My Ref:
IGO/10-6770
Your Ref:
Contact:
Andrew Goodfellow
Email:
[email address]
Information Governance
Corporate Services
The Guildhall
Nottingham
NG1 4BT
Mr. J. Moore
Tel: 0115 915 4155
Fax: 0115 915 4082
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
[email address]
9th March 2010
Dear Mr. Moore,
Thank you for your email of 5th March 2010, as the information you requested is not
personal or environmental it will be processed in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
With regards to your queries, as detailed below,
1. Please explain Nottingham City Council's policy and framework on assessing
extended family members as suitable carers for children.
2. Please explain the policy and framework on viability assessments of extended
family members as suitable carers.
A response will be sent to you as soon as possible and in any case within the
statutory deadline which is 20 working days starting the
working day after this
authority received your request.
Regarding your remaining questions, as listed below,
3. Please list the appropriate Common Law (as codified in Magna Carta 1297 and
the British Constitution incorporating the Rights of the Subject 1689 and any
other appropriate declarations of private citizens' rights before and since), any
appropriate child protection Statutes (eg the Children And Young Persons Act
1989), and any other appropriate local byelaws and Statutes that question 1
applies to.
4. Please list the reasons Nottingham City Council would knowingly mislead the
Family Courts by knowingly filing inaccurate reports to court.
5.
What steps are taken by NCC when the filing of inaccurate reports to court
occurs to ensure those involved are reprimanded/disciplined and what steps
are taken to ensure this is matter is rectified?
Nottingham City Council has reached the decision that these are vexatious requests
as defined by section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In applying section
14 the Council has considered a significant number of factors including, in no
particular order,
The substantially similar nature of these requests to previous
requests you
have made.
The fact that your requests ask for information that is clearly not in the realm of
a local authority.
The apparent lack of a serious and proper purpose to many of your questions.
The fact that you appear to be acting as part of a campaign.
The repeated use of fractious, contentious and plainly defamatory language in
your requests.
Your continued use of leading questions.
The unreasonable burden placed upon the Authority by the need to respond to
your requests.
After consideration of the above we are of the opinion that your enquiries can be fairly
classified as obsessive and are having the effect of harassing this Authority and, in
line with the aforementioned section of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and
available guidance from the Information Commissioners Office, it is our opinion that
your requests are vexatious.
In light of this decision, we will not be issuing you with a response to your queries 3,4
and 5 as listed above. In addition, all future enquiries of a similar nature will also be
deemed to fall within section 14 unless or until a reasonable interval has elapsed
period since your previous request. In this particular case and in light of the nature of
the information being requested we have determined that this ‘reasonable interval’
shall be 60 working days from the date of this letter.
Please note that this notice currently only covers the following;
Any further requests for information relating to;
1. this Authority’s care of children,
2. our actions in the Courts in relation to children,
3. requests for legal advice.
Further requests for information on different subjects will be judged on their own
merits and in accordance with the relevant legislation. This, of course, would include
the possibility that section 14 may also be applicable to those further requests.
This Authority takes its responsibility under the various pieces of information rights
legislation very seriously and it is only due to the fact that your continued requests
have become harassing, obsessive and divert resources from services to a level
which can reasonably be deemed detrimental to the functioning of the Council that we
have been forced to take this action.
I trust the above is clear however if you have any queries relating to the content of
this letter please do not hesitate to contact me quoting your personal case reference
which is
IGO/10-6770 If you are not satisfied with the response provided or any exemptions applied you
should write in the first instance to
Stephanie Pearson, Information Governance,
The Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BT stating the reasons for your
dissatisfaction. If you remain dissatisfied after receiving a response to your initial
complaint you can request an independent review from the Information
Commissioner's Office at
FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow
, Cheshire SK9
5AF. You may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office by telephone on
01625 545745 or by email at [email address].
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Goodfellow
Senior Information Governance Officer
