Full council meeting 5th December 2017

The request was refused by Copeland Borough Council.

Dear Copeland Borough Council,

May I have a full transcription of the above meeting in written or electronic format.

Yours faithfully,

John Falcon

Info, Copeland Borough Council

Dear Mr Falcon

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Request. Your request for information has been forwarded on to our Freedom of Information Officer, who will respond to your request as soon as possible, and not later than 20 days after receiving your request.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine
Customer Services Officer

Tel: 01946 598300
Email: [Copeland Borough Council request email]
Website: www.copeland.gov.uk
Copeland Borough Council, Market Hall, Market Place, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 7JG. Tel: 01946 598300. Fax: 01946 598303. www.copeland.gov.uk, [Copeland Borough Council request email]

Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland

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Clifford Walker, Copeland Borough Council

Dear Mr Falcon,

I acknowledge receipt of your Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Your request is being considered and you will receive any recorded information held by Copeland Borough Council within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions, which may prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the case, including your rights of appeal.

If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.

There may be a fee payable for this information. This will be considered and you will be informed if a fee is payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for responses is suspended until receipt of the payment.

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact me.

Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner at:

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

Telephone 01625 545700
https://ico.org.uk/

Yours sincerely

Cliff Walker
Information Management Officer
Business Support
Copeland Borough Council

Tel: 01946 59 8529
Email: [email address]

Copeland Borough Council, The Copeland Centre, Catherine Street, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 7SJ. Tel: 01946 598300. Fax: 01946 598303. www.copeland.gov.uk, [Copeland Borough Council request email]

Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland

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Clifford Walker, Copeland Borough Council

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in relation to your recent Freedom of Information request to Copeland Borough Council dated 07 December 2017 which is reproduced below.

Copeland Borough Council remains committed to openness and transparency and does hold some recorded information in answer to your query. However due to the circumstances outlined below we do not, at this stage, intend to disclose this information. There are concerns around pseudonymising and identification issues and as a public authority we have to ensure that all such requests are both legitimate and valid. There is a danger that some enquiries may be submitted to circumvent the legislation and we must remain committed to providing the best professional service possible to the general public.

In this regard and following the advice we have received from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which relates to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made via social media and whatdotheyknow.com, 'Public authorities do not need to respond to such requests for information unless the requestor's real name is clear. If their name is not clear, for example their username is a pseudonym or only contains part of their real name, the request is 'not valid'.

A request for information is not valid if it does not, in accordance with s.8 (1b) Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence. As we believe your request uses a pseudonym instead of your actual name we do not consider it to be a valid request. Accordingly, we are not obliged to respond to it.

However, the ICO does recommend that should you wish to resubmit your request using your real name then we will be able to process and provide a response to your request.

In order to fulfil your requirements, I have also been authorised to invite you personally to attend the Copeland Centre, Catherine Street, Whitehaven where we can discuss the issues raised. I am more than happy to arrange such a visit at your convenience.

Should you decide to decline the invitation I would make a respectful request for acceptable identification which could be in the form of a driving license, utility bill or something similar that establishes your full name, date of birth and address with photo ID. An original copy of the proof of identity document should be sent to the below address, or produced in person.

I will place this request 6813/17 on hold pending receipt of identification from you. Please note that if no identification is received within 20 working days, the request will be withdrawn.

I hope this response is acceptable to you and that you appreciate the safeguards that have to be adopted, but do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to clarify anything further.

The Council makes every effort to make sure that the services it provides are as efficient and effective as possible, and this includes any requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

If you believe that your request has not been dealt with satisfactorily you should follow the Council’s complaints procedure.

If you have followed the complaints procedure and are still not happy with how your request has been dealt with you may also contact the:

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

Enquiry/Information Line: 01625 545 745

Many thanks for your support and understanding in this matter.

Regards,

Cliff Walker
Information Management Officer
Business Support
Copeland Borough Council

Tel: 01946 59 8529
Email: [email address]

Copeland Borough Council, The Copeland Centre, Catherine Street, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 7SJ. Tel: 01946 598300. Fax: 01946 598303. www.copeland.gov.uk, [Copeland Borough Council request email]

Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland

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