Dear Sir or Madam,

I am requesting some information from you under the Freedom of
Information Act.

The future use of the Bethnal Green Adult Education Centre is a
matter of particular public concern at this time. I would be most
grateful therefore if you would send me a copy of reports,
including financial projections, written during the period 2007 to
the present, regarding the future use of this Centre. This includes
both short-term plans for use by Bethnal Green Technology College,
and longer term plans for the Centre for 2010 and beyond.

I would also like to request a copy of the minutes of items in
council meetings from 2007 to date where discussion about the
future of the Bethnal Green Centre has taken place.

Yours faithfully,

Mr M. E. Mitchell 37 Athelstane Grove Bow London E3 5JG

Dear Mr Mitchell

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Thank you for your email dated today.

I understand your request to be regarding the Bethnal Green Centre.

Your request is being considered and if the information is held you will
receive the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20
working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject
to the information not being exempt.

If the time taken to meet your request is likely to exceed 18 hours, we
will contact you and ask you amend your request to bring it below this
time limit. We will assist you with suggestions of how this might be
achieved.

I may also contact you if the request needs to be clarified; this is to
ensure that we provide you with the information you require.

Please note that some information you have requested may not be provided
to you; this will only be information that can be withheld by law. In
most cases the reasons will be explained to you along with your copy of
any information that can be released to you.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Jones

Information Governance Administrative Officer

Legal Services

6th Floor

Mulberry Place

London E14 2BG

0207 364 4736

[email address]

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Dear Jane L Jones, Thank you for your promt reply to me enquiry,
and I look forward to hearing further from you in due course.

I definitely don't want or expect anyone to spend 18 hours in
researching this topic, but thank you for pointing out the relevant
upper limit for time spent dealing with such enquiries!

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell

Dear Jane Jones, I thought I would send a reminder about my request
for information about the Bethnal Green Centre.

By 24 April 20 working days will have passed since my request was
made, and I am hoping the information requested will be made
available by then

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell

Dear Jane Jones, As a month has passed since my initial request for
information, including financial projections, regarding the future
of the Bethnal Green Centre, I would appreciate receiving your
reply at your earliest convenience.

If there is a specific reason why the information requested has not
been compiled, I would appreciate it if you would advise me of
this.

Thank you for your help over this matter.

Yours sincerely,

MIke Mitchell

Dear Mr. Mitchell,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

Your request for information dated 27 March 2008 has been considered
under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and the
information is below.

The future use of the Bethnal Green Adult Education Centre is a matter
of particular public concern at this time. I would be most grateful
therefore if you would send me a copy of reports, including financial
projections, written during the period 2007 to the present regarding the
future use of this Centre. This includes both short-term plans for use
by Bethnal Green Technology College, and longer term plans for the
Centre for 2010 and beyond.

1. Decisions on use of buildings, where no permanent change of use
is intended, do not go to formal committees they are taken as
operational decisions by senior officers.

2. When BGTC started to look at plans for BSF in October 2007 the
Director suggested a temporary change of use for the centre. A meeting
was convened with the college and Lifelong Learning to look at
alternative accommodation in Dec 2007.

3. Discussions with Rich Mix and BGTC took place, as did a number
of site visits.

4. A final decision was made in March 2008 to explore the
possibility of a two-year lease on the Rich Mix Centre, to prepare for a
July decant - ready for the school in the Autumn term 2008.

Attached is a copy of the letter given to students at the Bethnal Green
Adult Education Centre.

If you have any queries please get in touch with me to discuss them.
You might like to know that the Council's website
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk <http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/> contains a
section on the Freedom of Information Act that lists other publications
readily available from the Council under its Publication Scheme.

Yours sincerely,

Lipy Ali - Information Governance Officer

Children's Services Directorate

Strategy, Partnerships and Performance

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Mulberry Place, 2nd Floor

5 Clove Crescent

London, E14 2BG

Tel: 020 7364 6570

Email: [email address]
<mailto:[email address]>

Most of the information we provide in response to Freedom of Information
Act 2000 request will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases
the copyright will be owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The
copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organization as indicated in the information itself.

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used
for the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use,
for example, publishing the information or issuing copies to the public
will require the permission of the copyright holder.

For information where the copyright is owned by the London Borough of
Tower Hamlets, details of the conditions of re-use can be found on our
website at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk <http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/> .

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organization, you must apply to the copyright holder to obtain their
permission.

If you unhappy with this response or wish to complain about any aspect
of the handling of this request please write to:

Corporate Complaints Unit

Tower Hamlets Town Hall

Mulberry Place

5 Clove Crescent

London E14 2BG

If you are subsequently not satisfied with the Council's response to
your complaint you have a right of appeal to the independent Information
Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
<http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/>

Further information about the operation of the act is available from the
council's website www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
<http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/> and the information leaflet in public
reception areas in Council buildings.

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Dear Lipy Ali, Thank you for your reply dated 1st May. I am shocked
that after more than a month (well after the statutory 20 working
days) I should receive such a cursory reply which does not include
any of the information that I originally requested. Your reply is
simply a summary of the procees followed to date, with none of the
reports and financial information that I asked for.

Please respond to my original request, which asks for copies of
reports produced regarding future options for the Bethnal Green
Centre, including financial projections. Clearly Council officers
will have produced such reports in order for decisions to have been
made. This is a matter of public concern,and the information
belongs in the public domain.

I do not want to have to complain formally, and look forward to a
proper response from you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell

Corporate Complaints Unit Tower Hamlets Town Hall Mulberry Place 5
Clove Crescent London E14 2BG

Dear Sir or Madam, It is with regret that I write to follow up my
initial request of 25th March under the Freedom of Information Act
requesting reports (including financial projections)about the
future of the Bethnal Green Centre. My request specifically
mentioned reports and financial projections concerning both
short-term plans for use of the Centre by the Bethnal Green
Technology Centre, and longer term plans for the Centre beyond
2010.

After waiting more than a month for a reply, I then received a
letter on 1st May from an Information Governace Officer. This reply
did not provide the information requested, but simply outlined some
of the process followed by the Council in reaching the decision to
use the Centre for students of the Bethnal Green Technology
College. I note for example that the reply talks about 'the
Director suggested a temporary change of use for the centre.'
Meetings between the various parties involved are mentioned, as are
site visits and that a 'final decision was made in March 2008 to
explore the possibility of a two-year lease on the Rich Mix Centre,
to prepare for a July decant - ready for the school in the Autumn
term 2008.' I was told that decisions over the use of buildings
'where no permanent change of use is intended, do not go to formal
committees they are taken as operational decisions by senior
officers'

Please clarify. Are you saying categorically that no reports about
options for the short- and long-term future use of the Centre,
including the financial and legal implications of these were
produced by Council officers, and that decisions were made solely
on the basis of informal discussions and a few site meetings?

If this is not the case, please will you disclose the documents, so
that the public can have the information which have informed the
Council officer's decisions to date. The reply of 1st May says that
in October 2007 'the Director suggested a temporary change of use
for the centre'.

I am writing this because I wish to ensure that information
concerning decisions about the future of such an important
educational resource is published so that there is transparency and
accountability to local people, on whos the Council serves.

I do very much hope that this repeated request will meet with the
publishing of what information exists, as I really do not want to
have to resort to writing to the Information Commissioner over this
matter, or take up officers' time unnecessarily.

Yours sincerely,

MIke MItchell

Corporate Complaints Unit Tower Hamlets Town Hall Mulberry Place 5
Clove Crescent London E14 2BG

16 May 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

A week has passed since I last wrote requesting clarification over
what information exists regarding the future of the Bethnal Green
Centre, and for this information to be published. I have not had
any acknowledgement of my commplaint to date.

I am writingto say that, given the initial request for information
was made on 25 March, I think it is reasonable to expect a local
authority to give a full reply within two weeks (by 23 May) to my
complaint.

I look forward vey much to hearing further from you.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell

Dear Mr Mitchell,

I confirm that I am in receipt of a letter from the Information
Commissioner outlining your complaint against the Council concerning
your request for internal review.

I will reply to the substantive complaint in due course, but would
appreciate if you could provide your postal address as I have documents
relating to your original request for information.

Thanks,
Tim Rodgers
Information Governance Manager
Legal Services
Chief Executives Department
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Phone: 0207 364 4354
[mobile number]
Fax: 0207 364 4804
E-mail: [email address]
Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
6th Floor, Town Hall, 5 Mulberry Place,
London E14 2BG

show quoted sections

Dear Tim Rodgers, Thank you for contcting me over my request for
information over the long-term future of the Bethnal Green Centre.

My address is the same as that which I gave when I first emailed
the Council n 25th March which is:

37 Athelstane Grove Bow London E3 5JG

My sole motive in following this request up is to ensure that
important information concerning the future of this important
educational resource in Bethnal Green is in the public domain, and
that wise decisions are made for the long term benefit of local
residents.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell

Tim Rodgers Information Governance Manager Tower Hamlets Council

20th July, 2008

Dear Tim Rodgers,

Thank you for your very gracious letter of 16 July apologising for
length of time involved in responding to my request for information
about the future of the Bethnal Green Centre. Thank you also for
pointing me to the Council’s Lifelong Learning and Development
Strategy (www.ideastore.co.uk) and for gathering the information
which you enclosed with your letter.

This information is helpful in clarifying the position over the
next couple of years or so when the centre will be used by students
from Bethnal Green Technology College, but unfortunately provides
conflicting information about the longer-term future of the centre.

The idea store strategy launched in 2002 clearly envisaged the sale
of the Bethnal Green centre linked with the building of an Idea
Store near Tesco’s in Bethnal Green. Joanna Gaukroger’s report of
18th March 2008 for the Tower Hamlets College board is consistent
with this, stating that after use for two years by the school,
‘there is an expectation that the site would then be sold, with the
proceeds placed within a general capital Borough resource.’ The
notes of the meeting between Council officers and Joanna Gaukroger
on 12th December 2007 (point 6) add that the planning of a new
centre ‘would be influenced by decisions on the future of the Idea
Store strategy.’

Kevan Collins’ letter to George Galloway of 10th March says: ‘Yes,
there are plans for the future use of BGC and for eventual disposal
of the building.’ A month later however on 10th April, Fiona
Paterson’s wrote to all the students at Bethnal Green saying ‘There
are no plans for change of use of the BGC building after the two
years, though of course there is a general consideration of the use
of all council buildings on a regular basis.’

1 .Please will you clarify whether or not there are specific plans
for the sale of the Bethnal Green Centre after two years as I asked
for information about the long-term plans for the centre in my
original request?

The joint report of the borough’s children services and Tower
Hamlets College working group of April 2007 states that ‘Tower
Hamlets Children’s Services has in place an Asset Management Plan
as the basis for planning the best use of premises for the delivery
of services.’ As this document is specifically mentioned in
relation to the Bethnal Green centre, please will you also provide
the parts of this plan that relate to the future use of the Bethnal
Green centre, along with any financial projections, and any other
reports that refer to the long-term future of the centre?

2. Please will you also provide a copy of the full report being
considered this month by the College Board and referred to by Janet
Gaukroger in her March ‘Bethnal Green’ report as this is clearly
pertinent to the future of the centre.

3. Given that the future of the Bethnal Green centre and the
proposed Idea Store in Bethnal Green are so closely linked, and the
strategy states (p44) that ‘Should Idea progress all sections of
the community will be represented and consulted in the design
stages of the new buildings,’ please will you provide up to date
information regarding the Idea Store strategy as it impacts on the
future of the Bethnal Green centre. Will the Bethnal Green Idea
Store definitely be built please?

I do hope that answering these three points will provide the
information to clarify the position over the future of the Bethnal
Green centre, and thank you very much for your help over this
matter.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell 37 Athelstane Grove London E3 5JG

Dear Mr Mitchell,

Thank you for your email dated 20 July 2008.

Regarding points 1 and 3, these are questions of policy rather than
requests for specific information under the Act. I have therefore
forwarded these to the responsbile officers who should be replying in
due course. Regarding item 2, I would respectfully refer you to Tower
Hamlets College who are a public authority under the Freedom of
Information Act in their own right.

I have requested a copy of the Asset Management Plan from officers and
will advise further when I have received this.

Thanks,
Tim Rodgers
Information Governance Manager
Legal Services
Chief Executives Department
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Phone: 0207 364 4354
[mobile number]
Fax: 0207 364 4804
E-mail: [email address]
Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
6th Floor, Town Hall, 5 Mulberry Place,
London E14 2BG

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Dear Mr Mitchell,

Further to previous correspondence on this matter, I attach two
documents which outline the current position on Bethnall Green Centre.

Thanks,
Tim Rodgers
Information Governance Manager
Legal Services
Chief Executives Department
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Phone: 0207 364 4354
[mobile number]
Fax: 0207 364 4804
E-mail: [email address]
Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
6th Floor, Town Hall, 5 Mulberry Place,
London E14 2BG

show quoted sections

Dear Tim Rodgers, Thank you for both your emails of 29th July and
4th August in response to my original request for information about
the long-term future (i.e. after the next 2 years) of the Bethnal
Green Centre.

Thank you for forwarding my questions to the relevant council
officers, and I agree that it seems appropriate they should respond
to the areas for which they carry responsibility. I do however
disagree with your view that my questions 1 and 3 are ‘are
questions of policy rather than requests for specific information
under the Act.’ I don’t want to be repetitive but my question 1
asked ‘whether or not there are specific plans for the sale of the
Bethnal Green Centre after two years.’ Information and policy
matters are not mutually exclusive!

This is a substantive issue which needs clarification, particularly
as the note of 9th July on Bethnal Green Centre which you attached
states that: ‘It is important to note that that there are no
current plans to dispose of the Bethnal Green Centre after two
years.’ This is flatly contradicted by Kevan Collins' letter to
George Galloway of 10th March headed ‘Proposed closure of Bethnal
Green Centre’ This states (to repeat): ‘I confirm there are
proposals under consideration to close the BGC in the future’. I
ask once more for information about these ‘proposals’.

I look forward to receiving a copy of the asset management plan in
due course, and thank you for requesting this on my behalf.

Regarding my second question for a copy of the report that was
considered in July by the Tower Hamlets College Board, this is a
report that the council has in its possession by virtue of Cllrs
Abdul Ullah and Clair Hawkins being members of the College Board.
It seems unnecessary therefore to ask me to initiate yet another
request under the Freedom Of Information Act, and leads me to
wonder why it seems so hard for the Council to provide the
information that is requested.

I do not ant to prolong this matter and yet I will continue to
request the information about the long term future of the Centre as
it is a key educational resource in the area, and clear information
about future plans should be in the public domain.

Thank you once again for your help over this request.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell 37 Athelstane Groive Londo E3 5JG

Dear Mr Mitchell,

Thank you for your email.

The note of 9 July is perfectly clear, and in particular the following
passage.

"It is important to note that that there are no current plans to dispose
of the Bethnal Green Centre after two years. Any recommendation for a
change of use or disposal of the centre, or indeed any council owned
building, would have to go through the Council's decision making process
with the decision made by elected members of the Council and the whole
process would be in the public domain with full consultation."

Moreover as the statement from Cllr Hawkins at Full Council reads,

"I can publicly say that there are no current plans to dispose of the
Bethnal Green Centre after two years. To put this in context, the 1999
Idea Store Strategy included a note that BGC would be considered for
disposal to contribute funding for a future Bethnal Green Idea Store. It
is to this that Mr Collins' letter referred. However, ten years on,
cabinet does not believe the proposed business case is still valid and
the strategy is being reviewed."

Given that the process identified above, even if there were draft
proposals under consideration 4 months ago, these would be exempt under
Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in that the proposals
would be for future publication (whether the date for publication had
been determined or not). The application for an exemption would be
subject to the public interest test and, whilst I appreciate the
interest that some people have in the future of the centre, it is
against the public interest to have in the public domain suggestions
which have not been formally proposed through the process identified
above, and would of course confuse the crystal clear position that the
documents placed in the public domain have portrayed.

With regards to the Tower Hamlets College minutes, the Councillors are
on the board in a capacity unrelated to their Council business.
Therefore the information is not held by the Council.

We have provided you with the information we are obliged and able to
under the Freedom of Information Act (with the exception of the Asset
Management Plan as discussed). I believe that you have an open
complaint with the Information Commissioner and you have the right,
should you not be satisifed with our response, to escalate matters for
his adjudication.

Thanks,
Tim Rodgers
Information Governance Manager
Legal Services
Chief Executives Department
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Phone: 0207 364 4354
[mobile number]
Fax: 0207 364 4804
E-mail: [email address]
Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
6th Floor, Town Hall, 5 Mulberry Place,
London E14 2BG

show quoted sections

Dear Tim Rodgers, Thank you for your email of 4th August, and I
apologise for not responding earlier due to my being away until
24th August.

I would like you to know that I have not received any communication
from the Council officers you requested to respond to my specific
points about the future of the Bethnal Green Centre in two years’
time, and whether the Bethnal Green Idea Store will definitely be
built. These were points raised in my email of 20th July. I also
still await a copy of the Asset Management Report regarding the
future of the centre you said you said you had requested in your
email of 29th July.

I am afraid very little is ‘crystal clear’ as the information I
have been sent links the future of the Bethnal Green Centre with
the Idea Store strategy. The report by Isobel Cattermole of April
2008 of LBTH Children’s Services and Tower Hamlets College Working
Group says for example: ‘As has been previously stated, the centre
is part of the idea Store strategy assets and future use will be
determined by LBTH and the Idea Store Strategy development plans.’

The public statements you cite are both negative statements rather
than poositive ones, and use identical wording: ‘there are no
current plans to dispose of the Bethnal Green Centre after two
years.’ Saying there are no curnt plans to sell the Centre says
nothing about how the Centre will be used after this period.

At the risk of repeating myself, I venture to ask once again:
‘What, please, are the plans for the Bethnal Green Centre after
2010 in the context of the wider Idea Store strategy? As there are
no plans to dispose of the building, will the Council please
confirm that it will continue to be used for adult education? A
direct answer to these questions will help make the position clear.

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Mitchell