Dear Sir or Madam,
As a former donor I request a specific itemised account of the
incomings and outgoings of The Stafford Trust 1111698 for the year
2008.
I require proof that this charity has been spending the donations
in line with its own Declaration of Trust.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs Olga E. Lockley

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

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 Charity Commission
for England and Wales's handling of my FOI request 'Detailed
accounts of charity 1111698 THE STAFFORD TRUST for 2008.'.

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

Yours sincerely,

Olga E. Lockley

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

Dear Olga,

Thank you for your email.

Please see the following link to the charity's details on our website

[1]http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Sho...

If you require any further detailed information then you should rquest
this directly from the charity.

Kind regards,

Rob Hewitt
Charity Commission Direct

Tell us what you think about Charity Commission Direct. Click [2]here to
fill in our short survey.

Use our [3]Online Services to complete your Annual Return or Annual Update
form and to view and make changes to your charity***s details.

Looking for advice on fundraising? Campaigning? Recruiting new trustees?
Click [4]here to view, listen to or download our guidance on these and a
whole range of other subjects.

------------------- Original Message

show quoted sections

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 Charity Commission
for England and Wales's handling of my FOI request 'Detailed
accounts of charity 1111698 THE STAFFORD TRUST for 2008.'.

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

Yours sincerely,

Olga E. Lockley

I have had no reply to my queries from the charity itself, the
Charity Commission or yourselves. Where do you think I will go
next?

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

Dear Mrs Lockley

Thank you for your recent email below. I am sorry for not responding
sooner.

We initially received your request on 13 March for an internal review of
our handling of your FOI request before we had in fact issued our response
later on the same day and it was therefore not clear on what basis
you requested the review. Your recent email makes the same request for an
internal review with no clear indication of the basis on which you have
requested the review.

I think it might be helpful if I explained a little about the role of the
Charity Commission and the reasoning behind our initial response to your
request for financial information about this charity for the year 2008. As
the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales our general
function is to promote the effective use of charitable resources by giving
support and advice to charities and, where necessary, carrying out
investigations to check abuse. What we cannot do, however, is interfere in
the administration of a charity. Further information about the issues we
will or will not take up is contained in our publication Complaints about
Charities (CC47) on our website at [1]www.charitycommission.gov.uk .

Charity trustees are responsible, as the managers of their charity, for
deciding the policy of their charity and they have broad discretion to do
so as they think fit within charity law and the charity's governing
document. Decisions and accountability regarding the use of their
charity's resources are an important part of their responsibilities. This
is generally achieved through the preparation of a trustees annual report
and accounts. The trustees would also be responsible for dealing with any
requests for further explanation or clarification of the contents of a
trustees report or accounts. I believe that it was with this in mind
that my colleague interpreted your request for financial information about
the charity for the year 2008 as a routine request, for which our FOI
procedure was not engaged, and directed you to the charity's details on
our website. As your original request was therefore not actually dealt
with in accordance with FOI principles we are unable to offer a formal
decision review in this instance.

In the circumstances I will now deal with your original request using FOI
principles.

o You requested " a specific itemised account of the incomings and
outgoings of The Stafford Trust 1111698 for the year 2008"

We do not hold this information. The charity's accounts for year ended 31
December 2008 have not yet been received. The trustees are allowed upto 10
months after the financial year end to submit a charity's accounts which
means that the 2008 accounts for The Stafford Trust may not be submitted
until end October 2009. You can request a copy of the accounts at that
time either from the charity or from the Commission but we cannot
interfere or force the trustees to submit accounts before the statutory
deadline. We do however hold a copy of the 2007 accounts (copy follows by
separate email) although it is no longer our practice to post charity
accounts with an income of less than **25k on our website. I would also
explain that charity accounts would generally not provide a specific
itemised breakdown of income and expenditure over and above what is
required by SORP. This stands for Statement of Recommended Practice and
information about the Charities SORP are available on the 'Charities SORP
2005' pages of our website. The Freedom of Information Act does not
require us to obtain or create information we do not hold.

o You said that you "require proof that this charity has been spending
the donations in line with its own Declaration of Trust".

If you have concerns regarding the charity's expenditure we will
need specific details together with copies of any documentary evidence
held, in order to consider the matter further. Suspicions alone
or disapproval of a decision or course of action properly taken by the
trustees within the scope of their discretion would not be sufficient to
justify our involvement.

I am sorry for having to write such a lengthy response but I hope it helps
you to better understand our role and why we are unable to provide the
particular information you have requested in this instance. If you are
unhappy with this response to your FOI request, have a complaint or wish
to request a review of our FOI decision, you should write by post to:
Charity Commission Direct, PO Box 1227, LIVERPOOL, L69 3UG or email to
[2][email address]. Please ensure that you state
clearly what it is you are dissatisfied with, which will assist us when we
review our response. If you request a Decision Review you will be notified
of our final decision.

If after this you remain unhappy with the decision, you may apply directly
to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO
cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted our complaints
procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The
Information Commissioner***s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Pat Elias

Charity Commission Direct

------------------- Original Message

show quoted sections

Dear Mrs Lockley

Please see attacahed 2007 accounts as mentioned in my previous email.

Regards

Mrs Pat Elias

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

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 Charity Commission
for England and Wales's handling of my FOI request 'Detailed
accounts of charity 1111698 THE STAFFORD TRUST for 2008.'.

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

Yours sincerely,

Olga E. Lockley

Addition:
The Charity Commission has sufficient letters and documents from me
to make an investigation into the running of this 'charity'. They
apparently choose not to. I should like to know why? I would have
thought this was their raison d'etre. I shall persist in trying to
obtain proof that OUR money has been spent in the proper way.

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

Dear Mrs Lockley,

Thanks you for your email of 16 April, requesting an internal review of
our handling of your FOIA request about "detailed accounts of charity
1111698 The Stafford Trust for 2008". Please accept my apologies for
the delay in responding to your request.

I have examined your complaint in my role as a senior officer who has had
no previous involvement with this case. I note that the exchanges between
you and the Commission have been by email and I think it will be helpful
if I set out the exact chronology from our records to explain what has
happened here.

13/03 10:57 - we received your email under FOIA requesting an itemised
account of The Stafford Trusts income and expenditure for 2008.

13/03 11:00 - we received a further email requesting a review of our
handling of your FOIA request, although at this stage we had not replied
to you.

13/03 11:15 - we replied to your first email with a link to the charity's
details on our website. This reply was not handled under our FOIA
procedures as charity accounts are routinely published on our website and
our available to the public from the charity. As such they are covered by
our Publication Scheme which does not engage FOIA.

15/03 11:38 - we received a further request from you for review of our
handling of your FOIA request.

15/04 19:02 - we replied to your latest email explaining that your
original request had been dealt with as a routine matter which did not
engage FOIA procedures. For the avoidance of doubt, this email went on to
deal with your original request using FOIA principles.

15/04 19:11 - we sent a further email with attached accounts for the
charity's financial year 2007, the latest we hold.

Having looked at the history of this case, it seems to me that there was
some confusion brought about by your request for a review of our handling
of your request before we had responded to it.

Although this was explained to you in our email of 15 April, I note that
we did not offer you an apology for the confusion which, I think, we
should have done. I would like to apologise now for this.

Other than this, I believe our email to you of 15 April using FOIA
principles comprises a full response and sets out the reasons and grounds
for that response. I do not think there was any more we could do in the
way we handled your request other than the apology I have offered
and this email brings a conclusion to this correspondence.

I hope this is helpful and has explained our position. However, if you
remain dissatisfied, please write to our Customer Service Manager at
[1][Charity Commission request email]

Yours sincerely

Jim Hickey

Charity Commission Direct

------------------- Original Message

show quoted sections

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 Charity Commission
for England and Wales's handling of my FOI request 'Detailed
accounts of charity 1111698 THE STAFFORD TRUST for 2008.'.

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

I see that a Greyhound charity has its 2008 details published
already on the CC website. This being the case why cannot The
Stafford Trust tells us how EXACTLY OUR donations have been used
during 2008?

Yours sincerely,

Olga E. Lockley

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

Dear Web Enquiries,
This is being dealt with and shall continue to be so until a full
and honest answer is given.
Yours sincerely,

Olga E. Lockley

Thank you for your email to the Charity Commission.

We aim to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days
from receipt of your email. We will ensure that our response is both
accurate and appropriate.

This is the same service standard we apply to letters and faxes but
Charity Commission Direct will usually respond to general email enquiries
within five working days where there is no need for referral to one of our
specialist operational teams.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact
you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and indicate
when we expect to be in a position to give you a full response. We will
also let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with
your query.

You can find the Commission's contact details on our website at
[1]http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and
delete
the original message from your system.

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/...