Children’s Services
9th Floor Merton House
Stanley Road,
Bootle,
Merseyside, L20 3JA
Date:
28th October 2009
Our Ref:
FOI 00837/102/CSL
Mark Walker
Your Ref:
Solidarity Trade Union
via whatdotheyknow.com
Please contact:
Catherine Larkin
Contact Number: 0151 934 3286
Fax No:
0151 934 3900
e-mail: [email address]
Dear Mr Walker
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
I write with reference to your Freedom of Information request dated 9th October 2009. You asked
for the following:-
1. Has your authority ever found a member of the BNP or any other political Party guilty of a
disciplinary offence related to their Party membership in the last three years? If so please give
information as to when and how many. Our records show that no schools have disciplined a member of the BNP within the last three
years and neither has a centrally located Children’s Services member of staff been disciplined
related to their membership of the BNP or related to membership of any other political party.
2. Has any parent complained to you regarding the Party membership of any employee or the
expression of political views within school classrooms under your authority during the last three
years?
No complaints have been received by Children’s Services department regarding the party
membership of any employee, or complaints received relating to the expression of political views
within school classrooms in Sefton during the last 3 years.
3. What safeguards do you currently have in place to prevent members of any political Party
promoting their views within schools?
The code of conduct deals with politically restricted posts. Essentially any post paid at SCP 44
(currently £ 37,206 on the National grading spine) is politically restricted and some posts below this
level are restricted too, depending upon the duties.
This does not apply to teachers and
lecturers. However, if it were deemed that a teacher was using their position to espouse their
views within schools, this would be dealt with under disciplinary procedures.
Section 17 (7) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act states that public authorities must provide
applicants with particulars of how they may complain about the handling of their request for
information should they wish to. Any such complaint should be directed to Richard Roscoe, Data
Peter Morgan
Strategic Director – Children’s Services
Minicom: 0151 934 4657
Protection and Information Security Officer, 4th Floor, Merton House, Stanley Road, Bootle, L20
3JA. Should you choose to request a review of the decision taken and are dissatisfied following the
authority’s review, you are entitled under Section 17 (7) (b) of the Act to apply to the Information
Commissioner for a decision notice.
Further information can be found at:-
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.
Yours sincerely
Catherine Larkin
RESEARCH AND INFORMATION MANAGER
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