complaints & Information Officer
Internal review team
London Borough of Lambeth
E-mail [2][email address]
Website: [3]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Corporate Complaints Unit
Residents Services
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London SW2 9QQ
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are private and intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Unauthorised
use (disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you are not the
intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the sender by
return email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are confidential and intended solely
for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Some
emails may contain information that is legally-privileged or copyright
protected. Any views or opinions expressed in emails are solely those of
the author and do not necessarily represent those of Lambeth Council.
Unauthorised use (disclosure, storage or copying) of emails is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies
and inform the sender by return email. Please note however, that
unencrypted emails sent to the council can be intercepted by an
unauthorised third party; as the information contained within is not
protected.
Lambeth Council reserves the right to monitor, record and retain any
incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for monitoring
internal compliance with the Council's policy on staff use. Although
software may be used to check, monitor and/or block the contents of emails
and attachments to identify the presence of malware; you are advised that
you open any attachments at your own risk.
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this email (or
any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless the
information in it is covered by an exemptions in the Act.
Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with
our [4]Privacy Notice.
Disclaimers apply - full details at [5]www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
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Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for this updated data set. Are you able to supply it in csv format?
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Council,
Upon further inspection of the PDF, it seems some data has been lost during conversion. Some of the rateable values are shown as '#####' which is usually what Excel shows when a column isn't wide enough to display the value.
Please provide this dataset as a CSV file. Additionally, it looks like the latest file only includes the block level data. Please confirm that the Estate data previously supplied can be linked to this new block level data.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Council,
An additional problem with the block data you've provided is that it references estates which are not listed in the estate data you provided. This makes the dataset incomplete.
Ideally I would like one file that includes the estate and block costs for each block. I gave an example of the headers and an example data row near the start of this FOI request.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Mr Ross
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Thank you for your emails of 19 and 20 April. I have asked the service
area who own the information you need if they can revisit the request and
provide the information in an alternative format (.CSV file).
I will update you once I have received their response.
Kind regards
L Nairne
Complaints & Information Officer
Internal review team
London Borough of Lambeth
E-mail [email address]
Website: [1]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Corporate Complaints Unit
Residents Services
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London SW2 9QQ
Lambeth - a Co-operative Council
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are private and intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Unauthorised
use (disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you are not the
intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the sender by
return email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are confidential and intended solely
for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Some
emails may contain information that is legally-privileged or copyright
protected. Any views or opinions expressed in emails are solely those of
the author and do not necessarily represent those of Lambeth Council.
Unauthorised use (disclosure, storage or copying) of emails is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies
and inform the sender by return email. Please note however, that
unencrypted emails sent to the council can be intercepted by an
unauthorised third party; as the information contained within is not
protected.
Lambeth Council reserves the right to monitor, record and retain any
incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for monitoring
internal compliance with the Council's policy on staff use. Although
software may be used to check, monitor and/or block the contents of emails
and attachments to identify the presence of malware; you are advised that
you open any attachments at your own risk.
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this email (or
any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless the
information in it is covered by an exemptions in the Act.
Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with
our [2]Privacy Notice.
Disclaimers apply - full details at [3]www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
References
Visible links
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3. https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclai...
Information request
Our reference: IRN23346778
Your reference: [FOI #1072633 email]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Mr Ross
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Please see the attached reformatted files. I'm sorry for the delay in
providing these, and hope this hasn't inconvenienced you too greatly.
Whilst we cannot discuss individual resident’s accounts or charges as part
of the FOI process, we have provided are the total costs associated with
each block and estate used for our service charge calculations in 22/23.
How those charges are applied to each property is dependent on the
individual’s lease with the property and the charges they are specifically
liable for. This can vary by property to property. If leaseholders wish to
query their charges they can make contact with Home Ownership Services
directly by emailing [1][email address].
I am further advised that the two figures you referenced are correct.
I hope this information is useful. If you are not content with the
outcome of this Internal Review you have the right to apply directly to
the Information Commissioner’s Office for a further decision. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Website: [2]Information Commissioner's Office
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
E-mail [email address]
Website: [3]www.lambeth.gov.uk
Corporate Complaints Unit
Residents Services
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London SW2 9QQ
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are private and intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Unauthorised
use (disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you are not the
intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the sender by
return email.
All Lambeth emails and attachments are confidential and intended solely
for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Some
emails may contain information that is legally-privileged or copyright
protected. Any views or opinions expressed in emails are solely those of
the author and do not necessarily represent those of Lambeth Council.
Unauthorised use (disclosure, storage or copying) of emails is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies
and inform the sender by return email. Please note however, that
unencrypted emails sent to the council can be intercepted by an
unauthorised third party; as the information contained within is not
protected.
Lambeth Council reserves the right to monitor, record and retain any
incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for monitoring
internal compliance with the Council's policy on staff use. Although
software may be used to check, monitor and/or block the contents of emails
and attachments to identify the presence of malware; you are advised that
you open any attachments at your own risk.
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this email (or
any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless the
information in it is covered by an exemptions in the Act.
Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with
our [4]Privacy Notice.
Disclaimers apply - full details at [5]www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
3. http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/
4. https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/elections-and...
5. https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/email-disclai...
Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for this data. Are you able to supply it as a CSV file though? It's incredibly difficult to process this sort of data from a PDF.
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for supplying the data. It is disappointing that it took over 3 months to send it, and that you deliberately chose a format that would be difficult for me process the data. PDF is not an appropriate format for large datasets of numeric data.
For anyone else reading this on What Do They Know, the free "Tabula" tool can be used to extract the data from the PDFs: https://github.com/tabulapdf/tabula
Yours sincerely,
Alasdair Ross
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