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K Hodgkinson
Joined WhatDoTheyKnow in 2009
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This person's 54 Freedom of Information requests
Policies and documentation relating to fraud investigations/discount reviews
Internal review request
sent to Birmingham City Council by K Hodgkinson on 4 August 2011.
Awaiting internal review.
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
By law under all circumstances you should have responded by now....
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Partially successful.
The Council says
The Council is obliged under
Audit Commission regulations to look into all cases referred to it as a mismatch in data and see how...
National Fraud Initiative Data Mangling
Internal review request
sent to Norwich City Council by K Hodgkinson on 15 March 2011.
Awaiting internal review.
Does the guidance you refer to come in the Single Person Discount Roll Out Guidelines?
Yours sincerely,
K Hodgkinson
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Follow up
sent to Barrow in Furness Borough Council by K Hodgkinson on 15 March 2011.
Partially successful.
Unfortunately, your response contains an appalling legal error. The NFI council tax electoral register matches fall into two categories. The prima...
When you judge a person to be a thief
Partially successful.
This is relevant and on the Internet somewhere else
So, just how do fishing trips in search of Section 11 discount fraud work?
We are used to watc...
Repeat of request made March and complaint about delay
Request to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council by K Hodgkinson. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 16 February 2011.
Information not held.
Bolton Borough Council has on its web site a statement that NFI data matches show inconsistencies that require investigation but knows very well that...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists
Information not held.
So I do hope that at least some electors will challenge their accounts and complain to their auditors. At least this will force the issues out into t...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Information not held.
by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to K Hodgkinson on 11 February 2011.
Information not held.
Dear K Hodgkinson
Having liaised with Barnsley Council's Benefits & Taxation Division I can now confirm that guidance notes are provided by the Audit...
NFI innocent entitled people on hit lists as potentially fraudulent or erroneous payments etc
Awaiting internal review.
by Salford City Council to K Hodgkinson on 10 February 2011.
Awaiting internal review.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I acknowledge your request for information received at this office on 9th February, 2011.
This request has been considered as a requ...
Complaints about discount reviews
Request to South Oxfordshire District Council by K Hodgkinson. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 4 February 2011.
Information not held.
It isn't certain, but it does seem as if councils using CAPITA to assess and collect council tax are systematically getting it wrong. If this is the...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Successful.
by Birmingham City Council to K Hodgkinson on 30 December 2010.
Successful.
Dear Sir or Madam
Freedom of Information Act 2000 *** Request for Information
Further to your request for information received on 12 October 2010,...
NFI Hit Lists
Successful.
by Amber Valley Borough Council to K Hodgkinson on 10 December 2010.
Successful.
Dear Sir/Madam
Please see attached.
Regards.
Linda Ashmore | Democratic Services and FOI Officer
Amber Valley Borough Council
Town Hall, Ripl...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Internal review request
sent to Bexley Borough Council by K Hodgkinson on 10 December 2010.
Awaiting internal review.
I would like an internal review of this. I asked for information relating to the right of appeal against an assumption that a person was fraudulen...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Request to Aylesbury Vale District Council by K Hodgkinson. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 27 November 2010.
Partially successful.
It would appear from this response that the Audit Commission and not the council decides whether to classify people as 'frauds' and that there is abso...
NFI Hit Lists
Internal review request
sent to Adur District Council by K Hodgkinson on 25 November 2010.
Awaiting internal review.
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Adur District Counci...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Successful.
by Bedford Borough Council to K Hodgkinson on 9 November 2010.
Successful.
Please find attached response to your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
Lynne Saunders
PA to Trevor Roff
Director of Finance...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Successful.
by Bassetlaw District Council to K Hodgkinson on 8 November 2010.
Successful.
Dear Mr Hopkinson,
Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Request for Information
I refer to your e-mail received 12th October 2010 requesting
inform...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Information not held.
by Bath and North East Somerset Council to K Hodgkinson on 4 November 2010.
Information not held.
Dear K Hodgkinson
Thank you for your recent request for information. Please find enclosed
the information you are entitled to receive under the...
National Fraud Initiative Data Mangling
Successful.
by Scottish Parliament to K Hodgkinson on 28 October 2010.
Successful.
Dear K Hodgkinson,
I enclose our reply to your freedom of information request
<<2010-018451 reply.pdf>>
Kind regards
Claire Turnbull
FOI Spe...
NFI Hit Lists
Awaiting internal review.
by Allerdale District Council to K Hodgkinson on 26 October 2010.
Awaiting internal review.
false positives in the 2010 NFI electoral register 'risk based' hit lists.
Follow up
sent to Audit Commission by K Hodgkinson on 17 October 2010.
Long overdue.
No need for an apostrophe in 'its work'.
Yours sincerely,
K Hodgkinson
NFI Hit Lists Council Tax Exercise False Positives
Follow up
sent to Arun District Council by K Hodgkinson on 12 October 2010.
Partially successful.
I am afraid that you have not answered the question about the level of proof that is required before you assume that a person is guilty.
I am a...
Apparent Breach of Code of Data Matching Practice
Awaiting response.
by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council to K Hodgkinson on 12 October 2010.
Long overdue.
Your request for an internal review regarding your recent request under
the Freedom of Information Act was received in this office on Monday 11^th
O...
Background papers on use of electoral register to assess entitlement to section 11 discount of 25%
Partially successful.
This freedom of information reply includes false information. The Commission asserts that councils provide it with information about the 'basis' on w...
Council Tax Demand Notices
Request to South Holland District Council by K Hodgkinson. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 3 October 2010.
Successful.
Like many councils, South Holland sends out both a bill and a booklet. They use to booklet to provide information that the law says they must provide,...
This person's 159 annotations
Data Matching Pilot - electoral roll
Request to Department for Work and Pensions by Mr Rawlins. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 15 November 2011.
Successful.
Double check on Southwark and its demands for information: its online guide to the council tax incorrectly asserts (and this is a breach of the law in...
Data Matching Pilot - electoral roll
Request to Department for Work and Pensions by Mr Rawlins. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 15 November 2011.
Successful.
Among the councils participating in this exercise is Southwark. The web site of this council is most unhelpful in some respects but the amount of priv...
Data Matching Pilot - electoral roll
Request to Department for Work and Pensions by Mr Rawlins. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 15 November 2011.
Successful.
Regarding the full electoral register being used by the DWP: the people to whom the electoral register may be supplied are limited by law.
The Aud...
Data Matching Pilot - electoral roll
Request to Department for Work and Pensions by Mr Rawlins. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 15 November 2011.
Successful.
Mr Rawlins
Once we were told that information provided for one purpose could not be used for other purposes.
Recent governments have decided that th...
Council tax - single person's discount
Successful.
I have looked at the Council Tax leaflet for 2011/2012 put out by Hart council. This refers not just to 'single person'discounts but also to 'sole occ...
Council tax - single person's discount
Successful.
Dear Alice
Having read your letter, I can see that even the words you use to frame your request carry within them misunderstandings of council tax di...
What is the procedure for appealing council tax bills?
Request to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council by Sheila Oliver (Account suspended). Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 10 September 2011.
Successful.
It's a pleasure.
You might ask them why nobody has brought to the attention of elected councillors the legally inaccurate nature of the council tax...
Electrol Register, Experian and Single Person's Discount
Request to North East Lincolnshire Council by Neil Gilliatt. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 10 September 2011.
Successful.
You began by quoting this:
Experian processed all of the addresses currently claiming SPD, provided by the Council, through their extensive database...
Electrol Register, Experian and Single Person's Discount
Request to North East Lincolnshire Council by Neil Gilliatt. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 10 September 2011.
Successful.
Looking quickly at the info on NE Lincs Web Site, we get off to a bad start.
1 It lists what are actually disregard categories as people who are en...
Electrol Register, Experian and Single Person's Discount
Request to North East Lincolnshire Council by Neil Gilliatt. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 10 September 2011.
Successful.
Dear Neil
The terms you used to frame your question demonstrate the extent to which Experian and other agencies, including the Audit Commission have...
What is the procedure for appealing council tax bills?
Request to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council by Sheila Oliver (Account suspended). Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 4 August 2011.
Successful.
The leaflet does provide some indication of the procedure for appealing.
The Council Tax Leaflet issued by Stockport does not, however, seem to co...
Council Tax
Partially successful.
Regarding the rules applying to demand notices. The Council appears to have left two sets off:
There are also council tax demand notice regulations...
Council Tax Discounts
Successful.
This WAS an anti fraud initiative.
What some councils say is that you can't tell whether the investigation was a fraud investigation or not until it...
Council Tax Discounts
Successful.
East Dunbartonshire Council does use 'application' forms which mis state the law. They not only misstate it but they use the words 'offence' and 'fin...
Even when the Audit Commission was up and running its F of I procedures were dodgy. For example, if a 'review' of a refusal was requested, this might...
When a complaint consist of more than just simple maladministration.
Partially successful.
The Local Government Ombudsman web site says that if councils have failed to provide information on disoounts it will take up the case.
Those council...
Council Tax
Request to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council by gary tumulty. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 29 July 2011.
Long overdue.
The questions to ask Bolton Council on council tax are
1 whether it informs taxpayers of their duty under Regulation 16 of the 92 regs,
2 for a cop...
Audit Commission Minutes and Agenda's
Request to Audit Commission by Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 22 July 2011.
Successful.
And ask for the minutes of the sub committee that worked with Hillingdon, which still gets council tax discount law wrong now, and whose advice the st...
Audit Commission Minutes and Agenda's
Request to Audit Commission by Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS. Annotated by K Hodgkinson on 22 July 2011.
Successful.
The thing to request from the Audit Commission is the guidance it sends to participants on how to interpret the output arising from its computer proce...
Proposed changes to the edited electoral register
Long overdue.
I responded to this, pointing out that the Audit Commission and some councils make unfair and probably illegal use of the electoral register in target...
retrospective council tax charges
Information not held.
In respect of discounts, if when you get your bill you realise that the amount of discount is incorrect, which you should know because of the explanat...
Council Tax
Successful.
I have just checked with the web site of the Local Government Ombudsman and that body can hear complaints if a council has not provided you with infor...
Council Tax
Successful.
Also some information put out by Hillingdon seems to imply that sole occupant discounts and disregard discounts are different discounts but they are n...
Council Tax
Successful.
Dear Mr Nesbitt
I can help you with respect to this request.
I write quickly, and am not a lawyer, so this is all just my view, though I think in...
False Positives in NFI Hit Lists and council policy relating to these
Partially successful.
The Council says
The Council is obliged under
Audit Commission regulations to look into all cases referred to it as a mismatch in data and see how...
