Charity Groups Involving Councillors

Mr Hall made this Freedom of Information request to Conwy County Borough Council

The request was refused by Conwy County Borough Council.

From: Mr Hall

15 September 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you Please provide a list of all charity groups / voluntary
bodies / businesses or similar that Cllr Chris Hughes has any
interest in that may need to be declared during council meetings -
such as by him being on a committee, or being a trustee, a
governor, a director or similar. If there is already a published
list of councillors' interests which includes Mr Hughes, a copy of
that or a link to it on the council's website would do. Please only
respond to this request online

Yours faithfully,

Mr Hall

Link to this

From: Mr Hall

18 September 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you please confirm receipt of my FOI request please

Yours faithfully,

Mr Hall

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

21 September 2009

Unit FOI 871-09

Dear Mr Hall

Thank you for your email below.

I can confirm that CCBC holds this information. The information is
exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA),
because the information is already accessible and available for public
inspection via the council's publication scheme. Please see page 49 via
the link below for the contact details.

http://www.conwy.gov.uk/upload/public/at...
_26109r.pdf

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of this email and made by e-mail
or by post addressed to Conwy County Borough Council, Information
Regulations Unit, Bodlondeb, Conwy, LL32 8DU.

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner (Wales) Cambrian Buildings, Mount
Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5FL.

Uned Reoliadau Gwybodaeth/Information Regulations Unit
Cyngor Bwrdeistef Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-Mail: [Conwy Council request email]

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Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

21 September 2009

Dear Mr Hall

If they previous link is unobtainable please use the following link.

http://www.conwy.gov.uk/doc.asp?cat=667&...

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Uned Reoliadau Gwybodaeth/Information Regulations Unit
Cyngor Bwrdeistef Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-Bost / E-Mail: [Conwy Council request email]

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Link to this

From: Mr Hall

22 September 2009

Dear Info Regs Unit,

Page 49 of the link is in no way connected to my enquiry, please
rectify your answer to show the correct link as soon as possible to
save myself from requesting yet another internal review into your
procedures.

Many Thanks

Yours sincerely,

Mr Hall

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

22 September 2009

Unit FOI 871-09

Dear Mr Hall

Your original enquiry requested a

...... "list of all charity groups / voluntary

bodies / businesses or similar that Cllr Chris Hughes has any

interest in that may need to be declared during council meetings -

such as by him being on a committee, or being a trustee, a

governor, a director or similar....".

This information, if it exists will be included in the 'Register of
Members Interest'.

The Register is available for public inspection by arrangement, and page
49 on the Publication Scheme link provided shows the contact details of
the Senior Committees Clerk with whom the inspection arrangement can be
made. An extract of part of page 49 is reproduced below to assist you.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Type of | | | | Method of | | | |
|Subject | Information | Status | Legal | Format | Access| Contact Details | Cost? | |
| | (Class) | | Duty? | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Members |Members' | Current | Yes | Print | Bodlondeb |Senior Committee Clerk |No |
|Information |Interests | | | | | | |
| |(register) | | | | |Tel: 01492 576062 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |[email address] | |
|------------------+-------------+---------+------+-----------------------+----------------------+------------------------+---|
| | | | | | | | |
|------------------+-------------+---------+------+-----------------------+----------------------+------------------------+---|
| | | | | | | | |
|------------------+-------------+---------+------+-----------------------+----------------------+------------------------+---|
| | | | | | | | |
|------------------+-------------+---------+------+-----------------------+----------------------+------------------------+---|
| | | | | | | | |
|------------------+-------------+---------+------+-----------------------+----------------------+------------------------+---|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Uned Reoliadau Gwybodaeth/Information Regulations Unit Cyngor

Bwrdeistef Sirol CONWY County Borough Council E-Bost / E-Mail:

[Conwy Council request email]

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Link to this

Steve Hunt left an annotation (22 September 2009)

Mr Hall,

Under the FOI the Council has a legal obligation to assist you in viewing the information you request if it is already accessible. Pointing you to a web address that does not contain the information is hardly helping!

...and what on earth is that gobbledegook in their last reply supposed to be?

If they already have the information somewhere as they claim, how hard can it be just to "copy/paste" it into a reply to you on this website?

Link to this

From: Mr Hall

28 September 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Conwy Council's
handling of my FOI request 'Charity Groups Involving Councillors'.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ch...

Please provide information on this website as requested, this is
your legal obligation to do so, failure to do so will again result
in a complaint to the ICO.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Hall

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

9 October 2009

Mr Hall

Having requested a review on the 28th September in relation to your
recent information request please be advised I have appraised as a
senior member of staff who was not involved in dealing with the original
request.

There is no obligation on the council to provide information in response
to a request where the information is reasonably accessible by other
means

Information requested by you is exempt under Section 21 of the FOI Act
as it is accessible by means of the councils publication scheme.

As explained to you in an email dated 22 September the register of
Members Interest is available for public inspection by contacting the
Senior Committee Clerk on 01492-576062.

Yours sincerely

Irfon Owen
Information Regulations Manager

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Link to this

Steve Hunt left an annotation ( 9 October 2009)

So where is this information then?

Link to this

Steve Hunt left an annotation (16 October 2009)

"Rejected" - oh dear, you've touched a bit of a nerve here evidently!

The Friends of the Pier group have formally written to Cllr Chris Hughes asking him to clarify whether or not he considers he is still Chairman of the group - since no resignation has ever been tendered by him.

Link to this

John S. left an annotation (19 December 2009)

Surely as the friends of the pier chairmanship is not a declared interest he has effectively resigned as chairman?

Link to this

Steve Hunt left an annotation (21 December 2009)

John,

Just some pointers, from which you can make your own decision on Mr Hughes...

Due to Chris Hughes not calling a meeting in well over 2 years (at the time) a meeting was called to formally remove him as Chairman and vote a new one in. Chris Hughes attended this meeting, branded it as 'unconstitutional', stating that only he could call such a meeting, and refused to stand down.

Chris Hughes said he would call an AGM at which the matter could be formally discussed, but nearly a year later he has failed to do so.

Chris Hughes refuses to respond to formal correspondence from the Secretary of the Society regarding his position.

Chris Hughes refuses to respond to correspondence from potential new members.

Chris Hughes is still signatory on the Society's bank account, but refuses to sign any cheques - effectively freezing the assets of the Society.

At a meeting called by Colwyn Town Council with me in order to discuss the issues surrounding the pier, Chris Hughes refused to turn up (keep in mind he is a Town Councillor, County Councillor and Chairman of Friends of The Pier)

For more of Chris Hughes many antics, see Cllr John Oddy's blog here: http://www.voicesofcolwynbay.blogspot.com/

As I say, you can form your own opinion from the evidence presented!

David Jones MP has called a public meeting at Colwyn Bay Town Hall on 22nd Jan 2010 at 6pm to discuss the issues surrounding the pier. Naturally I shall be there to answer any questions and discuss regeneration ideas - I wonder if Chris Hughes will have the baubles to show his face?

Steve www.victoriapier.com

Link to this

Things to do with this request

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