Latest news with #FOI)Act
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Amount of council tax owed to Wrexham Council revealed
The Leader recently submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to the council. In that, we asked the to provide provide; the total amount of outstanding council tax owed to Wrexham Council as of the most recent date available. We also asked for their the methods they use to recover these outstanding council tax debts and the total amount of council tax debt that has been written off in the past two years. In their response, they confirmed that a total amount of outstanding council tax owed to them is currently £11,741,072.47. TOP STORIES Cost of reverting 52 roads back to 30mph in Wrexham revealed Taxi driver to lose job after speeding in 20mph zone saw him stripped of licence 'Totally unique' floating markets to visit North Wales later this month They added: "Many accounts are on long term arrangements, or subject to Attachments of Earnings, Attachments of Benefits, or Enforcement Agent Action." They added that a sum of £988,000 has been written off over the last two years. Reasons for write-offs include bankruptcy, insolvency and deaths. Richard Weigh, Wrexham Council's chief officer for finance and ICT, said: 'Councils all over the country continue to face really tough financial challenges, and council tax plays a crucial role in helping to support the public services that all communities rely on. "So, it's important that we take action to recover council tax arrears in accordance with regulations. 'However, we know these are difficult times, and when residents contact the council about arrears, we do provide advice and support, and offer signposting where appropriate to various organisations and departments - both in-house and externally."
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Anwar: Stronger whistleblower protection, new Freedom of Information law by year-end
PUTRAJAYA: The government will table a revamped Whistleblower Protection Act and introduce a new Freedom of Information (FOI) Act by year-end, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today. He said the whistleblower law will be strengthened by removing previous exclusions and establishing an independent Whistleblower Protection Committee to ensure proper oversight. 'We are committed to offering broader and more meaningful safeguards for those who report misconduct,' Anwar said at the Malaysia International Conference on Governance and Integrity 2025. He also said the new FOI Act would provide the public genuine access to government decisions, reinforcing transparency and public accountability. 'This is a crucial step toward building trust and encouraging informed democratic participation,' he said. 'These reforms show our resolve to create strong, fair and transparent institutions that act with integrity for all Malaysians.'
Powys County Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Powys council misses information request deadlines
The number of requests for information met on time by Powys County Council plummeted during 2023/4, a meeting has heard. At a meeting of Powys County Council's Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet senior councillors received a historic annual report on Information Governance covering 2023/2024. The report showed that during that year the council received a total of 1,271 information requests under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Subject Access Requests (SAR), 16 per cent up on the 1,093 received in 2022/2023. FOI and EIR requests are supposed to receive an answer within 20 working days while for SAR the deadline is 30 days. The performance during 2023/2024 saw was 73 per cent for FOI, 77 per cent for EIR and for SARs only 32 per cent were completed on time. This is down on the 84 per cent for both FOI and EIRs and 57 per cent for SARs that the council achieved in 2022/2023. The Information Commissioner expects the compliance rate to be at 90 per cent. The report explains that the team have had staffing issues during the reporting period. Cllr Raiff Devlin (Liberal Democrat) who was installed as the cabinet member customers, digital and customer services only last month said that an 'Information Management, Assurance, and Governance plan' was in place to try and improve things. As of the end of March last year only 35 per cent of this plan had been completed. Cllr Devlin said: 'Further work is required to meet the targets. 'Compliance rates have seen a decline, and this is as a result of resource challenges within the department. '66 per cent of non-compliant responses were due to delays in the provision of information by the service enabling a response to be drafted or released. 'Complaints to the commissioner are mainly linked to late requests.' 'The commissioner made decisions on two complaints, over an exemption applied and information held. 'The commissioner found in favour of the council on both occasions.' He said that the report provided 'reasonable assurance' that the council's arrangements and plan 'adequately' reflect the principles of good information governance. Cllr Devlin added: 'It is important to note that this report is from 2023/2024 and many of the forward plan priorities have already been actioned by the department and that the 2024/2025 report is in development.'
Leader Live
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
REVEALED: How much North Wales Police spends on drones
A Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request published on its website asked: "For each year between 2020 and 2024, how many drones has your police force operated?" and "How much money has been invested in your police forces drone program, for each year between 2020 and 2024?" That revealed that between 2020-2022, the force had four drones in their ranks, which cost £405,768 (Only started towards end of financial year 2020/21, so 2020/21 and 2021/22 costs included). In 2022/23, that moved up to seven drones at a cost of £398,784. In 2023/24, that figure was 11 drones at a cost of £488,229. And this year, the total now stands at 15 drones used by the force, at a cost of £581,725. The drones are used in a number of cases, for example, to track down missing people or to catch criminals red handed. The FOI further reveals that North Wales Police operates a dedicated team of drone operators and additional pilots who have other primary roles. It also adds that training a drone pilot costs around £1,000 with a course taking place over 13 days. The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin, hailed the use of drones as an 'indispensable part of policing'. He added that there are plans in place to continue investing in such technology to deal with 'challenges' face within policing. READ MORE Mr Dunbobbin said: "In recent years, the use of drones has become an indispensable part of policing and fighting crime. "For example, they have proved effective in cases of missing persons, where drones are able to scan landscapes and reach remote locations faster and more effectively than traditional means. "Prior to becoming Police and Crime Commissioner, I had a professional background in IT and the digital sphere and so I recognise how important it is to keep pace with changes in technology. "My Police and Crime Plan for North Wales pledges to continue to invest in technology and digital skills to deal with the challenges we face in policing, both now and into the future. "I fully support North Wales Police and their drone unit in making the most of drones and other developing technologies for the benefit of the public and in fighting crime.'
Leader Live
25-05-2025
- Leader Live
REVEALED: Number of LEGO thefts recorded in north Wales
The Leader has recently been taking a look through North Wales Police's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act archives. One request made asked for; 'The number of recorded shoplifting and burglary offences where 'LEGO' is explicitly mentioned in police reports, broken down by year?' That FOI reveals that the following LEGO thefts were made over the last four years; 2021 - 5 2022 - 6 2023 - 17 2024 - 9 2025 (so far) - 6 That gives a total of 43 LEGO thefts. Among the shops stolen from are B&M, Smyths Toy Stores and Game sites located across north Wales. Listed among the reports of thefts in 2021 was an incident where a man attempted to steal £700 worth of LEGO. In 2022, there was a case where distraction techniques were used by two men. One distracted staff members, while another stole four big LEGO sets to the value of £676. TOP STORIES TODAY Among the long list in 2023 were a £300 haul being stolen and a further case of a £280 quantity of LEGO stolen. Last year saw a man and a woman enter an ASDA store and steal LEGO sets, along with various other toys and items, by concealing them in a pram buggy All in all, the FOI shows that at least £3,500 of LEGO has either been stolen or attempted to be stolen from north Wales shops (Total worth of stolen items are not given in some cases). North Wales Police has been approached for further comment as to just why people target LEGO specifically. A staple of many childhoods, LEGO also has links with Wrexham, having once been manufactured and distributed in the county. Initially, the world-famous bricks were produced in a factory on Hugmore Lane on Wrexham Industrial Estate in the early 1960s. Later LEGO built a new UK distribution centre on Ruthin Road, featuring three giant LEGO bricks outside. The site closed in 2000.
