Freedom of information (FOI) releases from Oxford City Council

This is a disclosure log of Oxford City 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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372 disclosures

  1. Please read and respond with the requested Noise Complaint Data below. We have included an excel response template which you can use to fill in your survey responses as well as a copy of this survey on word on our website here. 1) Your name _________________________________________________ 2) Your email _________________________________________________ 3) For which local authority or shared service are you submitting data? * _________________________________________________ 4) Which region is your local authority in? ( ) South East ( ) South West ( ) Greater London ( ) East of England ( ) West Midlands ( ) East Midlands ( ) Yorkshire and the Humber ( ) North East ( ) North West ( ) Wales 5) What is the total number of noise complaints your LA received during the period 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025? * _________________________________________________ 6) Within the total number of noise complaints received can you clarify how many were/are: * 1. Resolved without further contact other than issue of standard notification, e.g. issue of standard letters, diary sheets or initial verbal advice. 2. Resolved through informal action e.g. telephone call letter(s), site meeting(s) etc. 3. Require formal action e.g. Abatement notice, Community Protection Warning, Closure Order, Planning intervention, Control of Pollution Act 1974 notice etc. 4. Ongoing complaints awaiting resolution. 5. Resolved following prosecution. 6. Duplicate/invalid complaints. Please answer to the best of your ability. If you do not record this information as individual codes on your database, please answer as ‘Information not recorded’. 7) Please indicate the total number for each of the actions listed below during the period 1st October 2024 to 30th September 2025 * : Environmental Protection Act 1990 Abatement notice (for any noise related nuisance) Environmental Protection Act 1990 Prosecution for failure to comply with requirements of Section 80 abatement notice Environmental Protection Act 1990 Works in default e.g. seizure of equipment Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 Community Protection Notice – Noise Control of Pollution Act 1974 Section 60/61 Notice – Construction Noise Control of Pollution Act 1974 Section 62 Notice - Loudspeakers in streets Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005 Section 77 - Silencing of Intruder Alarms Licensing Act 2003 Formal review process associated with the Licence Condition Town & Country Planning Act 1990 – Advice provided, conditions sought, enforcement visit Noise Act 1996 – Any use 8) Do you use the Noise App or any other kind of app-based technology as part of your service for service users to submit evidence? * Yes / No If so, how many different users were recorded in the period 1st October 2024 – 30th September 2025? 9) Does your LA record a breakdown of noise complaints by noise source? * ( ) Yes ( ) No If yes, please provide by way of screenshots or other means your breakdown of noise complaints by noise source. 10) If you were to receive a complaint about noise from an air source heat pump installed at a domestic premises, into which of the codes/categories existing within your database would the complaint fall? * 11) How many noise complaints relating to the following potential sources of noise nuisance has your local authority received between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025? * • Wind turbine(s) • House alleged or proven to have been rented out as a short term let or a holiday let e.g. Air BNB • Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) • Domestic battery storage • Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) generators 12) If applicable, how many noise complaints relating to air source heat pumps (ASHP) installed at domestic properties that were received between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025 has of today been found to be justified following investigation? 13) What was/were the main cause or causes of the interference in justified complaints relating to air source heat pumps between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025? 14) Does your current database provide the functionality to create new codes to reflect the introduction of newer sources of complaint like the above in Q11? * Yes / No 15) If an officer was to be investigating a complaint about an Air Source Heat Pump, what guidance apart from the IoA/CIEH (2022) guidance would your officers refer to? * Please either specify “No other guidance” or identify other guidance. 16) What is the total Full Time Equivalent (FTE) capacity allocated to working on noise and nuisance complaints at your Local Authority? * Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) = Total hours worked by Part-Time and Full-Time Employees ÷ Number of available Full-Time hours in year 17) Please provide the hourly rates for the 2024/2025 financial year for all of the different grades of Officers who may be involved in a prosecution under any of the legislation listed in question 7. * 18) Please can you supply an anonymised or template copy of the authorisation granted to officers who routinely deal with nuisances so that we can identify the breadth of scope of the legislation you utilise. 19) What means do you use to try to prevent noise nuisance complaints or situations from escalating? Please tick all that apply or specify where not already listed: a) Involvement in Licensing Act 2003 process(es) to identify and design out problems b) Involvement in planning permission process(es) to identify and design out problems (Town & Country Planning Act) c) Use of either in-house or third-party mediation service(s) d) Other – please specify 20) Do you operate a noise investigation service that operates out of normal office hours/overnight? * () Yes () No If yes, please share a hyperlink that describes the hours of operation and what the service entails. 21) This year, we are hoping to gather case studies of successful interventions to give the final report more impact and to explain the great work being done by Environmental Health teams. Would you be happy for us to contact you with further questions about your prosecutions or project work in relation to noise? ( ) Yes ( ) No 22) Is there anything else you would like to add to your submission? Thank you for your time.

    Published: 24 March 2026

  2. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information. 1. Please confirm whether the council owns, wholly or partially, any shopping centres or multi-tenant retail centres. 2. If so, please list the name of each centre. 3. For each centre please provide the following information for the last five financial years: • Name of the building insurer • Insurance broker (if applicable) • Insurance policy renewal date (month is sufficient) • Number of insurance claims made against the centre per year • Total value of claims paid per year 1. Please confirm whether the shopping centre is insured individually or as part of a wider council property insurance programme.

    Published: 23 March 2026

  3. Dear Oxford City Council, Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information relating to use of PSPO’s and CPN powers in your local area between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2024: 1. Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs): a. How many PSPOs are currently active in your local area? b. How many were introduced in each year 2020–2024? c. If available, what behaviours do these PSPOs restrict (e.g. busking, begging, loitering, amplification, rough sleeping/sleeping in vehicle, feeding birds/animals, car cruising, making noise, swearing or foul/abusive language, gatherings outside abortion clinics) d. How many Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for breach of PSPOs in this period? e. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for PSPOs issued in this period. 2. Community Protection Notices (CPNs): a. How many CPN warnings and full CPNs were issued annually between 2020–2024? b. If available, what were the most common reasons for issuing CPNs (e.g. bird feeding, barking dogs, begging, shouting/swearing, messy/overgrown gardens, neighbour disputes, repairing vehicles on the road, loitering, bonfires, breach of PSPO, drug use, sex work) c. How many breaches of CPNs resulted in prosecution or further enforcement? d. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for CPNs issued in this period. If possible, please also briefly outline how this data is typically stored and retained (e.g. database system, format, retention period). I am happy to receive the response in spreadsheet or plain text format.

    Published: 19 March 2026

  4. Who does the authority partner with to purchase their cyber security solutions? * Which supplier provides the authority's endpoint solution software? * When is the current renewal date for the authority's endpoint solution software? * Does the authority carry out penetration tests and if so, when was the last test carried out? I am keen to understand the security in place at the authority to protect citizen's data.

    Published: 19 March 2026

  5. I would like to make the following request for information about your authority's use of CPN and PSPO powers. CPNs 1. Please state the number of Community Protection Notices (CPNs) issued by your authority in the periods: a. November 2023-October 2024; b. November 2024-October 2025. Please also state the number of Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) issued within these periods. 2. If possible, please state the subject of these CPNs/CPWs - for example, by providing the texts, or stating the subject matter of the orders (e.g. Litter, waste, ASB). 3. Please state the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued for the offence of breach of CPN between November 2024-October 2025. Please state the offences for which these FPNs were issued. PSPOs 4. Please state the number of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) currently live within your authority. 5. Please provide a link to the PSPO texts online. If no link is available, please attach the PSPO texts. 6. Please state the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued for the offence of violating a PSPO in the following calendar years: - a. 2024 - b. 2025 7. Where possible, please state the offences for which these PSPO FPNs were issued (eg begging, alcohol, dog control, dispersal). 8. Please state whether these PSPO FPNs were issued by a private company (Y/N). If so, please state the name of the company. Many thanks and all the best,

    Published: 19 March 2026

  6. I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please provide the following information for the most recent period available: * A list of residential properties currently subject to a Council Tax Empty Homes Premium * The address of each property, including postcode * The date the premium was first applied to each property * The level of premium applied (for example 100%, 200%, or 300%) This request is for property address data only and does not seek any personal data relating to any individual or council taxpayer. The requested information pertains solely to the tax status of a property. I would prefer to receive the information in a spreadsheet format such as CSV or Excel.

    Published: 18 March 2026

  7. I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) to request the following: 1. Please provide any information regarding the council’s grey/green belt reviews to date. 1. How many sites have you identified as being grey belt * And what is the acreage of these sites individually. By green/grey belt, I am referring to the environmental land classification set out in this framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2

    Published: 13 March 2026

  8. Dear Oxford City Council FOI Team, 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: 9 March 2026

  9. We are writing to make an information request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We seek information regarding your authority's regulations on the recreational use of drones from land under your jurisdiction. 1. Do you have any byelaws that are used to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the recreational use of drones from land under your jurisdiction? If yes, please provide: a) The dates of each byelaw. b) A digital copy of the byelaws or a direct link to the specific document or webpage where the information can be accessed. 2. Do you have any Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) that are used to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the recreational use of drones from land under your jurisdiction? If yes, please provide: a) The dates of each PSPO. b) The locations and areas these PSPOs cover. c) A digital copy of the PSPOs or a direct link to the specific document or webpage where the information can be accessed. 3. Do you have any policies that are used to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the recreational use of drones from land under your jurisdiction? If yes, please provide: a) The dates of each policy. b) A digital copy of the policies or a direct link to the specific document or webpage where the information can be accessed.

    Published: 25 February 2026

  10. Please advise: 1. The details of any office accommodation your organisation provides to staff to carry out trade union business. Please include details of: * space measured in square feet * how much of this space is contained within entirely separate buildings (i.e. occupied solely by staff carrying out trade union business) * whether a professional valuation of the market rental value of the space has been sought either in-house or externally, and if so, what the valuation of the space was * any charges the council levy for office space given to trade unions. 2. Do you deduct trade union subscriptions for any of your employees via payroll (sometimes known as the "check off" system)? If so, do you charge a fee to the trade unions concerned for providing this service? 3. With regard to trade union facility time, please provide the total cost of facility time from your pay bill for the financial year 2023/24 and the budget for the current financial year. Please also advise the current number of employees that you fund to be union officials, measured as full time equivalents? (For guidance on definitions please refer to the Government's Transparency Code for local government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-transparency-code-2015/local-government-transparency-code-2015) 4. Please advise any estimates for other costs met for those staff on trade union facility time apart from salaries - including travel expenses, office supplies, telephone expenses and energy bills.

    Published: 19 February 2026