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.

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

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386 disclosures

  1. Freedom of Information Act 2000 — Broad Street / Oxford Martyrs conservation documentation

    1. Broad Street Conservation Area Appraisal The current or most recent Conservation Area Character Appraisal or Conservation Area Appraisal for the Broad Street conservation area (or any conservation area that includes the site of the Oxford Martyrs executions, 1555–1556). 2. Martyrs' Memorial significance documentation Any heritage statements or significance assessments produced by or held by the council in connection with the Martyrs' Memorial (Beaumont Street / St Giles), including any documentation produced in connection with planning applications or listed building consent applications affecting the memorial. 3. Any local designation or management documents Any documents held by the council that address the heritage significance of Broad Street or the surrounding area specifically in relation to the Protestant martyrdom of Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer.

    Published: 16 April 2026

  2. FOI request: Use of AI

    I am submitting an FOI request seeking to understand how public bodies are exploring or applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support service delivery. These questions are intended to gather insights into current practice, governance, and future planning. They should not be interpreted as critical; we are simply researching how public services are approaching emerging technologies. Please provide answers to the following: 1. AI Use in Operations 1. Does your organisation currently use any form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or automated systems in its operations? * If yes, please list the tools or systems in use and provide a brief description of their purpose (e.g., administrative support, triage, analytics, chatbot services, etc.). * If not, please state whether your organisation has explored or piloted any AI-based technologies in the past 3 years. 2. AI for Decision-Making 2. Does your organisation use AI or algorithmic systems to support or inform decision-making in any area (e.g., resource allocation, risk assessments, case prioritisation)? * If yes, please describe the type of decision-making supported and the nature of the AI's role (e.g., advisory, automated assessment, automated decision). * Please also confirm whether human oversight is applied. 3. AI Chatbots and Customer Interaction 3. Does your organisation currently use chatbots or virtual assistants-AI-driven or rules-based-to support public enquiries or internal staff functions? * If yes, please specify their purpose, whether they are AI-based, and when they were implemented. 4. Policies and Governance 4. Does your organisation have any formal policy, strategy, or guidance relating to the use of Artificial Intelligence or automated decision-making? * If yes, please supply a copy or provide a link. * If not, please indicate whether such a policy is in development. 5. Data Protection and Ethics 5. If AI systems are used, what measures or frameworks does your organisation have in place to ensure: * Compliance with data protection and privacy obligations * Transparency for service users * Ethical or responsible use (For example, DPIAs, algorithmic impact assessments, ethical guidelines-if applicable.) 6. Trials, Pilots, or Future Plans 7. Has your organisation run any pilots, trials, or exploratory projects involving AI in the last 3 years, or does it plan to do so in the next 12-24 months? * If yes, please provide brief details of the purpose, timeline, and status of these initiatives. 7. Staff Training and Awareness 8. Does your organisation provide any training, guidance, or internal communications to staff relating to AI, its use, or its implications? * If yes, please describe the type of training or include documents if available. If any of the above information is already publicly accessible, please feel free to provide links instead of attachments. Thank you for your time and assistance.

    Published: 16 April 2026

  3. FOI Request - Surveillance and Facial Recognition

    I am writing to request the following documents under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, relating to the council's CCTV infrastructure and any use of artificial intelligence or facial recognition technology. Please provide, for the period 1 January 2023 to the date of this request: 1. Any Cabinet or committee reports concerning the procurement, deployment, or proposed deployment of AI-assisted CCTV cameras or facial recognition technology (live or retrospective) in public spaces. 2. Any Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) completed or in progress in relation to facial recognition technology or AI-assisted surveillance systems. 3. Any agreements, memoranda of understanding, or data-sharing arrangements between the council and police forces relating to facial recognition technology or CCTV footage. If the council has not deployed or considered deploying such technology, a brief confirmation of this would be appreciated. If any part of this request falls outside the scope of FOI, please advise which exemptions apply and respond to the remainder. Should the council consider that complying with this request would exceed the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I ask that rather than refusing the request outright, the council contacts me to discuss how the request might be refined or prioritised to bring it within the limit. I would also ask that the council provides an explanation of which elements of the request it considers would exceed the limit, and why. Where the council considers applying any exemption to withhold information, I ask that it gives full consideration to the public interest in disclosure. The deployment of facial recognition technology and AI-assisted surveillance in public spaces is a matter of significant and legitimate public concern, engaging issues of civil liberties, algorithmic bias, data protection, and the proportionate use of state power. In my view, the public interest in transparency about how councils are using or planning to use such technologies, and on what legal and ethical basis, strongly favours disclosure. I would be grateful for a response within the statutory 20 working days.

    Published: 16 April 2026

  4. FOI request - Council electricity tariffs and renewable electricity generation -Climate Emergency UK

    Please treat this as a Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulations request. I would like information about your council's electricity sources in relation to climate action for the Council Climate Action Scorecards. This information may be held by an estates department or similar. In particular, please supply me with information relating to the following questions: a. Does the council have a 100% renewable green electricity tariff for all of the electricity that the council is directly responsible for? This includes all electricity that the council is directly responsible for, in council offices and any other buildings leased and managed by the council where the council pays the electricity tariff. This does not include your heating (unless electric) and/or gas bill. This does not include homes owned or managed by the council. If unsure, please state your provider and tariff. b. Does the council buy directly from a local renewable electricity source or have its own renewable electricity sources (wind, solar or hydro)? And if so, what percentage of the council's total electricity use is powered by this/these renewable electricity sources? This includes council owned renewable electricity sources that are located outside of the council area, such as solar farms located further south to maximise energy generation.

    Published: 16 April 2026

  5. Apprenticeship Levy Account Management

    I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please can you provide the following: The name, job title, and department of the individual(s) responsible for managing your organisation’s Apprenticeship Levy account. 2. Contact details for this individual or team (email address preferred). 3. If applicable, details of any processes or criteria your council uses when considering Apprenticeship Levy transfers to external organisations.

    Published: 14 April 2026

  6. Cyber security breaches

    Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information for each calendar year from 2020 to 2026 inclusive: 1. The number of cyber security breaches that have being identified that were found to be a result of a malicious threat actor (i.e. not accidental data breach) 2. The breakdown in high-level causes of these breaches as identified by cyber security incident response teams (CSIRTs), for example (but not limited to) unpatched software/hardware, lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA), leaked user credentials, lack of in-transit encryption, etc 3. The number of breaches that occurred that were attributed to a previously known vulnerability to the organisations hardware, software, policies, or processes, for example where system was known to be at risk due to being unpatched or out of support, or security controls were recommended but not enforced, and was defined within the resulting incident response report. 4. The estimated combined costs incurred as a result of cyber security breaches defined in request number one in each year. No specific details are requested in relation to software/hardware utilisation, but rather high-level causes of breaches. I believe the high-level nature of this request does not allow for the use of s.31(1)(a) of the FOIA as this would not be likely to prejudice the security of your systems or data, as these are historical incidents which have since been dealt with. The public interest in understanding breach causes across public sector organisations outweighs the public interest in the exemption.

    Published: 13 April 2026

  7. FOI team information

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information for the most recent full financial year available: 1. The total number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests handled. 2. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) and part-time employees involved in handling FOI requests. 3. The names of any software systems or tools used by the FOI team to manage or track requests. 4. The total annual cost of those software systems. 5. Any statistics or recorded information showing the average, median, and (if available) upper-quartile time spent per FOI request. 6. The total salary cost of each employee (or, if easier, the total salary expenditure for all FOI-handling staff). 7. Copies of any internal communications, reports, or evaluations discussing the cost or effectiveness of FOI handling. 8. Confirmation of whether the system used for FOI handling is also used for Subject Access Requests, complaints, or any other casework.

    Published: 10 April 2026

  8. FOI - Subject Access Requests

    Dear Sir/Madam, Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request information regarding Subject Access Requests (SARs) received by your Council. For ease of response, I have structured this request into clearly defined questions with simple response formats. Where exact figures are unavailable, informed estimates are acceptable. Section 1: SAR Volume Please provide the total number of Subject Access Requests received: Financial Year Number of SARs Received 2022/23 (April 2022 - March 2023) 2023/24 (April 2023 - March 2024) 2024/25 (April 2024 - March 2025) Section 2: Processing Time and Staff Costs What is the estimated average number of staff hours spent processing each SAR (including searching, collation, review, and redaction)? Average hours per SAR? Which salary band best represents the staff primarily responsible for processing SARs? (Select one) ☐ Under £30,000 per annum ☐ £30,000 - £40,000 per annum ☐ £40,000 - £50,000 per annum ☐ £50,000 - £65,000 per annum ☐ Over £65,000 per annum ☐ Mixed/varies significantly across departments Approximately how many FTE (full-time equivalent) staff are dedicated to SAR processing? Estimated FTE for SAR processing = Section 3: External Costs Please provide the total expenditure on external SAR support (e.g., solicitors, consultants, redaction services) Costs can be approximate however must be indicated as such: Financial Year External Spend (£) 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 If no external services were used, please state "Nil". Section 4: Compliance and Timeliness Please provide the following compliance data: Financial Year Completed Within 30 Days Required Extension Total SARs 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 How many SARs are currently open or overdue? Current backlog (open/overdue) = Section 5: Complaints and Quality Please provide the following quality indicators: Financial Year ICO Complaints SARs Requiring Re-work 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 If none, please state "Nil". Has the ICO taken any enforcement action regarding SAR handling in the past three years? ☐ Yes ☐ No Section 6: Current Tools and Methods What software or tools are currently used to manage and process SARs? (Select all that apply) ☐ Spreadsheet (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets) ☐ General case management system ☐ Specialist SAR/DSAR software. Name of software__________________________ ☐ Social Care Case Management System (e.g., Liquid Logic, Mosaic) ☐ Document Management System (e.g., SharePoint, OpenText) ☐ Email/manual process only ☐ Other (please specify): _______________ Is any element of your SAR process currently automated? (Select all that apply) ☐ Automated searching across systems ☐ Automated redaction ☐ Automated tracking and deadline alerts ☐ Automated response/correspondence generation ☐ No automation currently in place Section 7: SAR Processing Responsibility Which role(s) or department(s) are primarily responsible for processing SARs? (Select all that apply) ☐ Information Governance Team ☐ Data Protection Officer / DPO ☐ Legal Services ☐ HR / People Services ☐ Children's Services ☐ Adult Social Care ☐ Individual service departments (for records within their area) ☐ External provider ☐ Other (please specify): _______________ Name the top 3 departments to which SARs were aimed. 1 2 3 Section 8: Complexity Indicators On average, how many separate systems are searched per SAR? (Select one) ☐ 1-2 ☐ 3-5 ☐ 6-10 ☐ More than 10 On average, how many pages are reviewed per SAR? (Select one) ☐ Under 50 ☐ 50-200 ☐ 201-500 ☐ 501-1,000 ☐ Over 1,000 ☐ Unknown How many SARs required consultation with third parties (e.g., NHS, schools, police, external agencies)? Financial Year Third Party Consultations 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 If any part of this request cannot be answered, please provide what information is available and explain why the remainder is not held or exempt. I would prefer to receive this information electronically.

    Published: 10 April 2026

  9. Pets in temporary / emergency accommodation

    Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information: 1. Does your council accommodate pets (excluding guide dogs and trained assistance animals) in council provided / arranged temporary accommodation? 1. Does your council accommodate pets (excluding guide dogs and trained assistance animals) in council provided / arranged emergency accommodation (specifically for people who are considered legally homeless / threatened with homelessness)? 1. Are your responses to questions one and two formalised council policies? 1. Does your council work with any partners on the provision of pet-friendly temporary or emergency accommodation, OR has your council worked with any partners on the provision of pet-friendly temporary or emergency accommodation at any point since 1st January 2023 and now? 1. Does your council (at the time of writing) work with AT LEAST ONE temporary or emergency accommodation provider that will accept pets (not taking into account whether they are available / have vacancies at the present time)? Please kindly provide a response within 20 working days in the form of a PDF.

    Published: 10 April 2026

  10. FOI: Business rates by year

    I am requesting the following information for each of the financial years 2019/20 through to 2024/25, or as many of those years as your authority holds data for: * The total number of businesses or properties liable for business rates within your local authority area; and * The total income received by the council from business rates (if not already published). If any information is unavailable, please provide as much as is available.

    Published: 9 April 2026