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Powys County Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Powys council misses information request deadlines
The number of requests for information met on time by Powys County Council plummeted during 2023/4, a meeting has heard. At a meeting of Powys County Council's Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet senior councillors received a historic annual report on Information Governance covering 2023/2024. The report showed that during that year the council received a total of 1,271 information requests under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Subject Access Requests (SAR), 16 per cent up on the 1,093 received in 2022/2023. FOI and EIR requests are supposed to receive an answer within 20 working days while for SAR the deadline is 30 days. The performance during 2023/2024 saw was 73 per cent for FOI, 77 per cent for EIR and for SARs only 32 per cent were completed on time. This is down on the 84 per cent for both FOI and EIRs and 57 per cent for SARs that the council achieved in 2022/2023. The Information Commissioner expects the compliance rate to be at 90 per cent. The report explains that the team have had staffing issues during the reporting period. Cllr Raiff Devlin (Liberal Democrat) who was installed as the cabinet member customers, digital and customer services only last month said that an 'Information Management, Assurance, and Governance plan' was in place to try and improve things. As of the end of March last year only 35 per cent of this plan had been completed. Cllr Devlin said: 'Further work is required to meet the targets. 'Compliance rates have seen a decline, and this is as a result of resource challenges within the department. '66 per cent of non-compliant responses were due to delays in the provision of information by the service enabling a response to be drafted or released. 'Complaints to the commissioner are mainly linked to late requests.' 'The commissioner made decisions on two complaints, over an exemption applied and information held. 'The commissioner found in favour of the council on both occasions.' He said that the report provided 'reasonable assurance' that the council's arrangements and plan 'adequately' reflect the principles of good information governance. Cllr Devlin added: 'It is important to note that this report is from 2023/2024 and many of the forward plan priorities have already been actioned by the department and that the 2024/2025 report is in development.'
Leader Live
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
REVEALED: How much North Wales Police spends on drones
A Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request published on its website asked: "For each year between 2020 and 2024, how many drones has your police force operated?" and "How much money has been invested in your police forces drone program, for each year between 2020 and 2024?" That revealed that between 2020-2022, the force had four drones in their ranks, which cost £405,768 (Only started towards end of financial year 2020/21, so 2020/21 and 2021/22 costs included). In 2022/23, that moved up to seven drones at a cost of £398,784. In 2023/24, that figure was 11 drones at a cost of £488,229. And this year, the total now stands at 15 drones used by the force, at a cost of £581,725. The drones are used in a number of cases, for example, to track down missing people or to catch criminals red handed. The FOI further reveals that North Wales Police operates a dedicated team of drone operators and additional pilots who have other primary roles. It also adds that training a drone pilot costs around £1,000 with a course taking place over 13 days. The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin, hailed the use of drones as an 'indispensable part of policing'. He added that there are plans in place to continue investing in such technology to deal with 'challenges' face within policing. READ MORE Mr Dunbobbin said: "In recent years, the use of drones has become an indispensable part of policing and fighting crime. "For example, they have proved effective in cases of missing persons, where drones are able to scan landscapes and reach remote locations faster and more effectively than traditional means. "Prior to becoming Police and Crime Commissioner, I had a professional background in IT and the digital sphere and so I recognise how important it is to keep pace with changes in technology. "My Police and Crime Plan for North Wales pledges to continue to invest in technology and digital skills to deal with the challenges we face in policing, both now and into the future. "I fully support North Wales Police and their drone unit in making the most of drones and other developing technologies for the benefit of the public and in fighting crime.'
Leader Live
25-05-2025
- Leader Live
REVEALED: Number of LEGO thefts recorded in north Wales
The Leader has recently been taking a look through North Wales Police's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act archives. One request made asked for; 'The number of recorded shoplifting and burglary offences where 'LEGO' is explicitly mentioned in police reports, broken down by year?' That FOI reveals that the following LEGO thefts were made over the last four years; 2021 - 5 2022 - 6 2023 - 17 2024 - 9 2025 (so far) - 6 That gives a total of 43 LEGO thefts. Among the shops stolen from are B&M, Smyths Toy Stores and Game sites located across north Wales. Listed among the reports of thefts in 2021 was an incident where a man attempted to steal £700 worth of LEGO. In 2022, there was a case where distraction techniques were used by two men. One distracted staff members, while another stole four big LEGO sets to the value of £676. TOP STORIES TODAY Among the long list in 2023 were a £300 haul being stolen and a further case of a £280 quantity of LEGO stolen. Last year saw a man and a woman enter an ASDA store and steal LEGO sets, along with various other toys and items, by concealing them in a pram buggy All in all, the FOI shows that at least £3,500 of LEGO has either been stolen or attempted to be stolen from north Wales shops (Total worth of stolen items are not given in some cases). North Wales Police has been approached for further comment as to just why people target LEGO specifically. A staple of many childhoods, LEGO also has links with Wrexham, having once been manufactured and distributed in the county. Initially, the world-famous bricks were produced in a factory on Hugmore Lane on Wrexham Industrial Estate in the early 1960s. Later LEGO built a new UK distribution centre on Ruthin Road, featuring three giant LEGO bricks outside. The site closed in 2000.
Leader Live
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Leader Live
Hundreds of parking fines outstanding, say Wrexham Council
Last month, the Leader submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to the council. In that, we asked; "What is the total amount of unpaid parking fines owed to Wrexham Council, and how many individuals currently have outstanding parking fines?" Wrexham Council responded by revealing that a total of 888 unpaid parking fines are still outstanding. They added that figure amounts to a total worth of £84,294.55. MORE NEWS The response from Wrexham Council added: "Due to how the system works - we are not able to answer the second part re. individuals as the report does not give names. "And, if going on VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark) that would not be accurate as the same person may not have had the same VRM over 2 PCN's (Penalty Charge Notice). "Also, if the vehicle details have not been updated with the DVLA then we would have incorrect individual details." If you park in the wrong place or don't pay for the correct amount of time, you're liable to receive a parking fine. You are not allowed to park: Wrexham Council's website adds: "Our enforcement officers patrol streets within the county borough and council-owned city centre car parks. "Enforcement officers will issue a PCN if you break any parking regulations in force at the time (for both on and off street contraventions). "If you receive a PCN you have a month to pay the charge stated on the PCN (or to make an informal challenge instead). "If you pay within 14 days the charge will be reduced by 50%."
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
North Wales council seizes illegal vapes from 29 premises - but no prosecutions made
A council trading standards team seized illegal vapes from 29 premises over two years. The information was released following an application under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which revealed that no businesses were prosecuted, despite the seizures. According to the FOI application, Denbighshire County Council visited 59 premises in 2023, catching 15 shops selling illegal vaping products, and visited 30 premises in 2024 when 14 shops also had their products seized. READ MORE: Cyngor Gwynedd issues update on report into crimes of disgraced headteacher Neil Foden READ MORE: Teenage girl's bravery after being strangled in 'traumatic and terrifying' attack But in the same FOI, Denbighshire revealed it had not sought a single prosecution. When asked the value of illegal vaping products seized, Denbighshire County Council said: This would be impossible to calculate – due to the wide variety of vape types, makes, styles.' Denbighshire said illegal vapes were recycled after regional collections. . Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. In relation to the cost of disposing of illegal vapes, the council said: '(There is) No direct cost to DCC as (the recycling is) funded through project work and coordinated by another authority.' In February this year, an industry-led report (Riot Labs) revealed that two illegal vapes were seized every minute in 2024, with almost £9m worth of illegal products removed from UK streets. Illegal vapes are dangerous, unregulated devices with unknown ingredients or much higher nicotine levels which can pose serious risks to health Public notices in your area
