Freedom of information (FOI) releases from South Derbyshire District Council

This is a disclosure log of South Derbyshire District Council's responses to freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) requests that might be of wider public interest.

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270 disclosures

  1. Freedom of Information Request – Deputyship Services and Use of External Solicitors

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding your council’s management of deputyship matters for individuals who lack mental capacity. I would be grateful if you could provide the following information:

    1. Deputyship Service Structure

    1.1. Does the council operate an internal team responsible for managing deputyship matters under the Mental Capacity Act 2005?

    1.2. If so, please provide a short description of how the service is structured (e.g., staffing, governance, internal processes).

    2. Use of External Solicitors

    2.1. Does the council instruct or refer work to external solicitors, law firms or legal professionals in connection with deputyship-related legal matters (e.g., conveyancing, disputes, statutory wills, litigation)?

    2.2. If yes, please provide:

    * The names of the firms used;

    * The types of matters each firm typically handles;

    * Whether instructions are made under a framework agreement, panel, or on an ad‑hoc basis.

    3. Criteria for External Referral

    3.1. Does the council have a financial value threshold (e.g., property/asset value) above which legal matters are referred externally rather than handled internally?

    3.2. If applicable, please specify the threshold and rationale.

    3.3. Are there any non‑financial criteria (e.g., complexity, conflicts of interest, required specialism) which automatically trigger referral to external solicitors?

    4. Internal vs External Case Handling

    4.1. What categories of deputyship‑related legal work are handled internally?

    4.2. What categories are always outsourced?

    4.3. Please provide any policies, guidance documents, or internal decision‑making criteria relevant to this process.

    5. Volumes and Spend

    For each of the past three financial years (2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25 to date):

    5.1. How many deputyship matters were referred to external solicitors?

    5.2. What was the total spend on external legal services for deputyship matters?

    If possible, please break this down by firm and year.

    6. Financial or Non‑Financial Benefits

    6.1. Does the council receive any financial consideration, referral fee, commission, rebate, or any other form of payment or benefit (financial or non‑financial) from any external solicitor or law firm in connection with the referral of deputyship-related work?

    6.2. If yes, please provide details of the nature of the arrangement, the firms involved, the amounts or benefits received over the last three financial years, and any relevant agreements or policy documents.

    6.3. If no such arrangements exist, please confirm that no financial or non‑financial benefits are received when referring work externally.

    7. Supporting Information

    7.1. If available, please provide any public reports, policies, or internal documents outlining your approach to supporting individuals who have lost capacity, including management of property and financial affairs.

    I would prefer to receive the information electronically, by email. If any part of this request is unclear or would exceed the cost limit, please let me know and I will be happy to refine or narrow the scope.

    Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your reply.

    Published: 3 February 2026

  2. Article 4 Directions

    Dear Sir or Madam,

    This FOI is for the attention of council officers who oversee planning matters.

    1) Does your Local Authority have any Article 4 Directions currently in place for HMOs? (C3 to C4).

    2) If the Local Authority does have an Article 4 Direction (C3 to C4) in place, what kind of designation is it? I.e. Borough/City-Wide, single designated area, multiple single designated areas.

    3) Has your Local Authority formally consulted/currently consulting/planning to consult in the next/last 12 months on introducing an Article 4 Direction? (C3 to C4).

    4) If the Local Authority has formally approved an Article 4 Direction (C3 to C4) in the last 12 months, when does it come into force?

    5) What is the best contact email address to contact the planning department to discuss matters relating to planning enquiries and Article 4?

    Published: 26 January 2026

  3. EIR Request for Con29R information for 105 AVON WAY, HILTON, DERBY, DE65 5AE (00790850)

    DERBY

    DE65 5AE

    We would need answers for the following questions please:

    • 3.7b-d, & f

    • 3.13a-c

    This is a freedom of information request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

    Published: 26 January 2026

  4. EIR Request for Con29R information for 29 CARR BROOK WAY, MELBOURNE, DERBY, DE73 8LH (00790950)

    Please would you provide information in relation to the Con29R questions on the following property (plan attached):

    29 CARR BROOK WAY

    MELBOURNE

    DERBY

    DE73 8LH

    We would need answers for the following questions please:

    • 3.7b-d, & f

    • 3.13a-c

    This is a freedom of information request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

    Published: 26 January 2026

  5. FoI: Cost of running Police and Crime Commissioner elections 2024

    I would like to know how much your local authority claimed from the Government for running the 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner elections or if you do not have a PCC or PFCC, the cost of running the Mayoral elections for your area.

    If you were not responsible for running the election in your area, please provide a NIL response.

    Published: 26 January 2026

  6. Freedom of Information request - Temporary accommodation in East Midlands

    Please can you tell me, in 2025, the total number of households (inc individuals) who were placed in temporary accommodation (including 'interim', 'emergency' or any other formulation for non-permanent accommodation) by the council.

    Can you please tell me in 2025 the number of refugee households (inc individuals) who were placed in temporary accommodation by the council.

    Published: 26 January 2026

  7. Active Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) and Geospatial Boundary Data


    I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding Public Spaces Protection Orders (as defined in Part 4 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including former Designated Public Place Orders that are now treated as PSPOs under Section 75 of the Act) currently in force within your Authority's area.

    Context and Public Interest: I am developing a navigational safety tool that assists the public in understanding where specific byelaws and orders apply. There is significant public interest in ensuring that the boundaries of these enforced zones are transparent, accessible, and clearly defined digitally to prevent inadvertent breaches by citizens.

    Information Requested: Please provide the following information for all Orders currently in force within your Local Authority area:

    1. The Name/Title of the Order.
    2. The prohibitions included in the Order (or a direct link to the full text).
    3. The date the Order came into force.
    4. The date the Order is due to expire (under Section 60 of the Act).
    5. The Geographic Boundary of the Restricted Area (as defined in Section 59(2) of the Act).

    Format of Geographic Data: To ensure this data is accurate and usable, the format of the boundary data is critical.

    If the boundary is complex (custom drawn): Please provide the geospatial boundary data in a machine-readable format. Preferred formats are GeoJSON (.json / .geojson), Esri Shapefile (.shp), KML/KMZ (.kml / .kmz), or GeoPackage (.gpkg).

    Published: 26 January 2026

  8. Contact Us Form - FS-Case-789303683

    Please could you provide your most recent price list for your cemeteries and also confirm which cemeteries have available graves? For your cemeteries, please can you confirm: What is the criteria for resident prices for grave purchase (e.g purchaser must be a resident or if deceased only being a resident is acceptable)? What is the criteria for resident prices for internment (e.g deceased must have been a resident for X years)? Is there a burial chapel available for a service? If yes, which cemeteries and... What is the price for use of the chapel? What is the capacity of the chapel? How long are the services?

    Published: 26 January 2026

  9. new build dwellings that are unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold for council tax purposes

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request information regarding the treatment of new build dwellings that are unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold for council tax purposes. Specifically, I would be grateful if you could provide information for the past three financial years.

    1. For the purposes of serving a Completion Notice for council tax, at what stage of construction does the authority consider a property to be “substantially complete” or “capable of being completed within three months”? For example, is this considered only when final fixtures/fittings are outstanding, or when the roof, windows, doors, and main structure are in place?

    1. Are full council tax charges applied to new build dwellings that are unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold, or is a discount or exemption implemented?

    1. How much council tax revenue has been raised from unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold new build dwellings in each of the past three financial years?

    1. How many instances in each of the past three financial years has a developer challenged the completion date set out in a Completion Notice served on a new build dwelling that is unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold?

    1. Of the instances in Question 4, in how many cases has the authority withdrawn the original Completion Notice and issued a new notice with a revised date?

    1. How many instances in each of the past three financial years has a developer appealed the completion date set out in a Completion Notice served on a new build dwelling that is unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold to the Valuation Tribunal?

    1. Of the instances in Question 6, in how many cases has the Valuation Tribunal upheld the appeal by a residential developer regarding the completion date set out in a Completion Notice for a new build dwelling that is unoccupied, unfurnished, and unsold?

    Published: 22 January 2026

  10. EIR Request for Con29R information for 15 ANCHOR CLOSE, SWADLINCOTE, DE11 8LZ (00791209)

    Please would you provide information in relation to the Con29R questions on the following property (plan attached):

    15 ANCHOR CLOSE

    SWADLINCOTE

    DE11 8LZ

    We would need answers for the following questions please:

    • 3.7b-d, & f

    • 3.13a-c

    This is a freedom of information request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

    Published: 22 January 2026