Frequently requested information

We frequently get requests for certain types of information, therefore, we have decided to publish this information and update it at regular intervals.

A request for updated information in advance of when the next update is due will normally be refused under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the grounds that it is information that we hold with the intention of publishing at a future date.

If you are not able to find the information you require on this page, take a look at our disclosure log, where we publish responses from previous Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 requests.

Public health funerals

Updates will be published every three months. The current information on Public Health Funerals was last updated in January 2023.

Exemption of updated information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
There are relatively few public health funerals in Basingstoke and Deane, therefore, we consider that publication of this information at quarterly intervals is reasonable. The provision of updated information before the next planned update will be refused under Section 22 of the Act as it is information that we hold with the intention of publishing at some future date, as specified above

Exemption of additional information under The Freedom of Information Act 2000
We apply the following exemptions to the release of any further information about public health funerals, people who have died with no known next of kin, bona vacantia estates and estates which have been referred to the Government Legal Department, or Duchy of Lancaster or Cornwall:

Section 21 – Information reasonably accessible to the applicant by another means

The council’s reason for applying this exemption is that details of all deaths within the borough are registered. Deaths can be registered at any Registry Office and contact details of all those within Hampshire, including the Basingstoke Registry Office, can be found on the Hampshire County Council website by following this link - https://www.hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies.

Information that the council holds on estates passed, or estates to be passed, to the Government Legal Department, is considered to be held on behalf of the Government Legal Department. Some details of the estate of those persons who have died and which have been passed to the Government Legal Department can be accessed via the Treasury Solicitor’s website (www.tsol.gov.uk) or via the bona vacantia website (www.bonavacantia.gov.uk).

Section 31 - Law Enforcement

Revealing details of the assets of an estate before the Government Legal Department has undertaken their own enquiries would provide an opportunity for criminal acts to be committed (for example, theft or fraud). Similarly, there would be concerns about making the last known address of the deceased public, as the property is likely to be unoccupied and might still contain the deceased’s personal papers and effects. There is also a continuing risk after the estate has been secured of, for example, identity theft. Taking into account the above issues, the council considers that there is no over-riding public interest in releasing the information requested. Any public interest would be best served by upholding the exemption under Section 31 of the Act as disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime by enabling or encouraging the commission of offences.

Applicants should be aware that the exemption of additional information under Section 21 and Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 has been upheld by an Internal Review.

Public Health Funerals - January 2023(XLSX) [18 kb]

Public Health Funerals - January 2023(CSV) [8 kb]

Council staffing

You can view the structure chart interactively or download a pdf version.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

A list of registered HMOs can be viewed on our HMO webpage. The list will be updated annually and was last updated in September 2021.

Councillors

We often get requests for information about our borough councillors, including their expenses. Please find below links to where you can find this information on our website.

• Structure of the Council
• Who are our borough councillors
• Members allowances
• Minutes of the Council and Committee meetings - search for a meeting and you will find all documents, minutes and agendas for that meeting.

Demographic of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

We often get asked for information on the number of residents and type of town Basingstoke and Deane is. Please find below links to where you can find this information on our website:

• Facts and figures
• 2011 census
• Borough profile

Homelessness and winter provision

We get many requests about how we work with homeless people and what we do to help, especially during the winter months. We publish all of our responses to Freedom of Information Requests on our disclosure log and you will be able to view our responses by searching for homeless in the search bar.

All of our homelessness information and statistics are published annually on the GOV.UK website which can be found on the following links:

• Statistical data sets
  
• Rough Sleeper Statistics
  

You can also find further information on the links below:

• Homelessness
• Severe Weather Emergency Protocol

Council housing stock and Housing Needs Register

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council no longer has a housing stock after undertaking a Large Scale Voluntary Transfer in 1995. We publish all of our responses to Freedom of Information Requests on our disclosure log and you will be able to view our responses by searching for housing in the search bar. More information can be found on the links below:

• Housing Associations
  
• Housing Allocations Policy
  
• Private Rented Accommodation
  
• Annual review of the Housing Register

Taxi and licensing information

Our licensing webpages hold details on all of the licenses we provide. More information can be found on the on the links below.

• Taxis (Private and Hackney)
• Animals
• Skin Treatments
• Licensing Public Register

Contracts and procurement information

All of our contracts are published in our Contracts Register which is updated quarterly. This includes information on our IT and software suppliers, security suppliers and lease/pool cars. You can find out more information using the links below:

• Contract Register
• Procurement
• Procurement and Contract Management Strategy
• Payment Pledge Charter Mark

Commercial property, land and assets

Please find links below to our Land and Building Asset Register, details of vacant properties and properties to let.

• Land and Building Asset Register - this spreadsheet can be searched for vacant properties)
• Council owned commercial property to let

Re-use of public sector information requests

Information released under FOI or EIR will be done so in accordance with the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations under the Open Government Licence.

For further information on how these regulations affect the data you have requested please refer to our re-use of public information page.