Allotment Deregulation Decisions

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

Under the Freedom of Information Request please can you provide the following information:

1. The total number of allotment disposal applications received since the 01/01/14.
2. The total number approved for deregulation since the 01/01/14.
3. Of the total number approved, the number approved under "exceptional circumstances" as stated at 1.7 of the current Allotment Disposal Guidance.
3. The total number rejected since the 01/01/14.
4. Of the number approved under "exceptional circumstances" please provide the applicants deregulation application to the Casework Planning Team.

Yours faithfully,

Frederick Wesley

Timothy Hayward,

                            
Our reference: 2641900             Information request

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Department for Communities and Local Government
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NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Timothy Hayward,

                            
Our reference: 2641900             Information request

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Dear ‎Mr Wesley‏
 
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
 
Thank you for contacting us on 18 August 2016 requesting:
1. The total number of allotment disposal applications received since the
01/01/14.
2. The total number approved for deregulation since the 01/01/14.
3. Of the total number approved, the number approved under "exceptional
circumstances" as stated at 1.7 of the current Allotment Disposal
Guidance.
4. The total number rejected since the 01/01/14.
5. Of the number approved under "exceptional circumstances" please provide
the applicants deregulation application to the Casework Planning Team.
 
I will not be able to provide the information you need until your request
has been clarified. Please let me know by 30/11/2016.
 
I am writing to ask you to clarify your request. This is because we need
further details from you in order to identify and locate the information.
Can you confirm that the documents you require at Q5 above are those
headed: "Application for Secretary of State consent to dispose of
statutory allotment land".
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Tim Hayward
 
 
[1][email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

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Dear Timothy Hayward,

Thank you for your clarification note and confirm that the documents required at Q5 are headed "Application for Secretary of State consent to dispose of statutory allotment land".

Also as you seem to be unsure of where the information is located the National Planning Casework Unit who deal with the applications have a central email address (npcucommunities.gsi.gov.uk) and postal address (Department for Communities and Local Government 5 St Philip's Place, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2PW).

This where all deregulation applications are sent before being distributed to a caseworker. Therefore the information is centrally located and easily referenced so I would expect no delay in the response to my request.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

Dear Timothy Hayward

Please can I have an update to my request as I have not had a response from you since the 2 September.

As I mentioned in my response there should be no undue delay in responding to my request which is now due and that it had originally taken you seven working days to seek clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

Despatch Box,

Dear Mr Wesley

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you. I hope to
send out the response shortly.

Tim Hayward

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Dear Timothy Hayward

Please can I have an update to my request as I have not had a response
from you since the 2 September.

As I mentioned in my response there should be no undue delay in responding
to my request which is now due and that it had originally taken you seven
working days to seek clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

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Dear Despatch Box,

Please can you confirm that my response will be issued by the 30 September. If not I will proceed to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

I request an internal review as the response is now overdue and communication from continual prompts has been extremely poor.

If a formal response to my request is not received by the 5 October I will pass my complaint to the Information Commissioner.

Yours faithfully,

Frederick Wesley

Despatch Box,

Dear Mr Wesley

Once agin, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you.
I hope to send out your response as soon as possible.

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Dear Despatch Box,

Please can you confirm that my response will be issued by the 30
September. If not I will proceed to raise a complaint with the Information
Commissioner.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

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Dear Despatch Box,

Unfortunately this is not good enough as you do not give a specific date for your delayed response. "I will reply to you as soon as possible" is not good enough especially as this is not a particularly difficult request to respond to.

A view could be taken that the administration at the casework planning team is poor or that the department is being deliberately obstructive. Either way the communication has been poor and non specific.

As stated yesterday I will be sending a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner if the response is not received tomorrow as I had given the department a further three days grace from the 30/09/16.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

Tim Hayward,

14 Attachments

Dear Mr Wesley

 

Please find attached the response to your information request about
allotment deregulation.

 

ICO: FS50651687

 

Tim Hayward | Knowledge & Information Access | Department for Communities
and Local Government

 

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Dear Tim Hayward,

Thank for your response and I would request an interview review of the handling of this request. Indeed I had requested an internal review on the 3 October which I am still awaiting a response.

Unfortunately the statement of "Please accept our apologies for the delay in replying to you" in your final response does not provide an adequate explanation in why it took over two months to provide a formal reply to what was a straightforward request for information as you will see from the trail of this request on the What Do They Know case history .

Therefore I have listed several questions below to which I would like an honest reply taking into account that that through sheer frustration I had to complain to the Information Commissioners Office to force a response from your department.

1. Why did I not receive a response after clarifying my request on the 02/09/16 and then had to chase again on the 20/09/16?
2. Why did your response on 22/09/16 provide no specific response time in line with 02/09/16 after I had clarified my request?
3. Why did I not receive a response chasing for a request update on the 28/09/16?
4. Why did I not receive a response to my Internal Review request on the 03/10/16 despite me stating that if not acknowledged I would pass a complaint to the Information Commissioners Office.
5. When responding to me on the 04/10/16 stating that you would respond "as soon as possible" why did you not acknowledge my Internal Review Request?
6. Why did you not respond to my subsequent email on the 4 October when I made further comment regarding the poor handling of my request and again not acknowledge my request for an Internal Review.
7 Why did the department only act when being directed to do so by the Information Commissioners Office on the 09/11/16.

Yours sincerely,

Frederick Wesley

Tim Hayward,

Dear Mr Wesley

Many thanks for your email. One of my colleagues will now take forward an independent internal review of this case and will be in contact with you.

Best wishes

Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward | Knowledge & Information Access | Department for Communities and Local Government

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Despatch Box,

                            
Our reference: 2641900             Information request

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Dear Mr Wesley
 
Internal review under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 5 December 2016. I am
sorry that you are dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your request
under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
 
I am considering your concerns and will aim to provide you with a response
by 5 January 2017.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Ben Heathcote
Data Protection Compliance Manager
 
[email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Despatch Box,

1 Attachment

                            
Our reference: 2641900             Information request

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Dear Mr Wesley

Please find attached the Department's response to your request for an
internal review.
Yours sincerely
 
 
Ben Heathcote
Data Protection Compliance Manager
 
[email address]