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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467 disclosures

  1. Contact Centre

    1.      Contact Centre
    a. Do you have a customer/ citizen facing contact centre?
    b. Do you employ and manage your own agents, or do you outsource to a third party? If you outsource who to?
    c. How many contact centre agents do you have?
    d. Do agents work from home? Or just your offices?
    e. Please confirm the manufacturer of your contact centre system(s) that are currently in place?
    f. When is your contract renewal date?
    g. Who maintains your contact centre system(s)?

     

    2.      CRM
    a. Do you use a CRM in the contact centre? What platform is used?
    b. Do you use the same CRM for the rest of the organisation? What platform is used?
    c. Do you use a knowledge base / knowledge management platform? What platform is used?

     

    3.      AI & Automation
    a. Does your organisation have a customer or citizen facing chatbot? If so, who provides this chatbot technology?
    b. Does your organisation utilise RPA technology? If so which RPA technology provider do you use?

    Published: 31 March 2026

  2. Waste management

    1. Is refuse and recycling collection carried out directly by the local authority or by an external contractor (or contractors)?

     

    2. If an external contractor is used, please provide the contractor name(s) and the start date of the current contract(s).

     

    3.           Staff training on disability and accessibility

    Please provide details of any training provided to refuse and recycling collection staff (including contractors) that relates to disability awareness, visual impairment awareness, or accessibility, including:

    a) training/course title(s) and who provides them (internal or external),

    b) the frequency of training (for example induction only, annual refresher), and

    c) copies of any training materials, slides, handouts, or guidance documents currently used.

     

    4.           Volume of disability and obstruction related contacts

    Please provide the number of reports, complaints, or service requests recorded by the council (or on its behalf) that relate specifically to wheelie bins, other bins or waste bags causing obstruction or accessibility issues for pedestrians, including disabled people (for example blind or partially sighted people, wheelchair users, or people using mobility aids), for each of the following periods:

    a) 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, and

    b) 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

    Where records are categorised or searchable, please provide: the category label(s) used (for example “obstruction”, “access”, “pavement blocked”), and the search terms, tags, or filters you used to identify the relevant records.

    If you do not record a specific “disability” marker, please provide the number of wheelie bin reports that are categorised as “obstruction”, “accessibility”, “pavement/footway blocked”, or equivalent. If none of these categories exist, please provide the closest available proxy measure you hold (for example cases recorded under “street obstruction” where the narrative references a wheelie bin), and briefly describe what that proxy is.

     

    5.           How the public can report bin issues

    Please provide details of the methods currently available for members of the public to report bin issues (for example online form, telephone, email, webchat, in person), including:

    a) the relevant contact points (for example the email address or web page title), and

    b) copies of any published guidance the council provides to the public on reporting these issues.

     

    6.           Accessibility of reporting routes (information held)

    Please provide copies of any documents you hold that relate to the accessibility of the above reporting methods for disabled users, including blind and partially sighted people, such as accessibility statements, WCAG compliance information, audits, equality impact assessments, and any policy on reasonable adjustments or alternative formats for reporting.

     

    Published: 31 March 2026

  3. fly tipping reports

    I am writing to make a request for all the information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Could you please supply me with the following information on fly tipping in your area.

    1 - How many fly tipping incidents were there in your council district from 2024-2025.

    2. - How many fixed penalty notices were issued in your council district from 2024-25.

    3. - How many successful prosecutions were there in your council area from 2024-25.

    Published: 31 March 2026

  4. Councils public art and museums enquiry

    Could you please provide the following information for projects from January 2024 up to date and also for ongoing work and upcoming, planned work:

     

    1.      Public art.

     

    a)      What is being done to make the town hall space more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

     

    b)      What artworks have been installed or removed to help with this? Paintings linked to empire and slavery for example.

     

    c)      What public art more generally, has been commissioned to improve diversity and inclusion?

     

    d)      What public art more generally, has been removed, or given greater context, or reviewed for links to offensive or outmoded issues - statues linked to empire and slavery, for example.

     

     

    2.      Local museums.

     

    a)      What is being done to make local museums (if applicable) more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

     

    b)      What displays have been added or updated to help with this? For example, have outdated displays been taken down?

     

    c)      What research is being undertaken?

     

    d)      What tours are available?

     

    e)      What advice on racial inclusion and LTGBT issues is provided to staff?

     

    3.      Libraries.

     

    a)      If applicable, what is being done to make local libraries more inclusive in terms of race, and LGBT inclusion?

     

    b)      What books have been added to stock in relation to this?

     

    c)      What books have been removed or moved to a reserve stack, or a less prominent place, because their content might be problematic; for example, outdated, racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic?

     

    d)      Can you provide details of any complaint received in the timeframe relating to the above issues?

     

    Published: 31 March 2026

  5. Solar panels on council housing

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to know the following:

    A) What is the total number of residential houses and flats that this local authority currently owns or rents?

    B) How many of this local authority’s owned or rented homes are currently fitted with solar panels or other solar technology?

    C) How many of this local authority’s owned or rented homes currently score an EPC rating of D, E, F or G?

    Published: 30 March 2026

  6. Border plants enquiry

    Please provide the following information:

    1. How much do you spend annually on annual border plants and how much do you spend on perennials? Can you break it down for the last three years please?

    2. How many tonnes of flowers are discarded each year? Can you break it down for the last three years please?

    3. What happens to them?

    4. Do you use weedkiller? Or an organic alternative?

    5. If so, how much do you spend on weedkiller each year? Can you break it down annually please?

    Published: 26 March 2026

  7. Data centres enquiry

    This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Please provide the following information for your local authority area:

    For each calendar year from 2021 to the present:


    1. The number of planning applications received for data centre developments (including those classified as sui generis or otherwise identified as data centres).


    2. The number of these applications that were approved.
    If it is easier, a simple table or summary by year is sufficient.


    Please include all applications where the primary use is a data centre, regardless of use class.

    Published: 26 March 2026

  8. blue badge parking spaces

    I would like to request information under the Freedom of Information Act.

    Please confirm the number of blue badge parking spaces installed in your authority area, as of March 2025 (or the most recent figures you have, in which case please specify the date).

    Published: 25 March 2026

  9. Temporary Accommodation

    I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the use of temporary accommodation by your authority.

    Please could you provide responses to the following questions:

    1. Does your authority currently utilise nightly paid temporary accommodation for placements?

    2. What are the approximate nightly rates paid for temporary accommodation for the following property types?
    If exact figures cannot be provided, please provide a typical range:

    · HMO Room

    · Studio

    · 1 Bedroom Property

    · 2 Bedroom Property

    · 3 Bedroom Property

    · 4 Bedroom Property

    3. How many units of nightly paid temporary accommodation does your authority currently utilise?

    4. How many single households and family households are currently placed in hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation?

    5. Of those households currently placed in hotel or B&B accommodation, how many have been placed beyond the statutory six-week limit (where applicable)?

    6. Is your authority’s temporary accommodation provision delivered through a formal procurement framework, tendered contract, or other contractual arrangement?

    7. Does your authority offer block bookings or guaranteed occupancy arrangements to providers of nightly paid temporary accommodation?

    8. Would your authority be open to considering new providers of temporary accommodation, particularly where competitive pricing and additional supply could be offered?

    Published: 25 March 2026

  10. Property Licensing Schemes

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information about your council's property licensing schemes:

    For EACH property licensing scheme currently operated by your council

    (mandatory HMO, additional HMO, and/or selective licensing):


    1. Scheme name and type (mandatory HMO / additional HMO / selective)

    2. Current scheme status (active, expired, under consultation, confirmed but not yet started)

    3. Geographic coverage (whole area, specific wards — please list wards if applicable)

    4. Start date and end date of current designation

    5. Application fees:

    a. New application fee

    b. Renewal fee (if different from new application)

    c. Any discounts available (accredited landlord, early bird, multi- property)

    d. Whether fees are flat rate, per bedroom, per unit, or tiered

    e. Part A and Part B fee breakdown (if applicable)

    6. MHCLG/Secretary of State confirmation reference (for selective/additional schemes)

    7. Maximum occupancy or conditions for the scheme

    8. Exemptions from the scheme

    9. Where to find the current fee schedule online

    Published: 25 March 2026