Consultation with the BMF

Dear Sir or Madam,

In response to FOI 4225, you advise that you consulted the British
Motorcyclist Federation (BMF) with regards to the motorcycle
parking. You also provide a web link to your website to prove this.
Unfortunately, as your website is neither unbiased or independent,
and is generally full of inaccurate or mis-calculated facts and
figures, i question the authenticity of the records you hold.

The BMF have stated in a letter sent to all Westminster Councillors
"We were particularly aggrieved by the fact that we were
not given an opportunity to present our case to the councillors
before you
made a policy decision on the issue based on false information. We
have now
witnessed Councillor Chalkley, on numerous occasions, stating that
both
MAG and BMF had been consulted on this point and thus inferring
that we
were in tacit agreement. I think you will find that we are clearly
not, as
evidenced by our strong support for the No To Bike Parking Fees
Campaign,
our historic campaigns against motorcycle parking charges and this
letter."

So judging by that letter, either Westminster City Council are
lying or the BMF are lying.

To put my mind at rest, please provide all correspondence between
Westminster City Council and the BMF with regards to motorcycle
parking. This should include emails and letters where
applicable/appropriate. It may be wise of you to also provide any
minutes of any meetings you have held with them with regards to
motorcycle charging.

Please also explain to me why the BMF are said to have been
consulted in the recently published Cabinet Member Report when they
have CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY stated to ALL Westminster City
Councillors that they were not.

As this is a matter which directly affects the councils integrity
(which from previous FOI's i note that you are keen to protect) i
would expect a prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Ben

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please acknowledge receipt of the above FOI which can be viewed at
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

You have not responded to my FOI request and its is now overdue.
You are now breaking the law. Please answer my FOI request, or
update me with the status of it at your earliest.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I stil haven't received a response or an update as to when i should
expect a response with regards to this FOI request. As you know,
you are now breaking the law by not answering this request. Please
answer this FOI request at your earliest opportunity.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

You have not responded to this FOI request within the time allowed
by the FOI Act 2000 and you are now breaking the law. A full
history of my FOI request and requests for updates is available by
clicking here
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

I also find the fact that you haven't bothered to even update me
with an expected date of completion insulting.

Please update me to the status of this FOI request by the end of
play today (14th Jan 2010) or I will be passing this on the ICO's
office.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I am requesting an internal review into the handling of this FOI
request. It can be viewed at
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

You have failed to provide an answer within the set 20 day period,
and have so far ignored all of my requests for an update into the
progress of this FOI request. I also doubt that it has been marked
as spam as you were able to confirm receipt of it.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

Please answer this FOI request. It is well overdue now.
I will be sending this to the ICO's office at the end of the week.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Catherine,

Thank you for your reply updating me with the status of this
request.

I look forward to receiving the information requested by the end of
next week.

Have a good weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

Just wanted to give you a reminder as it's getting a bit late in
the day. I was promised an answer to this overdue request by the
end of today. Full request history can be found here
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I was promised a reply to this FOI request by the end of last week
(26th March) and still haven't received a reply, nor update to the
status of the request. A full history of this request is available
here
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

This request was first submitted in November 2009, and for a
relatively simple request, I am amazed at how long this has taken
to answer.

Please answer this FOI request or update me with the status of it
today.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I am requesting a second internal review be carried out over the
handling of this FOI request. Full history is available here
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

As you are fully aware, it has taken you over 4 months to deal with
this FOI request and still havent provided the information nearly a
week after promising to do so.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear FOI,

Please can you provide me with a telephone number so that i can
call and chase this FOI request up please? Full history is
available
here...http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

You have delayed the response and still cannot provide the
information requested within the time period that YOU have set. You
have also ignored my request for a second internal review regarding
the handling of this FOI request, so i feel i must waste my time by
chasing this up.

I have threatened to take this up with the ICO in the past, but
feel i am impelled to carry this through due to your lack of
response and failure to do your job.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Catherine,

Thank you for providing that information, although i notice many
dates have been removed from emails, meaning that it is difficult
to read them in context with each other.

However, the information does indeed prove that the BMF were not
consulted, backed up by the email sent by Chris Hodder of the BMF
to WCC pointing out the errors in the "report" that sates they
were. I notice that the report still implies they were consulted
even after the BMF have asked you to remove this error. You have
also failed to answer the question originally posed in my FOI
request, which was (for the umpteenth and hopefully last time)...

"Please also explain to me why the BMF are said to have been
consulted in the recently published Cabinet Member Report when they
have CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY stated to ALL Westminster City
Councillors that they were not."

Please do not try to add another 20 days to this request by
claiming this is a request for new information as it is not. This
question was in my original FOI request and you have thus far
ignored it. Can you please also carry out the second internal
review i requested as you have also failed to do that. The ICO
requires this to be done.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response.

I'll re word my question to make it simpler and relevant to
information you do hold.

1) Why is the Cabinet Report still available online even after
members of the BMF have asked that you remove it/edit it, as it
implies that they were consulted?

I am also still waiting for the second internal review that was
requested.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response. I understand that the report has to be
left available online as a record of decision, and that notes can
be added to clear up any factual inaccuracies.

Considering that the BMF have contacted the council asking for the
report to be removed or amended to reflect the fact that the BMF
feel they are wrongly included as being "consulted", why has no
note been added?

I am also STILL waiting for the second internal review regarding
this FOI request which was requested 9th April 2010.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy