Not Reading FOI requests

The request was refused by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

How many times has the council's FOI manager failed to read FOI requests before replying, with the wrong information to the wrong request.
I bet you don't keep that on record.

Yours faithfully,

Arthur Hurworth

I. Sevova left an annotation ()

Arthur,

your request is most pressing and in fact necessary although I doubt you'll get a satisfactory response. Wirral MBC out of all all British councils is perhaps the most mendacious when it comes to FOI requests.

The tag of " the abnormal being normal at Wirral MBC" was so well deserved. I have applied for FOI requests at other councils and I can tell you that Wirral do things differently!!! Wirral MBC defends the indefensible as a matter of course and claim things are not recorded when clearly they are.

Good luck with your request as i think you may need it!!!

InfoMgr, FinDMT, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

Good Morning,
Thank you for your email below. The Council does not hold any recorded
information to supply to you with regard your enquiry below.
Kind Regards
Jane Corrin
Information Manager
Wirral Council

show quoted sections

Arthur Hurworth left an annotation ()

Thanks for your annotation I. Sevova.
WBC are well known for somehow making the possible be impossible.
My FOI request has been placed because of WBC's FOI manager, Jane Corrin's inability to distinguish between 2 of my FOI requests so she can copy and paste the answers(if she provides one ), she then has the cheek to blame me for putting in 2 FOI requests with similiar headings (headings are not the FOI request) or similiar requests, as all of my FOI requests have been totally different, if she had bothered to read them before responding, she would have known which question required which answer.
As it is now, I have one request that WBC state they have answered with what Corrin states is the right answer to the wrong query, if you can work that out.
And another request with exactly the same answer, eventhough, if you read my requests they are completely different.
She has even tried to blame WDTK and contacted me through my personal email address rather than through this site like she should, which she is also aware of.
If you have the time, read my two FOI requests
1, Council and Data Protection
2, Council & Data Protection,
And you will see the complete and utter mess she has made.
Arthur

Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Not Reading FOI requests'.

The Council must hold records of all FOI requests, and should hold records of the answers wrongly given, as proven with my 2 requests that Jane Corrin, FOI manager for WBC completely screwed up because she could not be bothered reading the request properly.
By her actions she has brought WBC's FOI management into disrepute something that affects every FOI request made by anybody.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/no...

Yours faithfully,

Arthur Hurworth

Paul Staples left an annotation ()

With ref to your 30 August statement that the Council "should hold records of the answers wrongly given" - that may or not be the case, but it is not what you asked for in your original request which was for "How many times has the council's FOI manager failed to read FOI
requests before replying". That is clearly a frivolous request as the answer is self evidently zero. Whether the answer was correct or addressed the right issue is irrelevant. If you want a good FOI service from your council ask sensible questions.

Arthur Hurworth left an annotation ()

Paul Staples.
If you have nothing better to do with your time than critisising other peoples FOI requests, May I suggest you to join Wirral Borough Council, that way your envyable talent of writting bu.lsh.t would be useful, rather than useless, and not helpful.

Corrin, Jane, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

 

[1]http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/no...

 

Good Afternoon,

With regards to your enquiry at the hyperlink shown above; the Council
responded to your original request on 30 August 2012, you then requested
an internal review.

A public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information
if the request is vexatious. (Section 14 (1) of the Freedom of Information
Act, 2000).  I am refusing your request for information as set out in your
email of 29 August 2012, on the basis that your request is vexatious.

 

The Information Commissioner issued new guidance, Version 5 ,  in June
2012, “When can a request be considered vexatious or repeated?”

On 28 January 2013, Mr Nicholas Wikely, Judge of the Upper Tribunal ,
issued his decision in the case Information Commissioner V. Devon County
Council and Dransfield {2012} UKUT 440. This case decided that the public
authority had been entitled to rely on Section 14 (1) and gave a detailed
analysis of section 14 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

I have had particular regard to this case in reaching my decision. Judge
Wilkely stated that “vexatiousness may be evidenced by obsessive conduct
that harasses staff, uses intemperate language,or is any other respects
extremely offensive”. I consider that the overall tone of your request is
offensive, having regard to the haranguing tone of the request.

 

Having carried out an overall balancing exercise with respect to the
factors mentioned above, I consider that your request for information is
vexatious and that the Council is not obliged to comply with your request
for information under Section 14 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.  I have treated this response as an internal review.

 

If you are dissatisfied with this response to your request for
information, you have the right to complain to the Information
Commissioner.

The address is the Information Commissioner’s Office,

Wycliffe House,

Water Lane,

Wilmslow,

Cheshire SK9 5AF

[2]www.ico.gov.uk

 

Tel -0303 123 113

 

Regards and sent on behalf of,

 

Rosemary Lyon,

Solicitor,

Department of Law, HR and Asset Management

Wirral Council

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/no...
2. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
http://www.ico.gov.uk/