Consultation with the BMF

Waiting for an internal review by Westminster City Council of their handling of this request.

Dear Sir or Madam,

In response to FOI 4225, you advise that you consulted the British
Motorcyclist Federation (BMF) with regards to the motorcycle
parking. You also provide a web link to your website to prove this.
Unfortunately, as your website is neither unbiased or independent,
and is generally full of inaccurate or mis-calculated facts and
figures, i question the authenticity of the records you hold.

The BMF have stated in a letter sent to all Westminster Councillors
"We were particularly aggrieved by the fact that we were
not given an opportunity to present our case to the councillors
before you
made a policy decision on the issue based on false information. We
have now
witnessed Councillor Chalkley, on numerous occasions, stating that
both
MAG and BMF had been consulted on this point and thus inferring
that we
were in tacit agreement. I think you will find that we are clearly
not, as
evidenced by our strong support for the No To Bike Parking Fees
Campaign,
our historic campaigns against motorcycle parking charges and this
letter."

So judging by that letter, either Westminster City Council are
lying or the BMF are lying.

To put my mind at rest, please provide all correspondence between
Westminster City Council and the BMF with regards to motorcycle
parking. This should include emails and letters where
applicable/appropriate. It may be wise of you to also provide any
minutes of any meetings you have held with them with regards to
motorcycle charging.

Please also explain to me why the BMF are said to have been
consulted in the recently published Cabinet Member Report when they
have CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY stated to ALL Westminster City
Councillors that they were not.

As this is a matter which directly affects the councils integrity
(which from previous FOI's i note that you are keen to protect) i
would expect a prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Ben

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please acknowledge receipt of the above FOI which can be viewed at http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Westminster City Council

Confirmation of Freedom Of Information Request

Thank you for your request for information.

Your request details have now been recorded and will be passed on to the
appropriate Divisional Records Officer for action.

This Freedom Of Information Request was based on the following
information:

Name: Ben Tweedy
Address: See email address
Email: [FOI #23785 email]
Telephone:
Request Details: To put my mind at rest, please provide all
correspondence between
Westminster City Council and the BMF with regards to motorcycle
parking. This should include emails and letters where
applicable/appropriate. It may be wise of you to also provide any
minutes of any meetings you have held with them with regards to
motorcycle charging.

Please also explain to me why the BMF are said to have been
consulted in the recently published Cabinet Member Report when they
have CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY stated to ALL Westminster City
Councillors that they were not.

FOI Reference Number: 4684
Target Completion Date: 24/12/2009

Please do not reply to this email.
This is an automatic response to your request, and replies to this message
will not be actioned.

If you need to contact Westminster City Council regarding your request,
please contact:

mailto:[Westminster City Council request email]
Tel:020 7641 3921

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Dear Westminster City Council,

You have not responded to my FOI request and its is now overdue. You are now breaking the law. Please answer my FOI request, or update me with the status of it at your earliest.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I stil haven't received a response or an update as to when i should expect a response with regards to this FOI request. As you know, you are now breaking the law by not answering this request. Please answer this FOI request at your earliest opportunity.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

You have not responded to this FOI request within the time allowed by the FOI Act 2000 and you are now breaking the law. A full history of my FOI request and requests for updates is available by clicking here http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

I also find the fact that you haven't bothered to even update me with an expected date of completion insulting.

Please update me to the status of this FOI request by the end of play today (14th Jan 2010) or I will be passing this on the ICO's office.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I am requesting an internal review into the handling of this FOI request. It can be viewed at http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

You have failed to provide an answer within the set 20 day period, and have so far ignored all of my requests for an update into the progress of this FOI request. I also doubt that it has been marked as spam as you were able to confirm receipt of it.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

Please answer this FOI request. It is well overdue now.
I will be sending this to the ICO's office at the end of the week.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

FOI, Westminster City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Tweedy,

Please find attached the council's response to your recent chases
regarding the above request
<<Response to Request for Internal Review - Tweedy.doc>>
Yours sincerely

Catherine Preston
Knowledge and Information Management Team
Information Services
Westminster City Council
101 Orchardson Street
London
NW8 8EA
Tel: 020 7641 3332
Fax: 020 7641 2872
Email: [Westminster City Council request email]

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Dear Catherine,

Thank you for your reply updating me with the status of this request.

I look forward to receiving the information requested by the end of next week.

Have a good weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

Just wanted to give you a reminder as it's getting a bit late in the day. I was promised an answer to this overdue request by the end of today. Full request history can be found here http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I was promised a reply to this FOI request by the end of last week (26th March) and still haven't received a reply, nor update to the status of the request. A full history of this request is available here http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

This request was first submitted in November 2009, and for a relatively simple request, I am amazed at how long this has taken to answer.

Please answer this FOI request or update me with the status of it today.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear Westminster City Council,

I am requesting a second internal review be carried out over the handling of this FOI request. Full history is available here http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

As you are fully aware, it has taken you over 4 months to deal with this FOI request and still havent provided the information nearly a week after promising to do so.

Yours faithfully,

Ben Tweedy

Dear FOI,

Please can you provide me with a telephone number so that i can call and chase this FOI request up please? Full history is available here...http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

You have delayed the response and still cannot provide the information requested within the time period that YOU have set. You have also ignored my request for a second internal review regarding the handling of this FOI request, so i feel i must waste my time by chasing this up.

I have threatened to take this up with the ICO in the past, but feel i am impelled to carry this through due to your lack of response and failure to do your job.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Preston, Catherine, Westminster City Council

17 Attachments

Dear Mr Tweedy

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your
request regarding correspondence with the BMF. As per previous
correspondence (available via WhatDoTheyKnow), the council does not have
a centralised EDRM system and therefore conducting a search for
correspondence does take a considerable time. It therefore took longer
than the estimated week in order to comply with your request.
Additionally, as per the internal review, your complaint regarding the
late response to your request is upheld.

Please find attached the correspondence that is held by the council with
regard to consultation with the BMF. Where information has been
redacted, this is because it does not fall within the scope of your
request (i.e. correspondence is with other individuals/organisations)

I hope that this fulfils your information needs. However, should you
remain dissatisfied with our response, you are entitled to contact the
Information Commissioner. For your convenience, I have provided his
contact details below:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Catherine Preston
Knowledge and Information Management Team
Information Services
Westminster City Council
101 Orchardson Street
London
NW8 8EA
Tel: 020 7641 3332
Fax: 020 7641 2872
Email: [Westminster City Council request email]

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Dear Catherine,

Thank you for providing that information, although i notice many dates have been removed from emails, meaning that it is difficult to read them in context with each other.

However, the information does indeed prove that the BMF were not consulted, backed up by the email sent by Chris Hodder of the BMF to WCC pointing out the errors in the "report" that sates they were. I notice that the report still implies they were consulted even after the BMF have asked you to remove this error. You have also failed to answer the question originally posed in my FOI request, which was (for the umpteenth and hopefully last time)...

"Please also explain to me why the BMF are said to have been consulted in the recently published Cabinet Member Report when they have CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY stated to ALL Westminster City Councillors that they were not."

Please do not try to add another 20 days to this request by claiming this is a request for new information as it is not. This question was in my original FOI request and you have thus far ignored it. Can you please also carry out the second internal review i requested as you have also failed to do that. The ICO requires this to be done.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

FOI, Westminster City Council

Dear Mr Tweedy

Thank you for your email regarding the second part of your FOI request
regarding correspondence with the BMF. You have asked for an explanation
regarding the apparent discrepancy between the views of the BMF and the
council regarding their consultation on the introduction of motorcycle
parking, referred to in the Cabinet Report. Having reviewed the
material, I am satisfied that the emails and correspondence clearly
explain the council's view regarding consultation, including copies of
letters sent to the BMF asking for their views. I am therefore satisfied
that this part of your request has been answered.

Should you wish to, you are entitled to contact the Information
Commissioner and for your convenience I have provided his contact
details below
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Catherine Preston
Knowledge and Information Management Team
Information Services
Westminster City Council
101 Orchardson Street
London
NW8 8EA
Tel: 020 7641 3332
Fax: 020 7641 2872
Email: [Westminster City Council request email]

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Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response.

I'll re word my question to make it simpler and relevant to information you do hold.

1) Why is the Cabinet Report still available online even after members of the BMF have asked that you remove it/edit it, as it implies that they were consulted?

I am also still waiting for the second internal review that was requested.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy

Westminster City Council

Confirmation of Freedom Of Information Request

Thank you for your request for information.

Your request details have now been recorded and will be passed on to the
appropriate Divisional Records Officer for action.

This Freedom Of Information Request was based on the following
information:

Name: Ben Tweedy
Address: see email address
Email: [FOI #23785 email]
Telephone:
Request Details: 1) Why is the Cabinet Report still available online even
after
members of the BMF have asked that you remove it/edit it, as it
implies that they were consulted?

FOI Reference Number: 5289
Target Completion Date: 21/05/2010

Please do not reply to this email.
This is an automatic response to your request, and replies to this message
will not be actioned.

If you need to contact Westminster City Council regarding your request,
please contact:

mailto:[Westminster City Council request email]
Tel:020 7641 3921

show quoted sections

FOI, Westminster City Council

Dear Mr Tweedy

Thank you for your request regarding the position relating to Cabinet
Papers. Specifically you asked: Why is the Cabinet Report still available
online even after members of the BMF have asked that you remove
it/edit it, as it implies that they were consulted?

Response

I can inform you that under Local Government Acts, the council is required
to publish all papers present to Cabinet. If a factual error were
identified in a report, then the author can ask that a note be added to
that part only. The report would remain available online as a record of
the decision taken.

I will not comment on whether or not the report to which you refer is
likely to contain factual error as this is outside the scope of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Yours sincerely

Catherine Preston
Knowledge and Information Management Team
Information Services
Westminster City Council
101 Orchardson Street
London
NW8 8EA
Tel: 020 7641 3332
Fax: 020 7641 2872
Email: [Westminster City Council request email]

show quoted sections

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response. I understand that the report has to be left available online as a record of decision, and that notes can be added to clear up any factual inaccuracies.

Considering that the BMF have contacted the council asking for the report to be removed or amended to reflect the fact that the BMF feel they are wrongly included as being "consulted", why has no note been added?

I am also STILL waiting for the second internal review regarding this FOI request which was requested 9th April 2010.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Tweedy