Dear Caroline Selman,

Thank you for your information request, received on the 15 August 2024.

Reference 7956 has been applied to your request which will be looked into
and a response provided within 20 full working days.

Should you have any queries in the meantime, please contact the Freedom of
Information Team at [1][Braintree District Council request email]

Kind regards,

Victoria Alexander

Performance & Information Officer

Braintree District Council | Causeway House, Bocking End, Braintree, CM7
9HB

 01376 552525| [2]www.braintree.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Braintree District Council request email]
2. http://www.braintree.gov.uk/

Dear Caroline Selman,

I am writing regarding your information request received by Braintree
District Council on the 15/08/2024, case reference 7956.

Your request for information has been processed under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). The Act enables access to information held by the
Council, subject to exemptions contained within the Act.

The Act does not require the Council to create information to respond to a
request if the requested information is not held, nor to give an opinion
or comment.

Please find our response to your request below:

I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to make a request
for information relating to your organisation’s use of automated decision
making and automated decision support tools and systems (ADM tools).

For the purposes of this request, an automated decision is one in which an
automated system performs at least part of the decision-making process,
including:

- Decision support: where an automated system provides additional
information to aid a human decision-maker in their decisions (e.g. a
system assesses whether someone poses a risk of housing benefit fraud, and
presents that risk score to a decision maker to inform their decision)),

- Streaming or triage: where an automated system determines the type and
quality of human judgment involved in a particular case (e.g. a system
deems an individual’s application to present a high risk of housing
benefit fraud, which means the application is directed to a particular
team to review)

- Fully automated:  where an automated system takes a decision and action
in relation to a person or group without human input (e.g. a system
automatically assesses and approves an application)

Automation refers to any form of automation including. but not limited to,
data matching, profiling, machine learning or any other tools that use
software algorithms to generate outputs.

Examples of ADM usage could include, for example, risk assessments in
adult social care or social housing decisions.

Please provide the following:

1. Copies of any inventory that the authority has of tools, artificial
intelligence or software algorithms used to assist in decision-making -
None

2. If not included in the above, the names of any such tools - N.A

3. Where a process contains ADM or is partially supported by automated
tools, any Equality Impact Assessments that have been carried out - N.A

4. Where a process contains ADM or is partially supported by automated
tools, any Data Protection Impact Assessments that have been carried out -
N.A

Right of internal review: If you are dissatisfied with the handling of
your request please contact us in writing, within 40 days of the receipt
of a full response, at: Emma Wisbey Legal and Governance Manager,
Braintree District Council, Causeway House, Bocking End, Braintree, Essex,
CM7 9HB. Or e-mail: [1][Braintree District Council request email]

Right to appeal: Should you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of any
internal review, you have a right of appeal under S50 of the Freedom of
Information Act to appeal against the decision by contacting the
Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow SK9 5AF. Or
e-mail: [2][email address]

Kind regards,

Lucy Day

Performance & Improvement Assistant

Braintree District Council | Causeway House, Bocking End, Braintree, CM7
9HB

 01376 552525| www.braintree.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Braintree District Council request email]
2. mailto:[email address]