ACCORDING to data revealed by Powys County Council (PCC) the authority has dealt with nearly 1,300 general information requests in the last year.

@PowysData has tweeted that 1,292 Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) have been completed during the last 12 months.

The Local Democracy Service has looked at several of the information requests that have been submitted and completed.

Some have been put online at the Whatdotheyknow.com website so that everyone can look at them.

Welshpool’s Berriew Street Car Park has been put forward as one of three sites for a central bus station in the town.

Along with Church Street Car Park and Broad Street – Welshpool’s main street was part of a survey run by the town council.

In Welshpool – a resident asked for figures on how much money was taken at Berriew Street Car park for six years from 2012 to 2018.

The Information Compliance Team came back with the details, showing that the the car park now takes near £27,000 more than it did in 2012.

2017/2018 – £77,313.49

2016/2017 – £78,068.17

2015/2016 – £65,327.60

2014/2015 – £38,768.67

2013/2014 -£43,789.47

2012/2013 – £50,696.30

Another interesting FOI request was on Blue Badges.

One of the big issues of the past year has been the Blue Badges and moves to charge for parking in council owned car parks were part of the discussion surrounding this year’s Budget.

Eventually plans for charging Blue Badges were dropped.

The council was asked if it had the data on the misuse of Blue Badges within Powys for the last three years.

The Information Compliance Team answered:

Six cases pursued of DBB (Disabled Blue Badges) misuse by a third party and six people received and accepted a formal caution.

One badge was seized by PCC as it belonged to a dead person.

One live case that is being investigated and four cases referred to CEO (Civil Enforcement Officers) to keep an eye on referrals of misuse where vehicles and badge details known are allegedly being misused.

PCC said on Wednesday, March 20, that they had seized a Blue Badge being used fraudulently by a family member while the entitled user was at home.