Response 3898246

Response to request for information

Reference

3898246

Response date

20 February 2026

Request

I am writing to request information regarding Subject Access Requests (SARs) received by your Council.

For ease of response, I have structured this request into clearly defined questions with simple response formats. Where exact figures are unavailable, informed estimates are acceptable.

Section 1: SAR Volume

Please provide the total number of Subject Access Requests received:
Financial Year Number of SARs Received

2022/23 (April 2022 - March 2023)
2023/24 (April 2023 - March 2024)
2024/25 (April 2024 - March 2025)

Section 2: Processing Time and Staff Costs

What is the estimated average number of staff hours spent processing each SAR (including searching, collation, review, and redaction)?

Average hours per SAR?

Which salary band best represents the staff primarily responsible for processing SARs?
(Select one)

Under £30,000 per annum
£30,000 - £40,000 per annum
£40,000 - £50,000 per annum
£50,000 - £65,000 per annum
Over £65,000 per annum
Mixed/varies significantly across departments

Approximately how many FTE (full-time equivalent) staff are dedicated to SAR processing?
Estimated FTE for SAR processing

Section 3: External Costs

Please provide the total expenditure on external SAR support (e.g., solicitors, consultants, redaction services) Costs can be approximate however must be indicated as such:

Financial Year External Spend (£)

2022/23
2023/24
2024/25

If no external services were used, please state "Nil".

Section 4: Compliance and Timeliness

Please provide the following compliance data:

Financial Year
Completed Within 30 Days
Required Extension
Total SARs
- 2022/23
- 2023/24
- 2024/25

How many SARs are currently open or overdue?
Current backlog (open/overdue)

Section 5: Complaints and Quality

Please provide the following quality indicators:

Financial Year
ICO Complaints
SARs Requiring Re-work
- 2022/23
- 2023/24
- 2024/25

If none, please state "Nil".

Has the ICO taken any enforcement action regarding SAR handling in the past three years?

Section 6: Current Tools and Methods

What software or tools are currently used to manage and process SARs? (Select all that apply)

Spreadsheet (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets)
General case management system
Specialist SAR/DSAR software. Name of software
Social Care Case Management System (e.g., Liquid Logic, Mosaic)
Document Management System (e.g., SharePoint, OpenText)
Email/manual process only
Other (please specify)

Is any element of your SAR process currently automated? (Select all that apply)

Automated searching across systems
Automated redaction
Automated tracking and deadline alerts
Automated response/correspondence generation
No automation currently in place

Section 7: SAR Processing Responsibility

Which role(s) or department(s) are primarily responsible for processing SARs? (Select all that apply)

Information Governance Team
Data Protection Officer / DPO
Legal Services
HR / People Services
Children's Services
Adult Social Care
Individual service departments (for records within their area)
External provider
Other (please specify)

Name the top 3 departments to which SARs were aimed.

Section 8: Complexity Indicators

On average, how many separate systems are searched per SAR? (Select one)

1 to 2
3 to 5
6 to 10
More than 10 On average, how many pages are reviewed per SAR? (Select one)
- Under 50
- 50-200
- 201-500
- 501-1,000
- Over 1,000
- Unknown

How many SARs required consultation with third parties (e.g., NHS, schools, police, external agencies)?

Financial Year
Third Party Consultations
- 2022/23
- 2023/24
- 2024/25

Response

Section 1: SAR Volume

Please provide the total number of Subject Access Requests received:

2022/23 (April 2022 - March 2023) - 7
2023/24 (April 2023 - March 2024) - 16
2024/25 (April 2024 - March 2025) - 20

Section 2: Processing Time and Staff Costs

What is the estimated average number of staff hours spent processing each SAR (including searching, collation, review, and redaction)?

Average hours per SAR? unable to provide. Our customers services team pick these up and log them on a CRM system where they are sent to the relevant service area to put the response together. This is then sent back to the customer services team to send back to the requester.

Our legal team assist with any queries the service area may have regarding an SAR.

Which salary band best represents the staff primarily responsible for processing SARs?

£30,000 - £40,000 per annum

Approximately how many FTE (full-time equivalent) sta# are dedicated to SAR processing?

Unable to provide. Our customers services team pick these up and log them on a CRM system where they are sent to the relevant service area to put the response together. This is then sent back to the customer services team to send back to the requester.
Our legal team assist with any queries the service area may have regarding an SAR.

Section 3: External Costs

Please provide the total expenditure on external SAR support (e.g., solicitors, consultants, redaction services) Costs can be approximate however must be indicated as such.

Financial Year, External Spend (£)

2022/23 - nil
2023/24 - nil
2024/25 - nil

Section 4: Compliance and Timeliness

Compliance and Timeliness
Financial Year	Completed within 30 days	Total SARs
2022/23	7	7
2023/24	16	16
2024/25	20	20

How many SARs are currently open or overdue?

Current backlog (open/overdue) = 2 open, 0 overdue