Dear Adam Bychawski,

I write to confirm receipt of your request for information, which was
received on 09/06/2023  and can confirm that it is now being processed.
Your request has been given the unique reference number FOI/636 and you
should quote this reference number in all correspondence. You should
receive our response within 20 working days; this means that you can
expect to receive the requested information by 06/07/2023. If we are
unable to deal with your request within that time limit or the Council
does not hold the information or there is a reason for it to be withheld,
we will promptly advise you in writing.

If you have any queries or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact
us.

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications. The reference number for your case is FOI/636

Regards,

Information Governance Team

Dear Adam Bychawski

Re: FOI/636

Thank you for your request received on 08/06/2023  in which you asked for
the following information from Lancaster City Council:

For each of the financial years 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21,
2021/22, 2022/23 please provide me with the following:

 1.  The total number of staff employed (directly or indirectly) by the
local authority to inspect residential properties for category 1 or 2
hazards.
 2.  Of (1), the total number who were qualified Environmental Health
Officers.
 3.  The total number of inspections carried out by either (1) or (2) to
see whether category 1 or 2 hazards exist in residential properties
which are owned by the council or social housing providers, or
privately rented. (Please refer to section four of the Housing Act
2004 if in doubt about the nature of the inspections.)
 4. The total number of complaints that the local authority has received
about hazards or poor conditions in residential properties which are
owned by the council or social housing providers, or privately rented.

Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).

Response

Council Housing:

 1. Lancaster City Council employs 2 Maintenance Officers who undertake
inspections to the social housing stock for all the years detailed.
During 2022/2023 the Council appointed an external stock condition
survey company to survey all its housing stock. This survey is still
in progress and the outputs/results are not expected to be fully
analysed until September 2023.
 2. None
 3. We currently do not maintain records to be able to provide this
information.
 4. We have from January 2023 maintained records relating to damp/mould in
the social housing stock and have 232 recorded incidents. 
 5. We do not capture this complaint type 

Private Housing:

 1. For the private housing sector, there are 5.5 full time equivalent,
this includes the Housing Standards Manager.
 2. Of those 5.5 there are 2 qualified Environmental Health Officers
 3. See table below
 4. See table below

Year Number of Inspections Number of complaints received
2017/8 not recorded 638
2018/9 not recorded 645
2019/20 not recorded 651
2020/21 584 529
2021/22 413 866
2022/23 806 786

If you have any queries or concerns about this response, please contact
this office. For details of how to appeal a decision we have made, see
below.

How to Appeal

Internal Review

If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to an
internal review.  The handling of your request will be looked at by
someone who was not responsible for the original case, and they will make
a decision as to whether we answered your request correctly.

An internal review must be requested within 40 working days from the date
of receipt of decision. The Council will respond within 20 workings days
of any valid review request.

If you would like to request a review, please contact the Council at the
following address:

Email:  [1][email address]

Information Governance
Lancaster City Council
Town Hall
Dalton Square
Lancaster
LA1 1PJ

Information Commissioner’s Office

If you remain dissatisfied after an internal review decision, you have the
right to apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Commissioner
is an independent regulator who has the power to direct us to respond to
your request differently if they consider that we have handled it
incorrectly.

You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at the following
address:

Email: [2]www.ico.org.uk/foicomplaints

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a
national rate number

Website:  [3]https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

Re-use of Public-Sector Information

Some of the information that we provide in response to FOIA requests will
be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the copyright will be
owned by Lancaster City Council. The copyright in other information may be
owned by another person or organisation, as indicated on the information
itself.

You are free to use any information supplied for your own non-commercial
research or private study purposes. The information may also be used for
any other purpose allowed by a limitation or exception in copyright law,
such as news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example by
publishing the information in analogue or digital form, including on the
internet, will require the permission of the copyright owner.

For information where the copyright is owned by Lancaster City Council,
please contact this office if you would like to request permission.

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission.

Yours sincerely

Information Governance Team

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlo...
3. https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/