Freedom of information (FOI) releases from Guildford

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

If you can't find the information you're looking for, you can make a new FOI request.

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722 disclosures

  1. Ecological obligations for planning applications enquiry

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    1. As of 1 April 2026, how many posts within the authority provide ecological advice on planning applications? Please state the number of posts and the total full-time equivalent (FTE).

    2. Do the duties of any of those posts include the assessment of biodiversity gain plans or statutory biodiversity metric calculations submitted under Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990? Yes/No is OK.

    3. Does the authority obtain ecological advice on planning applications other than from its own directly employed staff? Please indicate which of the following apply and name the body concerned:

    (a) a county council or other local authority;

    (b) a shared or joint service, or a local authority owned company;

    (c) external consultants under a framework or standing contract;

    (d) external consultants instructed case by case.

    Where a shared arrangement operates, please state the total FTE of the shared resource and the number of authorities it serves.

    Legal capacity

    4. As at 1 April 2026, how does the authority obtain legal advice on planning matters? Please indicate all that apply and name the advice provider:

    (a) an in-house legal team employed directly by the authority;

    (b) a shared legal service, joint arrangement or LPA-owned company;

    (c) legal services provided by a county council or other local authority (e.g. under a service-level agreement);

    (d) a framework, panel or standing contract with external solicitors;

    (e) external solicitors or counsel instructed case by case.

    5.(A) As of 1 April 2026, how many posts within the authority or within any shared service serving it are held by qualified lawyers, including those without an active practising certificate? Please state the number of posts and total FTE.

    (B) Of the posts in 5(A), how many are responsible for planning, property or environmental law, either in practice or by way of a post description or team structure?

    6. Does the authority hold a written policy, protocol or similar document stating who drafts agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, for example, whether such agreements are drafted by the authority or by the applicant's solicitors on the authority's pro-forma? If so, please provide it or a link to it.

    7. Does the authority maintain a pro-forma/template section 106 agreement? If so, does that template contain provisions relating to biodiversity net gain? Please provide it or a link to it.

    Monitoring and enforcement

    8. Does the authority charge a monitoring fee in respect of section 106 obligations in relation to BNG (e.g. for site visits and the review of Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans? If so, please state:

    (a) the basis on which the fee is calculated;

    (b) the total sum collected in the most recent complete financial year; and

    (c) whether that income funds any identified post or posts, and if so the total FTE of those posts.

    9. As at 1 April 2026, how many posts within the authority have responsibility for monitoring compliance with section 106 obligations after planning permission has been granted? Please state the number of posts and total FTE. If this responsibility is not assigned to any identified post, please confirm that.

    10. (severable). From February 2024 to the present, on how many occasions has the authority taken formal enforcement action in respect of a breach of a planning condition or section 106 obligation relating to ecological or biodiversity requirements? If this is not recorded in a way that distinguishes ecological breaches, please say so.

    11. (severable). Has the authority received any government grant funding specifically to support the implementation of biodiversity net gain? If so, please state the amount and the period covered.

     

    Published: 15 September 2026

  2. Temporary Accommodation Supply, Procurement and Property Requirements

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    I am seeking recorded information about your authority’s current use and procurement of temporary accommodation (TA), including accommodation obtained from private landlords, agents, companies, managing agents, registered providers and other external suppliers.

    Please provide, where held:

    1. A copy of the authority’s current policy, specification, property standard, landlord/provider guide or other recorded criteria used when assessing privately supplied temporary accommodation.

    2. The property types currently accepted or sought for TA, including bedroom sizes, self-contained units, flats, houses, HMOs, blocks, B&B/hotel accommodation and any specialist or accessible accommodation.

    3. Any current recorded geographical restrictions, including whether properties outside the authority’s area are accepted and, if so, which areas are currently considered.

    4. The current standard contractual or commercial arrangements offered to private landlords/providers, including typical lease/licence length, break clauses, rent/payment basis, void arrangements, repair responsibilities, council tax/utilities responsibilities and any guaranteed-rent provisions.

    5. The minimum property compliance requirements currently applied, including EPC, gas safety, electrical safety/EICR, fire safety, HMO/selective/additional licensing, insurance and any inspection/HHSRS requirements.

    6. The number of households placed in TA at the latest available reporting date, broken down where held by household/property size.

    7. For financial year 2025/26, the total gross expenditure on TA and, where held, the amount paid to external private-sector accommodation providers.

    8. For 2025/26, the number of TA units sourced from private landlords/companies/providers, and the number of units located outside the authority’s area.

    9. A list of current frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems, approved supplier lists, leasing schemes or other procurement routes through which private landlords, property companies or agents can offer accommodation to the authority, including the relevant procurement/contact route.

    10. Any current recorded statement of priority property demand or shortage, for example demand for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4+ bedroom homes, HMOs, accessible homes or particular locations.

    11. The name or job title and generic contact details of the team responsible for acquiring or commissioning temporary accommodation from private landlords or external providers.

    12. Where any requested information is already publicly available, please provide the direct link or document reference rather than reproducing it:

     

    Published: 15 September 2026

  3. Building control for residential developments enquiry

    Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, as applicable.

    I am requesting information concerning Guildford Borough Council building-control records for residential developments recorded as completed within the last ten years.

    Please provide the following in CSV or Excel format where possible:

    1. For every building-control record from 1 January 2016 to the date of this request involving the creation of 10 or more residential dwellings, please provide:

    * building-control reference;
    * site address;
    * description of works;
    * number of dwellings recorded or apparent from the description;
    * application received date;
    * validation/acceptance date, if held;
    * commencement date, if held;
    * completion date recorded on the Council’s system;
    * final certificate date, if different;
    * completion certificate issue date, if different;
    * record status;
    * type of record, including whether it was Full Plans, Building Notice, Initial Notice, Regularisation, Certificated Works, or another category;
    * whether the completion date applies to the whole development, a phase, a block, individual plots, or another defined part of the development;
    * any plot numbers, phase references, block references or certificate scope information held against the completion entry.

    2. Please provide the Council’s current written definition, guidance, procedure note, system manual, or internal explanation for what the “completion date” field means in building-control records.

    3. Please confirm whether building-control completion dates are used, exported, supplied, relied upon, or cross-checked for any of the following purposes:

    * housing delivery monitoring;
    * planning monitoring;
    * government returns;
    * New Homes Bonus calculations;
    * council tax/new dwellings reporting;
    * internal performance reporting;
    * any other statutory or financial reporting.

    4. For each relevant external or government return identified in response to point 3, please provide:

    * the name of the return or dataset;
    * the reporting body or recipient;
    * the frequency of submission;
    * the data fields supplied;
    * whether building-control completion dates are used directly, indirectly, or only as a cross-check.

    5. Please provide any data-quality checks, reconciliation procedures, audit procedures, written guidance, or review processes used by the Council to ensure that recorded building-control completion dates correspond with actual physical completion, occupation, final certification, or the relevant statutory definition used by the Council.

    6. Please confirm whether the Council keeps an audit history showing changes to building-control completion dates after they have first been entered. If so, please provide for the records in scope:

    * the original completion date entered;
    * any later amended completion date;
    * the date of amendment;
    * the reason recorded for amendment;
    * the officer/team role making the amendment, with names redacted if necessary.

     

    Published: 15 September 2026

  4. Football pitch information enquiry

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    1. How many football pitches did the council own on 1 January of 2026?

    2. Of football pitches owned by the council, how many did the council operate on 1 January 2026?

    3. Of football pitches owned by the council, how many were free to access as of 1 January 2026?

    4. Of football pitches operated by the council, how many were free to access as of 1 January 2026?

    5. How many football pitches owned by the council were closed down or sold in 2026?

     

    Published: 15 September 2026

  5. Xylella

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    1. Do you have a business continuity plan/business Impact Assessment(s) which mentions the impact of Xylella? If so could you provide me with a copy of that section of the plan?

    2. Do you hold any training material that has been provided to staff about the risk of Xylella? If so could you provide me with a copy?

    3. Do you have any other risk mitigation/assessment documents that mention Xylella? If so can you provide me with a copy.

     

    Published: 15 September 2026

  6. Contaminated land

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    Ref: FLAT 54, GOLDEN HOUSE, 31 POWER CLOSE, GUILDFORD, GU1 1FS 

    1. Does the council hold any records of past contaminative land uses on site or is likely to be determined as contaminated land under the part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990?

    2. Does the council hold any previous ground investigation report, monitoring records or any relevant documentation for land contamination issues at the property - if so, can these be provided for review?

    3. Does the Council hold any records of reclaimed land and/or former landfill within 250m of the property or that may affect the property?

    4. Does the Council hold any information/records regarding ground gas monitoring at the property or within 250m and whether gas protection measures were incorporated into the property?

    5. Does the Council hold any records of pollution incidents occurring at the property or that may affect the property?

    6. Does the Council hold any records of private abstraction wells/water supplies on or within 250m of the property?

    7. Does the Council hold any records of surface water flooding at the site or surrounding area?

    8. Does the Council hold any records regarding permitted activities on the site or within 250m and if any breaches have occurred or enforcements issued?

    Published: 15 September 2026

  7. LGA savings

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    Please advise of the efficiency savings your Council achieved in the financial year 2025/26 which savings, if any, were due to advice from the Local Government Association. This could include from LGA peer review, attending LGA conferences, or reading LGA research.

    If listing all the savings would be too onerous please restrict to any identified savings you have recorded of over £100,000.

    Published: 15 September 2026

  8. Cleaning Services Structure Research

    Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would be grateful if you could provide the following information in relation to cleaning services delivered or managed by yourselves:

    1. Approximately how many council-owned, council-operated or otherwise supported sites are currently covered by your cleaning service?

    2. Which department, directorate or team is responsible for the management of these cleaning services?

    3. What is the job title or role of the person with overall responsibility for cleaning operations across these sites?

    4. Please provide a general contact email address for the relevant department or team, where this information is held.

    5. Are cleaning services predominantly delivered by:

    - an in-house council team,

    - an external contractor,

    - individual sites,

    - or a combination of these approaches?

    6. If cleaning services are outsourced in whole or in part, please confirm the name of the current service provider or providers.

    Published: 14 September 2026

  9. Temporary stopping arrangement for Gypsies and Travellers

    Please find below a Freedom of Information request concerning temporary stopping arrangements for Gypsies and Travellers on land owned or managed by the local authority.

    1. Did the local authority permit any temporary stopping arrangements during the following periods?

    1(a) 1 March 2020 – 31 July 2021: Yes / No

    1(b) 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026: Yes / No

    1(c) If the answer is "No" for either period, please state, so far as the recorded information held by the authority indicates, why no temporary stopping arrangements were permitted.

     

    2. For each period in which the answer to Question 1 was "Yes", did the local authority have a written policy, protocol or other recorded approach relating to temporary stopping arrangements?

    2(a) 1 March 2020 – 30 July 2021: Yes / No

    2(b) 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026: Yes / No

    2(c) If yes, please provide a copy of the relevant policy, protocol or other recorded approach.

     

    3. Please provide the number of separate temporary stopping arrangements recorded by the local authority during the following periods:

    3(a) 1 March 2020 – 31 July 2021.

    3(b) 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026.

    3(c) Where this information is held in a recorded form, please provide the relevant record or information.

     

    4. Please provide information, where recorded, on the length of time occupants were permitted to stay under each temporary stopping arrangement during the following periods:

    4(a) 1 March 2020 – 31 July 2021.

    4(b) 1 August 2025- 31 July 2026.

     

    5. Which of the following facilities or services were provided or arranged in connection with temporary stopping arrangements during the following periods?

    5(a) 1 March 2020 – 31 July 2021

    5(a)(i) Drinking water: Yes / No

    5(a)(ii) Toilets: Yes / No

    5(a)(iii) Showers or washing facilities: Yes / No

    5(a)(iv) Bins and/or refuse collection: Yes / No

    5(a)(v) Any other facilities or services (please specify):

    5(b) 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026

    5(b)(i) Drinking water: Yes / No

    5(b)(ii) Toilets: Yes / No

    5(b)(iii) Showers or washing facilities: Yes / No

    5(b)(iv) Bins and/or refuse collection: Yes / No

    5(b)(v) Any other facilities or services (please specify).

     

    6. Were occupants charged a fee or other payment for occupying the land, for any facilities or services provided, or for any other aspect of the temporary stopping arrangement during the period:

    6(a) 1 March 2020 – 30 April 2021: Yes / No

    If yes, please provide information on the fees or other payments charged during this period, including, where recorded:

    6(a)(i) the amount charged;

    6(a)(ii) what the charge related to; and

    6(a)(iii) the basis on which the charge was calculated, for example per household, caravan, person, day, week or another basis.

    6(b) 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026: Yes / No

    If yes, please provide information on the fees or other payments charged during this period, including, where recorded:

    6(b)(i) the amount charged;

    6(b)(ii) what the charge related to; and

    6(c)(iii) the basis on which the charge was calculated, for example per household, caravan, person, day, week or another basis.

    Published: 14 September 2026

  10. Fixed penalty notice enquiry

    I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act to request the following information:

    I am conducting research into letting agent regulation in England, and would like to request the following data relating to Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued to letting agents by your authority's housing enforcement and/or Trading Standards functions, for 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025:

    * The number of FPNs issued to letting agents.
    * The total value of FPNs issued to letting agents (£).
    * The number of FPNs issued to letting agents that year which, as of today, have not yet been fully paid
    * The total value of FPNs issued to letting agents that year which, as of today, have not yet been paid.

    Published: 14 September 2026