Colwyn Bay Prom Day Fairground

Colwyn Resident made this Freedom of Information request to Conwy County Borough Council

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Conwy County Borough Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

From: Colwyn Resident

6 January 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Further to the information provided in my previous request for the
Prom Day Accounts, I have some further queries regarding this event
which I am sending as separate FOI requests, recognising that they
probably each need directing to different departments to be
answered fully.

For EACH of the years for which you previously provided accounts
(2001 onwards) Please could you explain how the tendering process
for the provision of the fairground at the Prom Day was undertaken.

I.E.:

Was the position put out for open tender via advertisements in the
trade press etc., or were only certain firms from a pre-selected
list invited to tender?
Where was the invitation to tender advertised?
How many other firms apart from Knightley's (who I believe have
provided the fairground every year) applied / or were invited to
tender?
How was the decision to award the fairground to a certain operator
arrived at? - was it purely on the basis of the highest bid, or
were any other factors taken into account?
If there have been any higher bids than Knightley's, who made them,
how much were the bids, and why were they turned down?

Finally, has the position for the 2009 prom day fairground been
awarded, and if so, to whom?

Yours faithfully,

Colwyn Resident

Link to this

From: Colwyn Resident

12 January 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please confirm you have received this request, I will email you
every day until you do so.

Colwyn Resident

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

13 January 2009

Dear Colwyn Resident

Second receipt confirmed.

Uned Reoliadau Gwybodaeth / Information Regulations Unit
Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol CONWY County Borough Council
E-bost / E-mail: [Conwy Council request email]

show quoted sections

Link to this

Colwyn Resident left an annotation (13 January 2009)

Smashing.

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

14 January 2009

Dear Colwyn Resident

Whilst confirmation of receipt of your email below (timed at 18;58) was
provided, it has been noticed that the subject of your email is headed
'Colwyn Bay Prom Day Fairground' which suggests you may be requesting
some relevant information.

Be advised that no request for information has been received by this
authority via either your good self and/or a third party in relation to
the Colwyn Bay Prom Day Fairground. Based upon recent past experience of
requests submitted via third parties it is advised that if you are
requesting information regarding the above that you submit your request
by either emailing this Unit directly at [Conwy Council request email] or
write to Information Regulations Unit, Conwy CBC, Bodlondeb, Conwy LL32
8DU, or fax to (01492) 574007.

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

show quoted sections

Link to this

16 January 2009

Sent request to Conwy County Borough Council again.

Alex Skene left an annotation (16 January 2009)

Request resent - see http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

19 January 2009

Dear Colwyn Resident

Thank you for your e-mail requesting information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. We will now proceed with the request and it is our
intention to have responded by 13/2/2009, if not sooner.

Some of the information we hold may be regarded as exempt information
under
the provisions of the Act i.e. it will not or cannot be given to you and
you
will be advised if this is the case.

Once the information has been identified the Council may also ask that a
fee
be paid for processing and delivering the information to you. Details of
any
fee to be charged will be notified to you as soon as possible.

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

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Info Regs Unit
Conwy County Borough Council

13 February 2009

Dear Colwyn Resident

With regards to your enquiry please see the following information;

1. As far as can be ascertained no tendering process was undertaken.
This being due to the fact that the sum of money involved is relatively
low and value for money had been demonstrated.
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. Knightly's were awarded the fairground concession, and are still
operating it because they have always provided a good, safe fairground;
all of their health & safety documentation is up to standards and they
also provide additional barriers and security staff to the event on top
of their fee.
6. N/A
7. Knightly's will be operating the fairground at the 2009 event.

If for whatever reason you are unhappy with the response please contact
us direct by e-mail or by post addressed to Conwy County Borough
Council, Information Regulations Unit, Bodlondeb, Conwy, LL32 8DU.

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

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Colwyn Resident

1 March 2009

Dear Info Regs Unit,

Thanks for your attention.

1. The fact that there has never been any tendering process smacks
very clearly of a "closed shop" cartel.
Will you confirm whether or not the fairground provision will be
put out to tender for 2010 event? I understand of course it is too
late for the 2009 event to be tendered for.

2. I am interested to hear how the council can argue "value for
money has been demonstrated", when no other firm has ever been
invited to tender an offer. How exactly has this "value for money"
been assessed with no other offers to reference it to?

3. Please publish the financial details of the deal between the
Local Authority Taxpayers and Knightlys, so that the public can
comment on whether they think it is "value for money".

For the record, I have no problem with Knightlys at all, and think
the fairground is run and staffed well, as their operation along
the coast at Towyn also appears to be.

What I am concerned with is the way in which the deal seems to be
"sewn up" with the council, with no possibility of a different
operator making an offer to operate the fairground, perhaps
bringing in different attractions, fresh ideas etc.

Yours sincerely,

Colwyn Resident

Link to this

Ms Bates left an annotation ( 1 July 2009)

If the fairground operator belongs to a cartel called the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, you will find that under their rules(which they decline to make public to those who seek to hire them) no other member of this association can take on an event if the present one has had the job for more than 2 years and wants to continue with it. They impose fines on their members if this happens. What you as a paying customer might prefer to do is apparently unimportant to these people. You're stuck with them or have to choose an independent operator that does not belong to this "organisation". There are plenty who do not who are perfectly reputable - you just have to check they do not belong to this group.

Link to this

Steve Hunt left an annotation ( 3 July 2009)

Ms Bates is quite correct about the "2 Year Rule" - however perhaps people don't realise this only applies internally to members of the Showman's Guild cartel - it is NOT binding in any way on a Local Authority or indeed any other body/person that has a requirement for a fairground at an event.

Many years ago I operated fairground equipment myself, independently, and it often came as news to Councils etc. that they did NOT have to have the same old Guild member every year, they were in fact free to choose whoever they wanted, despite what the Guild tried to tell them. Though of course being a public authority the usual guidelines for a tendering process should be followed and also be open to public scrutiny... it didn't go down at all well sometimes when a young upstart like me ousted some very cosy "arrangements" that had been in place for donkey's years between certain Councilors and certain Guild members!

What we need to remember here of course is that CCBC is utterly corrupt, and willfully break rules, guidelines and even the law on a regular basis (as has already been decided by due legal process in action I have taken against them, and numerous cases taken up by the Local Government Ombudsman which have resulted in the Council paying out substantial fines and compensation to those people they have treated in utterly appalling ways).

Unsurprisingly, CCBC don't seem to have answered the questions about whether or not the 2010 fairground provision is being put out to tender, and exactly what the financial arrangements have been with Knightleys, and how 'best value' has been achieved for the public money that has been spent over the past few years... funny that?

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Conwy County Borough Council only: