See answers to previous information requests

Please provide the following information for the most recent full financial year available:

1. The total number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests handled.
We are unable to differentiate between FOI requests and EIR requests on our system. Therefore this figure relates to both FOI and EIR: 1362
We are able to report on Subject Access separately so this figure is not included here.

2. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) and part-time employees involved in handling FOI requests.
Two individuals (2 FTE) in the central team that log, process and respond to applicants requests. There are numerous individuals around the Council who act as super-users for their area which get allocated the request then liaise with the relevant people in the department. There will be a number of individuals who then provide the information to answer the questions – we do not hold the FTE or number of staff for this.
Internal reviews are carried out by our Legal Services team. Currently there are three individuals who mainly pick up these requests, but could be allocated to any solicitor if required. We do not have details of the FTE on this.

3. The names of any software systems or tools used by the FOI team to manage or track requests.
AXLR8

4. The total annual cost of those software systems.
£6,660 (Including VAT)

5. Any statistics or recorded information showing the average, median, and (if available) upper-quartile time spent per FOI request.
Average: £22.67
Median: £12.50
Upper-quartile: £25.00

6. The total salary cost of each employee (or, if easier, the total salary expenditure for all FOI-handling staff).
This is set on the system as £25 per hour for each individual. This time and cost is set by the Information Commissioners Office. The total cost spent on FOI for 2024-25 financial year was £69,576.83

7. Copies of any internal communications, reports, or evaluations discussing the cost or effectiveness of FOI handling.
We do not hold any information in relation to the cost or effectiveness of FOI handling. Reports are published in the SIRO report annually which is available on the Councils website if you require it. This may have been held in the past when FOI was new and being established but we do not hold anything recent.

8. Confirmation of whether the system used for FOI handling is also used for Subject Access Requests, complaints, or any other casework.
Yes the system is used for Environmental Information Regulations, Subject Access requests, Rights requests – Erasure, Portability, etc and we are in the process of getting another module to allow us to log Data Breaches on it.