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- The Council (Warwick DC)
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Freedom of information

Information Commissioners Office - Decision notice

Download the ICO decision notice relating to a Freedom of Information complaint about Warwick District Council (PDF) from December 2010.

Download the ICO decision notice relating to a Freedom of Information complaint about Warwick District Council (PDF) from September 2011.

Information covered by the publication

Most information is available on this website, although some historical data may have been removed. If you have difficulty accessing the website, cannot find what you are looking for or would prefer information in another format, please contact us on 01926 410410. We may make a charge for copying documents.

Classes of information

Who we are, what we do

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Council Constitution	The constitution is split into seven parts - see Council constitution	Website
Council Democratic Structure	Details of Council, Executive, committees, working parties and other meetings, including their membership, dates of meetings, agendas and minutes of meetings - see Public meetings	Website
Council officer structure, departments and contact details	Details of the council’s officer structure – departments, the management team; contact details for all council departments and services - see This council	Website
Location and opening times of Council properties	Location (including maps) of the council’s offices at Riverside House Opening times and contact numbers Locations and opening times of leisure centres, parks and other facilities Car parks, on street car parking, and related information	Website
Councillors’ information and contact details	Details of current elected members of the Council and how to contact them; the committees and sub-committees on which they sit and other positions and responsibilities within the Council - see Decision making Councillors’ register of interests and register of gifts and hospitality	Website By appointment at Riverside House
Recent election results	Results of elections (contested and uncontested) for District and Parish Councils since the last district-wide elections (2007) - see Elections	Website
Relationships with other authorities and organisations	Links to Warwickshire County Council and other organisations - see Neighbouring councils Local organisations and individuals who work in partnership with the Council: - see Partnerships Links to other neighbouring councils ‘Warwickshire Compact’, an agreement between public sector bodies, voluntary and community organisations on principles that should govern working relationships between the two sectors: - see voluntary organisations	Website
Particular roles of council officers	The functions and areas of responsibility of Council Officers, including the Chief Executive, Assistant Chief Executives, Strategic Directors, Heads of Service and Monitoring Officer - see council officers (82kb, pdf)	Website
Standards Committee	The Council is legally obliged to have a Standards Committee. The full role and responsibilities of Standards Committee are set out within Article 9 of the Warwick District Council’s Constitution (64kb, pdf) Standards Board for England	Website

What we spend and how

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Financial statements, budgets and variance reports	Annual Report and Statement of Accounts (going back several years) Information about the Council’s finances, including budget and treasury management information, grant schemes, assisted travel scheme, fraud prevention, procurement, payment methods, etc - see council finances Financial reports are regularly presented to the Finance & Audit Scrutiny Committee - see minutes and reports	On website
Capital programme		On website
Audit reports	The annual audit inspection letter from the Council’s external auditors, the Audit Commission see Council finances	On website
Members allowances scheme	The scheme for payment of allowances to members. Current details of amounts paid to individual members are available at Riverside House. Details of allowances paid in previous years	On website
Staff allowances and expenses	Details of allowances which may be claimed by staff for travel, subsistence and accommodation	On request at Riverside House
Staff grading and pay structure	Structure charts and staff grading for all employees	On request at Riverside House
Election expenses	Returns of election expenses required to be made to the Returning officer by those standing for election to the Council	On request at Riverside House
Procurement procedures and current contracts	The Council’s procedures for acquiring the goods, services and works it needs to provide its services. Details of current and forthcoming opportunities for doing business with the council	On website
Contracts awarded	Details of the award of contracts which have been tendered, and their value (see ‘Committee Papers’ under ‘How we make decisions’)	On request at Riverside House
Financial statements for projects	For larger capital projects, financial reports on expenditure against budget.	On request at Riverside House
Internal financial regulations	The Council’s internal controls for regulating its finances - See Constitution	On website
Council finances	Details and links to information relating to the council's finances, including budget information, treasury management information, grant schemes, assisted travel scheme, fraud prevention, procurement, payment methods and members allowances	On website

Our priorities and how we are doing

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Corporate Strategy 2008-11	Corporate strategy 2008-11 (1MB, PDF)	On website
Annual Report	Gives an insight into how the income we receive has been spent on delivering services and achieving a range of successes in our priority areas - see link under Financial statements	On website
Service Plans	Various Council services produce annual plans of intended work for the coming year.	On request at Riverside House
Best Value Performance Plan	Produced annually, the Plan sets out achievements over the previous year including performance against nationally set performance indicators. Also looks at aims and ambitions for the future - see Performance Indicators	On website
Warwick District Community Plan 2020	Produced by the Warwick Partnership, this document provides a focus for the various organisations in the partnership to work together and sets priorities for their work - see Community Plan (900kb, PDF)	On website
Council Performance	Details of how the Council assesses its performance, including results - see Council performance	On website
Comprehensive Performance Assessment Report	Report of the inspection carried out by the Audit Commission in 2004 of the Council’s services and operations - see continuous performance assessment	On website
Inspection reports	Reports produced by the Audit Commission of inspections of particular council services - see Statement of Accounts	On website

How we make decisions

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Timetable of council meetings	Dates, times and venues for meetings of the Council, its Committees and other meetings, including information on whether members of the public can attend - see Councillors	On website
Committee papers	Agendas, reports and details of background papers for meetings of the Council, its Committees, working parties, sub-committees and other groups - see Councillors Some background papers may only be available for inspection at Riverside House	On website
Council Constitution	The constitution sets out the rules for how decisions are made and who is authorised to make them	On website
Major policy proposals and decisions	Many of the major policies of the Council, such as the Local Development Framework, go through a lengthy process of public consultation and draft proposals before being completed. Local Plan Local Development Framework Local Development Scheme	On website
Public consultations	The Council carries out frequent consultations with the public. Consultations Strategy, details of current and past consultation exercises, including details of outcomes - see Consultations	On website

Our policies and procedures

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Service Specific Plans and Strategies	The Council has produced a wide range of plans and strategies detailing priorities for particular services. A full list of strategies, plans and policies can be found at Strategies and Policies	On website
Service Standards	Several Services have produced documents detailing the level of service which residents and customers may expect, some examples of which are given below. Parks Customer service charter Customer Services Performance Standards	On website
Policies and procedures for conducting Council business	The Constitution includes standing orders for the conduct of Council business, the powers and duties of committees and matters delegated to officers, and various Codes of Practice to guide the conduct of members and officers.	On website
Policies and Procedures about the recruitment and employment of staff	Equal Opportunities - which relates to recruitment of staff, plus the Equality and Diversity Policy and related action plans, and the Council's Race Equality Scheme 2004-06 Information on the Council's duties in relation to Health and Safety, including a link to the Health and Safety Policy - see Health and safety requirements Details of current vacancies	On website
Personal Data Policy	Data protection	On website
Asset Management Plan	How the Council proposes to manage its land, buildings and other assets, including data - asset management plan (275kb, PDF)	On website
Complaints Procedure	Compliments, complaints, complaints about Councillors and how to contact the Local Government Ombudsman - see compliments and complaints	On website

Lists and registers

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Planning Register	Details of Planning Applications and decisions Decisions taken by Planning Committee, detailed in the minutes	On website or on request at Riverside House
Local Land Charges Register	The Local Land Charges Service is available for those purchasing property and land within the District. A local search discloses to the prospective purchaser information which may affect a particular property or plot of land. The Local Land Charges team maintain an up to date register which provides answers to search enquiries - see Land searches	By written or personal search (fees apply) at Riverside House
Licensing Registers	The Council issues licences, permits & registrations for a wide range of activities including alcohol, entertainment, taxis, lotteries, street trading, street collections, house to house collections & personal treatment licences. Further information, including links to a register of licenses - see Business licenses	On website
Register of Councillors’ financial and other interests	Details of financial and other interests of Councillors	By appointment at Riverside House
Register of gifts and hospitality	Details of gifts and hospitality (over the value of £25) received by Councillors	By appointment at Riverside House
Electoral Register	Information about the Electoral Register, including Frequently Asked Questions and an application form	By appointment at Riverside House, information on website

Services provided by the council

AVAILABLE INFORMATION	WHAT THE INFORMATION COMPRISES	ACCESSIBILITY
Services for business	Business support and advice for local companies, and information for those looking to relocate to the district - see Business	Website
Services for communities	A variety of information relating to births, deaths and marriages, the local community (community safety, services for the elderly, charities, citizens advice, local organisations, what's on), census information and services provided by Warwickshire County Council. A community forum chatroom is also available - See Community	Website
Community Safety	Community safety is the generic term for the statutory responsibilities placed on this authority within the Crime & Disorder Act (1998). A-Z of projects and services covered under community safety Links to information on Safer Neighbourhoods, Crime and Disorder performance, Domestic Violence Services, and the Council’s community safety duty, visions and aims - see Community safety	Website
Environmental Health	The department’s responsibilities include air quality management, environmental protection, food safety, health & safety at work, infectious disease investigation, nuisances (including noise), pest control, animal welfare licensing, dog warden and drainage - see Environmental health	Website
Housing	Apply for a council home, pay council rent or request a housing grant online. Also links to information about affordable housing requirements, council housing (including information on HomeChoice choice-based lettings), housing advice, housing associations and co-operatives, housing finance, improvement and repairs, multiple occupancy homes, private housing, supported and sheltered housing, and housing-related support services - see Housing	Website
Leisure and culture	Arts and entertainment, children's activities, leisure centres and sports, libraries, parks, gardens and recreation, and what's on - See Leisure and culture	Website
Licensing	Alcohol and entertainment licensing, taxi and private hire vehicles, lotteries, street trading, street collections, house to house collections and personal treatment licences - see business licenses	Website
News and communications	News announcements and Communications strategy (275kb, PDF)	Website
Planning and Engineering	Planning and Engineering take responsibility for Planning policy, conservation, planning applications, planning enforcement, development control, building control, building regulations, engineering and floods - see Planning	Website
Tourism	Information for visitors to the area, including places to stay, places to visit and events - see tourism and travel	Website
Waste Management	Waste Management (Rubbish, waste and recycling) including information and online forms for reporting problems and requesting services	Website

Services provided by Warwickshire County Council

For links to services provided by Warwickshire County Council, which include Births, Deaths and Marriages, Highways and Transportation, Libraries, Schools and Education, and Social Care visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk