Common Purpose

Thank you for your request for information and I confirm we shall
respond as quickly as possible but not later than 3 April 2009.

Wendy Kassamani
Information Compliance Administrator
Brighton & Hove City Council
Tel: 01273 296636

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The Information Commissioner's Office(ICO) has published new guidance to
help public authorities respond to information requests from people using
pseudonyms or fictitious names to disguise their real identity.

According to the guidance public authorities are entitled to treat a
request as invalid, where the real name of the requester has not been
used. The ICO itself will not be dealing with complaints that come from
pseudonyms and false names.

Wendy Kassamani

Information Compliance Administrator

Brighton & Hove City Council

Tel: 01273 296636

Notice to recipient:
The information contained in this electronic mail message is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed
and may contain information which is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.
If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately.
Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.

You can visit our website at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

Please consider the environment, only print out this email if absolutely necessary.

Please Note: Both incoming and outgoing Emails may be monitored and/or recorded in line with current legislation.

Dear Sir / Madam

Thank you for your emails dated 14 April 2009 regarding your requests for
information concerning Common Purpose and the Council's Transparency
Policy and your subsequent appeal.

I have considered your appeal but agree with the original decision not to
disclose the information to you.

A stated in the original responses from Wendy Kassamani to your requests,
the Information Commissioner's Office(ICO) has published new guidance to
help public authorities respond to information requests from people using
pseudonyms or fictitious names to disguise their real identity.

According to the guidance public authorities are entitled to treat a
request as invalid, where the real name of the requester has not been
used. The ICO itself will not be dealing with complaints that come from
pseudonyms and false names.

If you wish to send a copy of some means of identification to me such as a
utility bill, then I will be happy to process any request for information
from you. You can, if you choose, to send the i.d. to:

Paul O'Neill

Brighton & Hove City Council

Hove Town Hall

Hove

East Sussex

BN3 4AH

If you are still not satisfied after your complaint has been investigated,
you can escalate your complaint to the Information Commissioners Office.
The contact details are:

The Information Commissioners Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone number: 01625 545745

e-mail: [1][email address]

Website: [2]www.dataprotection.gov.uk

If you have any other queries regarding this process, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

PJ O'Neill

ICT Partnership Manager

Notice to recipient:
The information contained in this electronic mail message is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed
and may contain information which is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.
If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately.
Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.

You can visit our website at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

Please consider the environment, only print out this email if absolutely necessary.

Please Note: Both incoming and outgoing Emails may be monitored and/or recorded in line with current legislation.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/

Dear Sir/ Madam

thank you for your below email. I have read the attached note which I
had previously seen. I do not have a problem with accepting email
requests for information or doubt that yours is a valid email address.
We receive many email FOI requests and indeed it makes it easier for us
to respond to.

As you state there is no requirement for you to prove your
identification. I have offered this as an option for you to further
your request.

However, the Information Commissioner's Office(ICO) has published
guidance to help public authorities respond to information requests from
people using pseudonyms or fictitious names to disguise their real
identity.

My view is that R Soles is a fictitious name that you are using.

According to the guidance public authorities are entitled to treat a
request as invalid, where the real name of the requester has not been
used. The ICO itself will not be dealing with complaints that come from
pseudonyms and false names.

The Council is not trying to hide any information by turning down your
request. We are merely trying to set a precedent that requests from,
what we believe to be fictitious named persons, are not responded to
with the requested information.

Before I can process your request for information which I am very happy
to do, I require your real name before the request is deemed valid.

Yours sincerely

Paul O'Neill
ICT Partnership Manager

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