Farepak Vouchers

Pamela Stoneman made this Freedom of Information request to Your Homes Newcastle This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

Your Homes Newcastle did not have the information requested.

Dear Your Homes Newcastle,

It was reported in the press on the 10th November 2006 your organisation and number of your tenants were affected by the widely publicised collapse of Farepak when it went into administration in October 2006.

I am of the understanding a scheme run by Your Homes Newcastle where tenants moving into partially-decorated homes received Farepak vouchers to fund home improvements. Unfortunately when Farepak collapsed your tenants lost out on the use of those vouchers.

Therefore I am requesting the following information:

1) How many tenants in light of the Farepak administration were subsequently unable to use their vouchers?

2) Please list all individual monetary amounts for those tenants who lost the use of their vouchers?

3) How much in total were Farepak due you as a creditor in the administration?

4) How many years did your organisation purchase Farepak vouchers? (noted you were only formed in 2004)

5) For each year how much did your organisation purchase in vouchers from Farepak?

6) Did you always pay Farepak Food & Gifts Limited or was there another company part of the whole group you paid? If so, please state?

7) Did you ever purchase anything else from any other part of the group? If so please state the amount of money paid for the year/s involved.

8) What officer of Farepak or the (Farepak/Kleeneze/EHR) group did you communicate with to purchase these vouchers as a corporate customer?

[material not directly related to the request removed]

I look forward to your reply

Yours faithfully,

Pamela Stoneman

Ganesh Sittampalam left an annotation ()

I have removed some material from this request that was potentially defamatory and not directly related to the request itself.

Ganesh - WhatDoTheyKnow volunteer

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Yeah, no worries. Not surprising but there is some relevance to it considering who may be collating the information. That in itself is concerning.

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Although, I'm not so sure it was potentially defamatory. It was factual and relative. Did someone complain about it?

Ganesh Sittampalam left an annotation ()

We received a complaint from the authority the request was sent to.

There are a number of possible defences to a defamation action, including that the statement is true. However we simply don't have the resources to investigate the truth of every such statement, and we can't take the legal risk of leaving them up. That's why I've described it as "potentially defamatory" - there's a plausible case that it might be, but we haven't taken a position either way.

We also don't worry so much about removing material that isn't directly necessary to identify the information requested (see https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/requ...).

I will email directly with details of the complaint, as getting into a discussion about it in public would obviously risk repeating the potentially defamation.

If you do have concerns about the way the request was handled once you receive a reply the best thing to do would be to bring them up when asking for an internal review. If it does come to that, obviously we would ask that you not repeat the statement here as part of your public internal review request, but you could make the main part of the internal review request in public and then email the authority separately to express this specific concern.

Ganesh - WhatDoTheyKnow volunteer

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Thank you I will check my email and I really appreciate your correspondence.

Pamela

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Hello Ganesh

I have checked my email but I can't see details of the complaint but please send it to my email as I'd definitely like to read it.

I promise I will not repeat on this site re what has been removed from the FOI request.

Thank you.

Dear Your Homes Newcastle,

This is important and I have told (legally) to add this.

If [name removed] still works for Your Homes Newcastle then I request he takes no part in the consideration of my request due to his conflict of interests.

Admin can remove his name if they so wish but having given it some thought it would not be specific enough not to mention his name. I have to keep it legally correct.

Yours faithfully,

Pamela Stoneman

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Ganesh,

I know I said I wouldn't put any of that info again but I have to make it legally correct re conflict of interest and therefore I feel I had to mention his name.

I hope that is ok?

Ganesh Sittampalam left an annotation ()

Hi,

Your follow-up repeated the point that the council claimed was defamatory so I've removed the name and the specific details.

I emailed you yesterday morning with the further details. If you haven't received that please contact team@whatdotheyknow.com and I'll try again.

Ganesh - WhatDoTheyKnow volunteer

Pamela Stoneman left an annotation ()

Ganesh,

I have now replied to your email - I over looked it as it went into my junk box.

Sorry for the mis-understanding and I will see if can look into it further.

Thanks again.

Hayes, Caroline (YHN), Your Homes Newcastle

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This email has been classified as NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Good afternoon Pamela

 

Thank you for your request relating to Farepak vouchers.

 

Please find attached our response. I hope this answers your questions and
if you wish to know anything further please get in touch.

Regards

Caroline

 

Caroline Hayes
Communications Officer

Your Homes Newcastle
Communications Team, Corporate Services,
YHN House, Benton Park Road, Newcastle upon Tyne.  NE7 7LX

e-mail:  [1][email address].uk  
website: [2]www.yhn.org.uk
telephone:  0191 278 8628
fax:  0191 278 8797

Your Homes Newcastle Limited.  Registration Number 5076256.  Registered in
England and Wales
Registered Office:  Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon
Tyne.  NE1 8PR.
A company controlled by Newcastle City Council.

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.yhn.org.uktelephone/

Dear Caroline Hayes(YHN),

Apologies for my delay in reply.

Unfortunately I appear not to be able to read the reply document in the format it has been sent. It would be appreciated if you could re-send it in pdf format please?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Yours sincerely,

Pamela Stoneman

Hayes, Caroline (YHN), Your Homes Newcastle

I am on leave until Monday 6 January and will respond to your email on my
return. Merry Christmas!

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/rugbyworldcu...

Hayes, Caroline (YHN), Your Homes Newcastle

1 Attachment

Hi Pamela

As requested, please find attached a PDF version of the our response.

Regards
Caroline

Caroline Hayes
Communications Officer
Your Homes Newcastle
Communications Team, Corporate Services,
YHN House, Benton Park Road, Newcastle upon Tyne.  NE7 7LX

e-mail:  [email address].uk  
website: www.yhn.org.uk
telephone:  0191 278 8628
fax:  0191 278 8797

Your Homes Newcastle Limited.  Registration Number 5076256.  Registered in England and Wales
Registered Office:  Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne.  NE1 8PR.
A company controlled by Newcastle City Council.

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