communications about whatdotheyknow.com

Ganesh Sittampalam made this Freedom of Information request to Rother District Council

The request was successful.

From: Ganesh Sittampalam

14 July 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

I request, under the Freedom of Information act, a copy of any
internal or external communications (emails, memos etc) sent either
from or to either David Edwards or Lynda Crawford that mention the
website "whatdoyoutheyknow.com". This excludes emails that are
already available at the pages linked from
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/rothe...

In the case of any material sent in answer to this question in
which you claim copyright protection, I also request consent to
re-use it by publishing it on the web.

Yours faithfully,

Ganesh Sittampalam

Link to this

From: David Edwards
Rother District Council

14 July 2008

I am now out of the office - I hope to be back Monday 21 July.

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Lynda Crawford
Rother District Council

23 July 2008

Dear Mr Sittampalam

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

I refer to your request received on 14 July 2008 about communications
regarding the 'whatdotheyknow' website.

Under section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, a request for
information must comply with three requirements. It must:

(a) be in writing,
(b) state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence, and
(c) describes the information requested.
After initial consideration, this request appears to comply with
requirements (a) and (c) but it does not comply with requirement (b)
because you do not provide an address for correspondence. We are entitled
to this even if the request is made by e-mail and you ask us for a reply
by e-mail, and we are able to comply.

Under section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we are not obliged
to comply with a request for information if the request is vexatious, and
where we have previously complied with a request for information which was
made by any person, we are not obliged to comply with a subsequent
identical or substantially similar request from that person unless a
reasonable interval has elapsed between compliance with the previous
request and the making of the current request. The Information
Commissioner has advised that a request may be regarded as vexatious if
it:

o clearly does not have any serious purpose or value;
o is designed to cause disruption or annoyance;
o has the effect of harassing the public authority; or
o can otherwise fairly be characterised as obsessive or manifestly
unreasonable.
Unless we knew your real name and real address it would be more difficult
for us to determine whether your request was vexatious or repeated. For
instance, unless you are a professional journalist or researcher, your
request would be less likely to have any serious purpose or value if you
do not live in this District.

At the bottom of your e-mail you say that any reply will be published on
the Internet. With reference to that, would you please note that the Act
does not require us to consent to such publication and therefore, when you
have supplied your address for correspondence, any response would be
personal to yourself and no consent to publish it, for instance on a web
site, is given. Any application for consent to re-use information will be
considered under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005,
but if consent is given a charge may be made to you. Please feel free,
however, to display this response on your website.

Since the coming into force of the Act we have processed over 400 separate
direct requests from people who wrote letters, sent e-mails (with their
name and address) to [Rother District Council request email] <[1]mailto:[Rother District Council request email]> or
used our website. In the majority of these cases we have been able to
supply the information requested within the statutory time limit. We take
seriously our obligation to provide advice and assistance to people who
make genuine requests for information. If your request is not vexatious or
repeated, then I would invite you to make your request to us direct,
complying with section 8 of the Act. I assure you that having regard to
the Data Protection Act 1998 we do not divulge the names or addresses of
people who make requests for information.

You may use our internal complaints procedure if you are dissatisfied. If
you are still dissatisfied you may appeal to the Information
Commissioner. Please contact Anne Bruin, Customer Services Manager, if
you wish to complain.

David Edwards
Interim Solicitor
01424 787840
www.rother.gov.uk

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Rother District Council request email]

Link to this

From: Ganesh Sittampalam

25 July 2008

Dear Lynda Crawford,

Thank you for your reply.

I have supplied my real name and a valid email address for
correspondence, which is all that a valid request requires. If you
believe that my request is vexatious or repeated, then please issue
a proper refusal notice to that effect giving precise details of
why you think so. Otherwise please respond to my original request
within the required timeframe.

I have already made an application for consent to re-use this
information, please see the second paragraph of my original
request.

If, once you have considered my request and associated application
under the re-use regulations, you have information to release, but
you have a valid reason for not sending it to this email address,
then please let me know and I will supply a different email address
or postal address as necessary.

Yours sincerely,

Ganesh Sittampalam

Link to this

From: Lynda Crawford
Rother District Council

6 August 2008

Attachment RE whatdotheyknow.html
5K Download

Attachment FW whatdotheyknow.html
5K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Breakdown on FOI Requests and Rejections.html
2K Download

Attachment FW whatdotheyknow.html
4K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
1K Download

Attachment whatdotheyknow.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Meeting Minutes.html
1K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
2K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Data Protection Presentation.html
3K Download

Attachment Data Protection Principles Members Dec 2005.ppt
235K Download View as HTML

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
6K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information Requests to Rother DC.html
4K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information Requests to Rother DC.html
2K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
6K Download

Attachment table for letter to whatdotheyknow..html
13K Download

Attachment Whatdotheyknow.html
18K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information Request.html
8K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
5K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
7K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
6K Download

Attachment Response to whatdotheyknow requests.html
15K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Classification of websites by Rother District Council.html
3K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
2K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
2K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
2K Download

Attachment FOI requests and address for correspondence.html
1K Download

Attachment FW Freedom of Information request Breakdown on FOI Requests and Rejections.html
6K Download

Attachment Exemption Table.doc
29K Download View as HTML

Attachment ICO.doc
28K Download View as HTML

Attachment Freedom of Information request Breakdown on FOI Requests and Rejections.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Data Protection Presentation.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Data Protection Presentation.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Meeting Minutes.html
3K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
7K Download

Attachment Webpage as per previous email.html
17K Download

Attachment http www.whatdotheyknow.com images feed 14.png
0K Download

Attachment http www.whatdotheyknow.com images writetothem.png
0K Download

Attachment http www.whatdotheyknow.com images pledgebank.png
1K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information Requests to Rother DC.html
4K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information Requests to Rother DC.html
3K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information Requests to Rother DC.html
2K Download

Attachment Re Whatdotheyknow.html
14K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
5K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
8K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
7K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
9K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request communications about whatdotheyknow.com.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Classification of websites by Rother District Council.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Complaint Handling Information.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Fishing areas owned by the council and clubs.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Breakdown on FOI Requests and Rejections.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Data Protection Presentation.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Breakdown on FOI Requests and Rejections.html
3K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Data Protection Presentation.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Fishing areas owned by the council and clubs.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
4K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
6K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
5K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
1K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information Request 395.html
0K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Meeting Minutes.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request communications about whatdotheyknow.com.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Charges to the public for reuse of public sector information.html
4K Download

Attachment Re Freedom of Information request Classification of websites by Rother District Council.html
1K Download

Attachment Re Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
3K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
3K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request FOI Training.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Classification of websites by Rother District Council.html
2K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
1K Download

Attachment RE Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
2K Download

Attachment Freedom of Information request Amounts paid to Common Purpose and similar organisations.html
1K Download

Attachment RE whatdotheyknow.html
5K Download

Attachment 20080806100741260.pdf
2.2M Download View as HTML

Dear Mr Sittampalam

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

With reference to your request received on 14 July 2008 about
communications regarding the 'whatdotheyknow' website, please see the
attached.

You may use our internal complaints procedure if you are dissatisfied. If
you are still dissatisfied you may appeal to the Information
Commissioner. Please contact Anne Bruin, Team Leader - Customer Services,
if you wish to complain.

David Edwards
Interim Solicitor
[1]www.rother.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. http://www.rother.gov.uk/

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Rother District Council only:
 
Would you like to work with the team that built this site? We’re recruiting.