Edward Colston Salvage & Press Inform

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Bristol City Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Bristol City Council,

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information, I requests that the Bristol Council produce all correspondence, memoranda, documents, reports, records, statements, letters, notes, examinations, opinions, photographs, electronic mail, and other documents and things that refer of relate to the following in any way, w: “The Edward Colston statue removal from the harbor”.



To assist Bristol City Council in locating responsive records, the date range for record retrieval is June 7th 2020 - Date Record collation complete.



I am seeking the request retrieve from following custodians whom may hold responsive records.



1.1) Saskia Konynenburg - Records related to media, press, safety and security of the salvage team, capture and release image of the event.



1.2) @BristolCouncil - 4 tweets were posted, please provide any an all discussions, request for comment, edits, drafts around the 4 tweets any other statements to the press. 



1.3) Bristol Council - The Risk assessment for Colston statue removal from the harbor, records related to media, press, safety and security of the salvage team, capture and release image of the event.

If any responsive record or portion thereof is claimed to be exempt from production under FOIA, sufficient identifying information with respect to each allegedly exempt record or portion must be provided to allow the assessment of the propriety of the claimed exemption. 



Additionally, any reasonably segregable portion of a responsive record should be provided to me after redaction of any allegedly exempt material.



For any public interest test, please see current reporting and engagement by Council Staff Members on twitter with reporters on access and prior inform.



[a]”We’re sorry certain members of the media didn’t get to make money out of today - the safety and security of our salvage team was the priority. My council team member who’s a professional photographer, captured it all and we released these images for free for anyone to see and use”



Numerous local democracy reporters from BBC and other local papers have responded, retweeted, there is a clear public interest in access to this information, so that the public can see how decisions on access to historical moments in Bristols history are shared with the media. 



In anticipation of citing any safe space provision as an exemption, the commissioner states:

"the safe space required would not be for the formulation of policy, but rather for exchange of views or advice on how to meet its statutory obligations"

The removal of the Edward Colston was not a policy formulation decision.

All the best

Marcus Combie

Dear Bristol City Council,

Just a small follow up.

For any personal identifiable information for individuals who do not hold public office, a public figure please redact accordingly.

Under Bristol City Council obligations under the FOI and its duty to assist a requestor if you feel this FOI exemptions may prevent disclosure the requestor would appreciate any assistance from the FOI team.

Yours faithfully,

Marcus Combie

Bristol City Council

 
Dear Mr Combie
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
 
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 12 June
2020.
 
We are dealing with your request and we aim to send a response by 10 July
2020.
 
If you have any further queries about your request please contact
[1][email address].
 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Customer Relations Team
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 
Bristol City Council
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Bristol City Council

 
Dear Mr Combie
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 

Thank you for your information request. The Council's service teams are
working hard to ensure that essential services are delivered to all
citizens during the current health emergency and impacts of Coronavirus
(COVID-19). This means that unfortunately it may take longer than the
statutory 20 working days to respond to your request. Please be assured
that we are aware of your request and we will respond as soon as we can.
Thank you for your patience.

 

If we do not respond to your request within the statutory time frame, you
are entitled to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. More
information is available via their website:
[1]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.

 

Yours Sincerely
 
 
Penny Bird
Customer Relations Officer

 
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Bristol City Council
This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of
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Bristol City Council

3 Attachments

 
Dear Mr Combie
 
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 12 June 2020.
 
Please note that the names and personal information of third parties and
junior council officers have been redacted.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Bristol City Council
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 
Bristol City Council
This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of
which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of
privacy legislation. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are
not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error has
misdirected this e-mail; you must not use, disclose, copy, print or
disseminate the information contained within this e-mail. Please notify
the author immediately by replying to this email. Any views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender, except where the sender
specifically states these to be the views of Bristol City Council.
 
This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions
have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. Bristol City
Council cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from
the use of this email or attachments.

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Dear Bristol City Council,

This is not a request for an internal review at this moment.

Would it be possible to confirm some details, can you confirm ONLY 3 documents were attached:

Response all information to be supplied.pdf
7877701 redacted.pdf.pdf
FOI7877701 redacted.pdf.pdf

If these were the only documents attached and no items are missing. Would it be review the disclosures made to the FOI team from the record custodians.

Issues Identified with the current release:

1). The Health and Safety plan, the only H&S plan provided was from the third party divers EDS. Can you please confirm if Bristol City Council conducted a H&S assessment or if they relied on EDS. IF BCC did conduct a risk assessment please provide it as requested.

If BCC did not conduct a risk assessment and relied on EDS could BCC address the following - the EDS risk assessment only makes 1 mention of "MEDIA"

"This project may arouse the interest of local people and the media." - thats is the only reference to media or press in the entire risk assessment provided by EDS."

If the concern for not arrange a press pool was H&S can BCC please provide documents that support this claim, currently none has been provided.

"We are likely to be retrieving colston tomorrow at first light… I’d like to capture this on film/photo. I can do the
photos if needed – any chance you are around? I’m saying confidential as don’t want to leak this to press"

"Please use [photos] with care as we could make some income from these in the Mshed shop at some point.”"

***
2) CONTACTS AND DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MAYORS OFFICE - In various emails, references are made to communications with the mayors office. However these communications have not been provided, they would be responsive records covered under this request.

"I am discussing with the Mayor about the comms around it, and he is keen to include this in a wider
piece of communication planned to go out tomorrow about the ‘what next’ - June 9 2020 from Saskia Konynenburg

"Tony – the filming is being done by in‐house BCC film crew, and I will be on hand to manage in case any media get wind of it and turn up. The film is for us to use potentially as part of the exhibition at the M Shed and has been requested by the Mayor." - June 10 2020 from Saskia Konynenburg

From the records provided so far, the only communications with the Mayors officer are with Kevin Slocombe where is the only sender on 1 email. It does not cover " the comms around it", nor any records of use of the statue "potentially as part of the exhibition at the M Shed and has been requested by the Mayor" as alluded to in the email above.

There are other examples where email chains make references to communications that have not been provided the requestor.

***

And
No discussions around

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Combie

Dear Bristol City Council,

Further to my email on the 27 June 2020 i have some further questions and concerns about this information released:

3) On the 9th of June the following email was sent:

"Thank you Penny. The Mayor's Office have asked us to capture on film - I have therefore got my camera person on standby ready for the final detail."

There appears to be no released information from the Mayor's office about the H&S implications of the press pool and the need for BCC to only need a single photographer, or any details about capturing the event on film.

In this information disclosure there is a lack of internal comms between staff in Mayors Office about these issues, and then very sparse amounts of recorded information. Originating from the Mayors office.

This is highly surprising to me as a requestors, considering how many times in the information released so far the Mayor's Office is referred to, the amount of times people were told to tell people to contact the Mayor's office.

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Combie

Dear Bristol City Council,

I couldn't see an acknowledgement of my follow up on my emails on 27 June 2020 and the 29th of June.

As such, could you either conduct an internal review into the handling of this request.

I don't believe all the responsive records Bristol City Council hold have been provided to the requestor.

As outlined in my email on the 27th and 29th of June. There are no records from the Mayors office that deal with the press pool, media, or vital need for health and safety to be maintained, just "The Mayor's Office have asked us to capture on film." As this directive came from the Mayors office, the requestor would expect to see consideration given in records.

The Mayor also publicly commented on the timing, when asked in afternoon press conference said ‘we will let you know in due course’

As I understand, The Mayor of Bristol is the head of Bristol City Council as such, records from the Mayors Office would have been in scope with respect to:



1.2) @BristolCouncil - 4 tweets were posted, please provide any an all discussions, request for comment, edits, drafts around the 4 tweets any other statements to the press. 



1.3) Bristol Council - The Risk assessment for Colston statue removal from the harbor, records related to media, press, safety and security of the salvage team, capture and release image of the event.

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Combie

Bristol City Council

 
Dear Mr Combie,
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 20 July 2020. I am
sorry that you are unhappy with our response under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
 
I can confirm that we are considering your concerns.  The internal review
should have been completed by the 20th August and I apologise for the late
communication.
 
However, I note you have another FOI request (9135101) with us asking for
the metadata (emails) about dealing with this request. I understand this
has not been answered yet but is likely to be relevant to your original
request and therefore to this internal review.
 
I therefore propose to deal with the internal review once the second
request has been actioned as they are inextricably linked.
 
I am cognisant of the delay and have raised this with the Mayor's office. 
Please understand the Mayor's office deal with a high number of FOI's and
are currently dealing with a backlog.  I will be asking them to confirm
when they will be in a position to respond and will advise you further on
progress.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Lynne Miller
Data Protection Officer Manager
[email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 
Bristol City Council
This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of
which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of
privacy legislation. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are
not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error has
misdirected this e-mail; you must not use, disclose, copy, print or
disseminate the information contained within this e-mail. Please notify
the author immediately by replying to this email. Any views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender, except where the sender
specifically states these to be the views of Bristol City Council.
 
This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions
have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. Bristol City
Council cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from
the use of this email or attachments.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Council services: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/service
Latest council news: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ournews
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Dear Bristol City Council,

When will the response to 9135101 be comeplete? That request is now 2 months overdue.

I’m hesitant to give my OK to waiting for that request to be complete as an OK to start the IR. Also for you reference the IR was not received on the 20th July, it was sent an deleivered on the 10th of July can you please account for these missing 10 days in your chronology.

The IR is overdue, it should have been started and not waiting on a request that is already 2 months overdue before proceeding.

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Combie

Bristol City Council

Dear Mr Combie,
 
Apologies you are correct the 10th July not the 20th July.  I am still
becoming familiar with the FOI case management system having just taken on
this role in the last fortnight.
 
I will contact the Mayor's office again as the source of information.
 
Regards
 
L. Miller
 
Bristol City Council
This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of
which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of
privacy legislation. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are
not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error has
misdirected this e-mail; you must not use, disclose, copy, print or
disseminate the information contained within this e-mail. Please notify
the author immediately by replying to this email. Any views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender, except where the sender
specifically states these to be the views of Bristol City Council.
 
This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions
have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. Bristol City
Council cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from
the use of this email or attachments.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Council services: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/service
Latest council news: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ournews
Consultations: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/consult

Bristol City Council

 
Dear Mr Combie,
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 20 July 2020. I am
sorry that you are unhappy with our response under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
 
I can confirm that we are considering your concerns.  The internal review
should have been completed by the 20th August and I apologise for the late
communication.
 
However, I note you have another FOI request (9135101) with us asking for
the metadata (emails) about dealing with this request. I understand this
has not been answered yet but is likely to be relevant to your original
request and therefore to this internal review.
 
I therefore propose to deal with the internal review once the second
request has been actioned as they are inextricably linked.
 
I am cognisant of the delay and have raised this with the Mayor's office. 
Please understand the Mayor's office deal with a high number of FOI's and
are currently dealing with a backlog.  I will be asking them to confirm
when they will be in a position to respond and will advise you further on
progress.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Lynne Miller
Data Protection Officer Manager
[email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 
Bristol City Council
This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of
which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of
privacy legislation. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you are
not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error has
misdirected this e-mail; you must not use, disclose, copy, print or
disseminate the information contained within this e-mail. Please notify
the author immediately by replying to this email. Any views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender, except where the sender
specifically states these to be the views of Bristol City Council.
 
This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions
have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. Bristol City
Council cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from
the use of this email or attachments.

Dear Bristol City Council,

This internal review is long overdue. Could you please provide an update as to its status.

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Combie