Dear East Devon District Council,

Could you provide information as to how:
a) the inflation rate of 3% was calculated with reference to page 12 of the next Cabinet agenda http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/os_agenda_15...
b) the inflation rate of 2% was calculated with reference to page 45 of the Relocation Update to Cabinet http://new.eastdevon.gov.uk/media/526937... ;
c) The inflation rate per annum of 18.8% for gas and 11.9% per annum for electricity from 203 to 2013 was calculated http://new.eastdevon.gov.uk/media/526937..., page 45
d) the inflation rate of 10% per annum for energy for the next 20 years was calculated, again with reference to page 45 of the Relocation Update to Cabinet http://new.eastdevon.gov.uk/media/526937...
e/ The make up and precise predictions of all components of the total savings of £5.55m over 20 years.
http://new.eastdevon.gov.uk/media/526937..., Page 45
I would like to know the exact references and sources which provide the basis for these calculations – as well as the precise methodology by which these calculations were arrived at.
Thank you.”

Yours faithfully,

Richard Thurlow

Dear East Devon District Council,

Thank you for your reply.
I note that you are refusing to release information on item e above.

I fail to see how this information is commercially sensitive. You have already given the breakdown of the costs of the existing Knowle building and a new building, as part of the DL Office Accommodation, "Knowle Energy Use and maintenance cost analysis Report of June 2013". The headings in that document under which you have assessed the current costs are;

Planned Maintenance,
Reactive Maintenance
Electricity consumption
Gas consumption
Water consumption
COUNCIL Rates
Buildings insurance
Employee costs
Grounds maintenance
Property service costs
Recharge for Council Services
Other costs
Other Running Costs

Mr Cohen, in his email to me of the 8th December 2014, said "Also, please be aware that in addition to electricity and gas costs there are other elements including Business Rates, Maintenance (planned, reactive, grounds), insurances and other running costs that have also been taken into consideration"

What on earth is the point of refusing to state how these costs have been increased over a 20 year period? None of this information is commercially confidential, and should not be so described.
Please let me have this information now

regards
Richard Thurlow

Yours faithfully,

R Thurlow

Dear Kate Symington,

Your answer is complete fiction; you have now find another excuse for not giving me data, again completely wrongly.

In my last email, I detailed the basic headings under which you calculated the operating costs of both the Knowle and your proposed new buildings, obtained from your own, publicly available document.

You now refuse to give me details of the estimated future costs and % increase rate under these headings, all of which ,except "Employee costs" cannot be sensitive to "the identification of Council employees". And even then, these "Employee" costs, which you have given as £110216 in an EDDC published document, are not split down into individual employees, so there is NO possibility of me identifying what an EDDC employee earns in maintaining the buildings.

Interestingly in that document, you have calculated the Employee cost in the new buildings as being identical to the Knowle, so there is no reason for saying that I cannot have this information under the FOI act, because I need nothing further other than the % increase over 20 years which you have assumed.

I give below the costs under each heading for both the Knowle and the proposed new building, available in the public document.

Knowle :New Buildings
3/2015
Planned Maintenance, ;£12738 ;£5529
Reactive Maintenance ;£13306 ;£5000
Electricity consumption ;£63289 ;£18296
Gas consumption ;£20613 ;£10768
Water consumption ;£8356 ;£8356
COUNCIL Rates ; £124221 ;£53922
Buildings insurance ;£13357 ;£5798
Employee costs ;£110216 ; £110216
Grounds maintenance ;£12692 ;£3173
Property service costs ;£28260 ;£12267
Recharge for Council Services ;£24574 ;£24574
Other costs ; £17123 ;£7433
Other Running Costs ; £ 99425 ;£4091

TOTAL ; £458170 ;£269424

What I need is the inflation % you have assumed in your calculation of the savings over 20 years, from 2015 onwards

Your refusal to give me this is totally unjustified.

I can only assume that you have something to hide.

Please let me have this information immediately. I am aware that SWAP and Grant Thornton are reviewing your figures; in fact I am in correspondence with them about the situation
Yours sincerely,

R Thurlow

Yours sincerely,

R Thurlow