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Governance Directorate

Director of Governance: M D Lambert LLB (Hons), MBA.

Civic Centre  Carlisle  CA3 8QG  Telephone (01228) 817000 Fax (01228) 817072

Document Exchange Quote DX 63037 Carlisle  Type Talk 18001 01228 817000

Mr P Bell
e-mail / Please ask for: / Clare Furlong
Direct Line: / 01228 817165
E-mail: /
Your ref.:
Our ref.: / EIR12-4773

9 September 2015

Dear Mr Bell

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2004 - INFORMATION REQUEST

The information you requested is enclosed.

The supply of information in response to an Environmental Information Regulations request does not confer an automatic right to re-use the information. Under UK copyright law you can use any information supplied for the purposes of private study and non-commercial research without requiring permission. Similarly, information supplied can also be re-used for the purposes of news reporting. An exception to this is photographs.

For other forms of re-use, for example publishing the information, you would need the permission of the organisation or person who owns the copyright. In the case of information produced by Carlisle City Council you can re-use the information under the Open Government Licence. For information about this please see

If, however, the copyright is identified as belonging to somebody else, you will need to apply for permission. For information about how to obtain permission from a third party, please go to Intellectual Property Office’s website at

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to me at the above address. An independent reviewing officer unconnected with the original request will review the decision.

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545745.

Yours sincerely

Clare Furlong

CLARE FURLONG

Corporate Information Officer

Response

Could you please provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

In each of the last 5 calendar years and in the year to date (reporting each year separately):

a) How many complaints has the Council received in respect of properties where one potential response to the complaint would be the issue of a section 215 notice or the issue of a warning letter prior to the issue of a section 215 notice

2010 - 14

2011 - 13

2012 - 10

2013 -14

2014 - 15

2015 - 10

b) How many warning letters were the Council minded to issue

2010 - 11

2011 - 10

2012 - 6

2013 - 8

2014 - 7

2015 - 6

c) How many warning letters were issued

2010 - 6

2011 - 9

2012 - 6

2013 - 6

2014 - 7

2015 - 2

d) How many section 215 notices has the Council issued

2010 - 1

2011 - 3

2012 - 3

2013 - 0

2014 - 1

2015 - 2

e) Of those section 215 notices issued, how many have been appealed

None for all years.

f) What is the current status of the section 215 notices issued (resolved/outstanding/appealed/ etc)

2010 - resolved

2011 - all resolved

2012 - all resolved

2013 - n/a

2014 - resolved

2015 - one resolved, one outstanding

g) What is the Councils budget in respect of section 215 notices for each year and what was the expenditure actually incurred for each year

The council does not have a specific budget, but did spend money on two cases. One case in 2013 involved the cutting down of trees and vegetation from a domestic garden and removing the same, the hire of skips, machinery, erection of fence panels and labour amounting to £2,262.50. A second case in 2014 involved the hire of skips at a domestic property in the sum of £250.00.

h) How many days of officer’s time has been taken up considering and dealing with section 215 notices and consideration of matters where a section 215 notice may be an appropriate response

We do not hold this information under regulation 12(4)(a) Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

i) Was the issue of section 215 notices subject to the Scheme of Delegation for each of those years, and if so, to whom was the power to issue section 215 notices delegated

Authorisation of Section 215 notices is subject to delegation by the Director of Economic Development and the Director of Governance.

j) Has the Council at any time in committee or sub-committee debated or considered its policy on section 215 notices and could you provide copies of any minutes where a section 215 notice is mentioned

Please provide a copy of the Council’s currently agreed policy on section 215 notices and the date and copies of the minutes of the meeting where this policy was adopted.

There is no specific policy in respect of Section 215 issues. I have enclosed a copy of a report relating to a particular Section 215 matter in 2013.

Please provide a copy of the Planning Enforcement register for each of the last five calendar years and the year to date.

Please find attached.

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