Corporate Directorate
Please ask for:
Karen Smith
Direct line:
01473 825753
Emailed to: request-286432-
Fax number:
01473 825742
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Your reference:
Our reference:
MF392-1516
E-mail:
xxxx.xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Please reply to:
The Babergh Office
Date 16th September 2015
Dear Peter
I am writing to confirm that the Authority has now completed its search for the information
which you requested on 17th September 2015 – you asked:
In each of the last 5 calendar years and in the year to date (reporting each year separately):
a) How many complaints has the Council received in respect of properties where one potential
response to the complaint would be the issue of a section 215 notice or the issue of a warning letter
prior to the issue of a section 215 notice
b) How many warning letters were the Council minded to issue
c) How many warning letters were issued
d) How many section 215 notices has the Council issued
e) Of those section 215 notices issued, how many have been appealed
f) What is the current status of the section 215 notices issued (resolved/outstanding/appealed/ etc)
g) What is the Councils budget in respect of section 215 notices for each year and what was the
expenditure actually incurred for each year
h) How many days of officer’s time has been taken up considering and dealing with section 215
notices and consideration of matters where a section 215 notice may be an appropriate response
i) Was the issue of section 215 notices subject to the Scheme of Delegation for each of those years,
and if so, to whom was the power to issue section 215 notices delegated
j) Has the Council at any time in committee or sub-committee debated or considered its policy on
section 215 notices and could you provide copies of any minutes where a section 215 notice is
mentioned
Please provide a copy of the Council’s currently agreed policy on section 215 notices and the date and
copies of the minutes of the meeting where this policy was adopted.
Please provide a copy of the Planning Enforcement register for each of the last five calendar years
and the year to date
Babergh District Council
Mid Suffolk District Council
Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh, Ipswich, IP7 6SJ
Council Offices, High Street, Needham Market, Ipswich, IP6 8DL
Telephone
(01473) 822801
Telephone
(01449) 724500
Facsimile
(01473) 825742
Facsimile
(01449) 724627
Minicom
(01473) 825878
SMS Text Mobile (07827) 842833
DX 85055 Babergh
www.midsuffolk.gov.uk
www.babergh.gov.uk
Strategic Director (Corporate): Andrew Hunkin
Head of Corporate Organisation: Peter Quirk
Head of Corporate Resources: Katherine Steel
Chief Finance Officer (S151): Katherine Steel
Monitoring Officer: Suki Binjal
Our reply:
In each of the last 5 calendar years and in the year to date (reporting each year separately):
a) How many complaints has the Council received in respect of properties where one potential
response to the complaint would be the issue of a section 215 notice or the issue of a warning
letter prior to the issue of a section 215 notice
i. 2010: 7
ii. 2011: 8
iii. 2012: 5
iv. 2013: 4
v. 2014: 9
vi. 2015 (to date): 17
b) How many warning letters were the Council minded to issue
i. 2010: data not available
ii. 2011: data not available
iii. 2012: data not available
iv. 2013: data not available
v. 2014: data not available
vi. 2015 (to date): data not available
c) How many warning letters were issued
i. 2010: 1
ii. 2011: 5
iii. 2012: 4
iv. 2013: 2
v. 2014: 6
vi. 2015 (to date): 5
d) How many section 215 notices has the Council issued
i. 2010: 1
ii. 2011: 0
iii. 2012: 0
iv. 2013: 0
v. 2014: 0
vi. 2015 (to date): 0
e) Of those section 215 notices issued, how many have been appealed
i. 2010: 0
ii. 2011: data not available
iii. 2012: data not available
iv. 2013: data not available
v. 2014: data not available
vi. 2015 (to date): data not available
f) What is the current status of the section 215 notices issued (resolved/outstanding/appealed/
etc)
i. 2010: resolution in progress
ii. 2011: data not available
iii. 2012: data not available
Babergh District Council
Mid Suffolk District Council
Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh, Ipswich, IP7 6SJ
Council Offices, High Street, Needham Market, Ipswich, IP6 8DL
Telephone
(01473) 822801
Telephone
(01449) 724500
Facsimile
(01473) 825742
Facsimile
(01449) 724627
Minicom
(01473) 825878
SMS Text Mobile (07827) 842833
DX 85055 Babergh
www.midsuffolk.gov.uk
www.babergh.gov.uk
Strategic Director (Corporate): Andrew Hunkin
Head of Corporate Organisation: Peter Quirk
Head of Corporate Resources: Katherine Steel
Chief Finance Officer (S151): Katherine Steel
Monitoring Officer: Lindsay Barker
iv. 2013: data not available
v. 2014: data not available
vi. 2015 (to date): data not available
g) What is the Councils budget in respect of section 215 notices for each year and what was the
expenditure actually incurred for each year
i. There is no dedicated budget for s215 Notices – any costs associated with s215
are taken from a general budget for the Planning Enforcement service.
h) How many days of officer’s time has been taken up considering and dealing with section 215
notices and consideration of matters where a section 215 notice may be an appropriate
response
i. Officer time is not recorded
i) Was the issue of section 215 notices subject to the Scheme of Delegation for each of those
years, and if so, to whom was the power to issue section 215 notices delegated
i. Yes, power delegated to Corporate Manager – Planning Enforcement, Senior
Planning Enforcement Officer, and Planning Enforcement Officers (Grade 5).
j) Has the Council at any time in committee or sub-committee debated or considered its policy on
section 215 notices and could you provide copies of any minutes where a section 215 notice is
mentioned
Yes. The Council doesn't have a specific policy for 215s, but it's covered under the Joint Planning
Enforcement Policy. The following link provides the Minutes to the Mid Suffolk Committee which
approved this.
http://apps.midsuffolk.gov.uk/CMISWebPublic/Binary.ashx?Document=14072
We do provide off street parking places. This is managed in-house with some supplies or services
outsourced as and when required with the form of contract being dictated by the council’s procurement
and commissioning rules. We do not have any contracts or partnerships in place at present. Supplies
or services are requested through quotations and purchase orders.
The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988. You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any
noncommercial
research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting. Please contact me at the above
address if you wish to re-use the information for commercial purposes so that the appropriate licence
can be issued, in some instances a fee will be payable.
Information you receive continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from
which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing
any third party (non Babergh Copyright) information.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference
number above in any future communications.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write in the first instance to the Karen Smith,
Assistant Solicitor at the above address.
If you wish to request a review of our decision in respect of your request, please contact me. A review
will carried out by two Heads of Service of Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils.
Babergh District Council
Mid Suffolk District Council
Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh, Ipswich, IP7 6SJ
Council Offices, High Street, Needham Market, Ipswich, IP6 8DL
Telephone
(01473) 822801
Telephone
(01449) 724500
Facsimile
(01473) 825742
Facsimile
(01449) 724627
Minicom
(01473) 825878
SMS Text Mobile (07827) 842833
DX 85055 Babergh
www.midsuffolk.gov.uk
www.babergh.gov.uk
Strategic Director (Corporate): Andrew Hunkin
Head of Corporate Organisation: Peter Quirk
Head of Corporate Resources: Katherine Steel
Chief Finance Officer (S151): Katherine Steel
Monitoring Officer: Lindsay Barker
If you are unhappy with the service you have received you may wish to use the councils’ complaint
procedure, details of which are on the websites.
www.babergh.gov.uk an
d www.midsuffolk.gov.uk If you are not content with the outcome of your review, you may apply directly to the Information
Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted
the review procedure provided by the Authority. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
www.ico.org.uk Yours sincerely
Karen Smith
Information Management Specialist (Legal)
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
Babergh District Council
Mid Suffolk District Council
Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh, Ipswich, IP7 6SJ
Council Offices, High Street, Needham Market, Ipswich, IP6 8DL
Telephone
(01473) 822801
Telephone
(01449) 724500
Facsimile
(01473) 825742
Facsimile
(01449) 724627
Minicom
(01473) 825878
SMS Text Mobile (07827) 842833
DX 85055 Babergh
www.midsuffolk.gov.uk
www.babergh.gov.uk
Strategic Director (Corporate): Andrew Hunkin
Head of Corporate Organisation: Peter Quirk
Head of Corporate Resources: Katherine Steel
Chief Finance Officer (S151): Katherine Steel
Monitoring Officer: Lindsay Barker
