Date:20 June 2014

MsEmmaSmith

DearMsSmith

Re: Freedom of Information request number 4209

Thank you for your request for information. The details below have been supplied in response to your request. I hope the information supplied satisfies your original request.

Your request:

(A) The amount that Thurrock Borough Council spent on traffic related works in each of the past 3 financial years to date; To assist you further as in traffic related works eg; Renewal of Double Yellow Lines, installing "No Entry" road signs etc

(B) The procedure that the council take when received a traffic related request from members of the public, councillors and so on eg; Normally within 3 weeks of requests being received a traffic engineer will visit location of request and revert back the council with their findings etc

(C) If traffic related works are carried out by in-house staff; if not the names of companies that the council have used to carry on the works on their behalf in each of the past 3 financial years; The amount the council paid each company per year for such works

(D) The name and job title of the council official that decides if a traffic related request is to be approved or refused

(E) The average time it take the council to make a final decision with regarding to a traffic related request from the first time the request has been received and the time in which the decision as to approve or refuse the request

(F) If traffic related works are approved; is it the council policy to have the works carried out within 12 weeks subject to satisfactory weather conditions and staff resources

(G) The average cost of having DYL remarked for a distance of 25m; if the figure for having DYL remarked and installed for the first time are difference, please supply both

Our Response(s):

(A) Budget allocations for traffic management/safety engineering works over the last 3 years = £1.134m

(B) Due to the high number of requests received by the Council, not all requests are visited.

(C) Henderson & Taylor are the Civil Engineering contractors used. Works cost approx. £400k pa.

(E) Approximately 6-8 weeks (including statutory consultation period).

(F)Works programme is set at the beginning of each financial year. Works are programmed to be delivered throughout the year.

(G) The contractor’s cost of a 25m length of double yellow line would cost approximately £50, excluding traffic management costs.Works costs to recover the lines is the same as initial implementation although the initial implementation requires the making of a Traffic Regulation Order.

Unfortunately we are unable to provide the information you have requested with regards to question (D) The name and job title of the council official that decides if a traffic related request is to be approved or refused.

Personal data of any other person (third party data) is exempt under section 40(2) if disclosure would breach one of the data protection principles. This aspect of Section 40 is Qualified and therefore subject to the Public Interest Test.

This means we have balanced the legitimate interests of the public in having access to the information (under FOI a disclosure is a publication to the world at large) against the interests of the individual under the first principle of the Data Protection Act (1998).

The names of officers working for the Council is personal data specific to them. It is therefore subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act (1998). Information can be withheld if its disclosure would be likely to breach one or more of the Principles of the Data Protection Act. There is no prior expectation on the part of team Managers (or other officers working below the level of Head of Service or Strategic Leader) that their names and job titles / positions would be published into the wider public domain under FOI. A disclosure made under FOI constitutes a publication to the world at large. We believe that to dislcose this would be likely to breach the first Principle of the Data Protection Act by unfairly contravening their right to privacy and confidentiality in the work place.

However, in the interests of transparency we are able to share details relating to senior officers (Head of Service level and above). For these officers, there is already a greater expectation of openness about their role given their level of accountability for service provision and budgeteray decision making.

Ann Osola Head of Service Transportation & Highways.

Please be aware that if you need to contact the Council about a specific service or get advice from a particular team, you can call us on (01375) 652652 and our officers will put you in touch with the correct person. Or, you may wish to visit our web pages which contain a lot of information about how services are managed at www.thurrock.gov.uk

If you are unhappy with the Council’s response you can make a complaint via the

Council's complaints procedures and this will be looked into. If you are not happy with

this decision you may then appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Information supplied in response to your request is the copyright of Thurrock Council.

The information has been supplied for your personal use. Except for permitted acts

under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the information supplied may not

be copied, distributed, published, or exploited for commercial purposes or financial gain

without the explicit written consent of Thurrock Council.

Yours faithfully,

CCollins

Freedom of Information Coordinator

Telephone (01375) 652917

Macro FOI.Supplied.letter