Venetian Blinds

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS made this Freedom of Information request to South Norfolk District Council

Waiting for an internal review by South Norfolk District Council of their handling of this request.

From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

8 February 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

The SNDC Planning Committee (09 October 2007) were requested by
their employees to take enforcement action against a property in
Long Stratton that had sun blinds that the officers did not like.

Please would you provide copies of any government guidance on
curtains, blinds and soft furnishings that exist. Please would you
also provide a copy of the Council specific policies on the issue.
I have searched the Council's local plan and am unable to find any
section on curtains, blinds or soft furnishings and absolutely none
related to domestic colour schemes.

Please additionally identify by name the officers that requested
the enforcement action, those that investigated the alleged breach
of SNDC curtains, blinds or soft furnishings policies, and all
officers by name and function responsible for reporting the breach
to the members, and those who identified that the breach was legal
and within the Council's powers to seek enforcement. Please
identify the membership of any professional body of these officers.

Please also identify if the SNDC has a corporate account with
CONRAN or any of the companies in which he has an interest.. and
the colour of the window furnishings of the statutory officers of
the SNDC and from where the 'drapery' was obtained. I anticipate
that the Committee rooms used by the political parties have no
drapery.. and are arranged above ground floor so that no-one can
see what they are doing.

Yours faithfully,

Stuart HARDWICKE CARRUTHERS

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From: Right2Know
South Norfolk District Council

9 February 2009

Dear Mr Carruthers

I refer to your request which is being considered. You may be aware that we have 20 working days in which to respond to FOI requests and you will therefore hear from me again by 6 March 2009 or earlier if possible.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions, which may prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then some or all of the information may not be released. You will be informed if this is the case, including your rights of appeal.

There may be a fee payable for ‘reasonable disbursement’ costs such as postage and photocopying. This will be considered and you will be informed if a fee is payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for responses is suspended until receipt of the payment.

If you have any queries or concerns then please let me know. If you do contact us again concerning this request, please quote FOI 09-32.

Joanna Kitchener
Scrutiny and Information Rights Officer
South Norfolk Council
Long Stratton, Norwich
NR15 2XE
01508 533602
www.south-norfolk.gov.uk

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From: Right2Know
South Norfolk District Council

11 February 2009

Dear Mr Carruthers

Further to your Freedom of Information request detailed below, under
section 14(1), the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states that "Section
1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for
information if the request is vexatious."

After considering the latest guidance issued by the Information
Commissioner, I believe the key question of whether your request is likely
to cause unjustified disruption or irritation can answered in the
affirmative. I am of the opinion that your request could fairly be seen
as obsessive, your request is harassing this authority, your request is
designed to cause disruption or annoyance and the request lacks any
serious purpose or value. My reasons for these conclusions are that you
have contacted this Council for many, many, varied and trivial reasons
over a period of many years and this request is simply another such
vexatious request and is therefore outside the scope of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

I should also advise you that there is no public interest test to be
considered when refusing requests as vexatious.

I intend to follow the latest guidance (version 4) of the Information
Commissioner's guidance on vexatious requests which states that,

"You will not need to issue a new refusal notice if you have already given
the same person a refusal notice for a previous vexatious or repeated
request and it would be unreasonable to issue another one."

As you know, several of your previous FOI requests have been classed as
vexatious and one, FOI 08-103 has been appealed to the Information
Commissioner. In light of that appeal, I consider that a further internal
review would not be appropriate and I confirm therefore we will not be
holding an internal panel.

If you wish to take this further, you will need to appeal to the
Information Commissioner, and I attach the contact details below for your
information:

Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545745
Email: [email address]
Website: [1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Joanna Kitchener
Scrutiny and Information Rights Officer
South Norfolk Council
Long Stratton, Norwich
NR15 2XE
01508 533602
www.south-norfolk.gov.uk

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

11 February 2009

Dear Right2Know,

The information is needed to determine the calibre and tastes of
your planning department. These as you are well aware are issues of
considerable public concern.. and the private interests of a
significant number of staff in the employ of the Council, as well
as Cllrs honorariums. It is all a question of if the staff's
private interests outweigh the public interest.

We shall see . I am requesting an internal review - as the Council
is looking at some of the acts of its staff it is understood and
elected representatives... in relation to the issues.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

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From: Right2Know
South Norfolk District Council

11 February 2009

Dear Mr Carruthers

As stated in my previous email, I am not offering the opportunity for an
internal review, for the reasons previously stated. Please note that I
have previously advised the course of action open to you and I advise you
that I will not be corresponding any further with you on this matter and
should you continue to correspond on this subject, I shall simply file
your emails.

Joanna Kitchener
Scrutiny and Information Rights Officer
South Norfolk Council
Long Stratton, Norwich
NR15 2XE
01508 533602
www.south-norfolk.gov.uk

show quoted sections

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

11 February 2009

Dear Right2Know,

That is your personal decision.. and is subject to the private
interests of your colleagues. It does not change the fact that
internal review has been requested.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

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C. P. ELLIOTT left an annotation (20 July 2009)

Have the issues on the blinds and curtains CLOSED? Should they not be re-opened as the council did their usual ostrichification act!!!!

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Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS left an annotation (20 July 2009)

The issues are not closed.. The operation of the SNDC complaints system without a doubt shall be examined by the ICO..

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Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS left an annotation (20 July 2009)

It is understood that the monitoring officer of the SNDC is also examining the issues

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
South Norfolk District Council only: