Requests

� The total number of requests in 2022-2023 was 898. In comparison, the total number of requests in 2021-2022 was 899.

� There is no consistent discernible trend for the number of information requests received per quarter.

� The Council receives more FOI requests than EIR, and following an increase between 2020-2022 this has return to the levels received in 2019-2020. This aligns with the housing rise and fall in house sales, with the majority of EIRs relating to request for information on houses prior to purchase.

� The following departments received the largest volume of requests in 2022-2023: 1. Land Charges, 2. KCC, 3. Housing & Inclusion & Health, 4. Community Protection, 5. Finance. �

� The following departments received the largest volume of requests across all years: 1. Land Charges, 2. KCC, 3. Housing & Inclusion & Health, 4. Council Tax (Shared Service), 5. Community Protection. �

Complaints

Current Process

Stage 1

� The total number of stage 1 complaints in 2022-2023 was 677. In comparison, the total number of stage 1 complaints in 2021-2022 was 681.

� There is no consistent discernible trend for the number of complaints received per quarter.

� The following departments received the largest volume of requests in 2022-2023: 1. Waste � Household, 2. Parking, 3. Development Management, 4. Housing & Inclusion & Health, 5. Planning Enforcement.

� The following departments received the largest volume of requests across all years: 1. Waste � Household, 2. Parking, 3. Development Management, 4. Council Tax (Shared Service) and 5. Housing & Inclusion & Health.

� Waste - Household continues to receive more complaints per quarter than any other department. This is expected as waste affected every household in the Borough.

Stage 2 Assessments

� The total number of stage 2 assessments in 2022-2023 was 144. In comparison, the total number of stage 2 assessments in 2021-2022 was 139.

� During 2022-2023, 51% of assessment has an outcome not upheld.

� The three departments with most stage 2 assessments remain consistent with Household Waste, Development Management and Parking, respectively taking the top three places.

Stage 2

� The total number of stage 2 complaints in 2022-2023 was 63. In comparison, the total number of stage 2 complaints in 2021-2022 was 95.

� The number of stage 2 complaints has decreased in 2022-2023, from 95 to 63 owing to changes in the assessment process.

� Of the escalated complaints in 2022-2023 13 were not upheld. The reminder were either upheld (31) or partially upheld (19). �

� The department with the highest number of upheld complaints is Household Waste. The number of complaints for Household Waste exceeds all others. Of those complaint for Household Waste, 5 were not upheld and the remainder were either upheld (15) or partially upheld (27).�

MP Correspondence

� The total number of correspondence in 2022-2023 was 262. In comparison, the total number of requests in 2021-2022 was 257.

� The total number of correspondence from MPs in each quarter of 2022-2023 ranged between 53-71. This equates to an average of 66 per quarter.

� The department with the highest number of recorded correspondence was Housing & Inclusion & Health, with 120.

Data Protection

Breaches

� The total number of breaches in 2022-2023 was 53. In comparison, the total number of breaches in 2021-2022 was 29.

� The number of data breaches increased in 2022-2023. However, there are no discernible causes that attribute the number of breaches to a particular time of year.

� The most common cause for breaches is a loss of confidentiality. This is typically caused by post or e-mails being sent to the wrong person. �

� Breaches are assessed on a risk matrix, as shown below, based on severity against likelihood of harm. The majority of Council breaches are low risk.

Rights Requests

� There are 7 types of rights requests including: subject access requests and erasure requests. The Council received more subject access requests when compared to all the other types of rights requests. ��

� The total number of rights requests in 2022-2023 was 66. In comparison, the total number of rights requests in 2021-2022 was 40.

� The number of requests for these have steadily been increasing since the implementation of GDPR in May 2018.

Information Sharing Requests

� The total number of sharing requests in 2022-2023 was 510. In comparison, the total number of sharing requests in 2021-2022 was 318.

� Over the past three years there has been an increase in the number of requests received. The majority of requests are received from the police. �

� The total number of information sharing request received from Kent Police in 2022-2023 was 510, compared to 318 in the previous year.