Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

The request was partially successful.

Darryl Chamberlain

Dear Greenwich Borough Council,

Could you please tell me:

a) How much has been spent on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme in the past three financial years - 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21?

b) How much has been received from the Home Office in each financial year for the scheme?

c) Could you tell me how much each organisation involved has been given by Greenwich in each financial year?

d) Could you please send me copies of the reports from the organisations concerned detailing what has been done with the money?

Many thanks for your help.

Yours faithfully,

Darryl Chamberlain

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-48208

 

Thank you for your request dated 05 February 2021

 

Your request is due to be answered by 05 March 2021, however, please note
that your request for information may be delayed due to urgent operational
responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We apologise for any
inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to responding to your
request and will respond as soon as we are able to do so. 

 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-48208

 

Thank you for your request dated 05 February 2021

 

Our response is as follows:

 

Could you please tell me:

 

a) How much has been spent on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement
Scheme in the past three financial years - 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21?

 

b) How much has been received from the Home Office in each financial year
for the scheme?

 

c) Could you tell me how much each organisation involved has been given by
Greenwich in each financial year?

 

d) Could you please send me copies of the reports from the organisations
concerned detailing what has been done with the money?

 

Response:

The information you have requested at questions a, b c, and d is withheld
in accordance with  section 43 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act.

 

Section 43(2) states:-

 

Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would,
or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person
(including the public authority holding it).

 

The Council considers disclosure of the funding amounts and any reports
provided will prejudice its commercial interests as these agreements were
finalised by the Council when commissioning for delivery of services by
each organisation.

 

If this is publicly disclosed this could be open to unwarranted and
unnecessary scrutiny and criticism by third parties who have no connection
to this arrangement or to the delivery of services to the various
organisations.

The council has consulted with GIC and their views as to why disclosure
would prejudice their commercial interests are:- 

 

The reports from the organisations detailing what has been done with the
money contains sensitive information.

Sharing these reports will have an impact on other negotiations of future
projects as it can be used against our interest.

Disclosing these reports could potentially lead to threats or harassment
of the GIC staff due to the sensitivity of the information contained in
the reports.

 

The Council is of the view that disclosure would prejudice the commercial
interests of these organisations. A number of these organisations are
faith-based community establishments which is accessible to the public. 

 

Disclosure could open such organisations, who are public service
providers,  up to unwarranted scrutiny and may result in these
organisations  becoming the target of a possible backlash which may
involve violence which could pose a danger to staff and the respective
establishments.  This would upset the functioning of the various roles of
these organisations.

 

The Council has considered the public interest for disclosing this
information.  We have acknowledged that there is a broad public interest
in maintaining the transparency and accountability of its actions and that
disclosure would facilitate this.

 

The Council has considered the public interest factors for not disclosing
this information, they are:-

 

In addition to the reasons stated above the Syrian families settled under
the GSP may also become targets of violence or repercussion if the
specific funding amounts provided by the council to each  organisation /
statutory body  to help the families to settle into the UK is placed in
the public domain.

 

The resettled Syrian families receive local authority housing stock, free
NHS treatment, are prioritised for educational services and are assisted
with practical and emotional  support from dedicated support staff and
other services. If the specific yearly  funding amounts  for each
organisation is  placed in the public domain this may cause upset, incite
protest and anti-refugee action or violence which may also affect wider
members of the community including migrants, migrant organisations and the
Council.

 

Disclosure is  likely to result in the reputation and credibility of the
GSP being undermined and leading to commercial detriment through a loss of
confidence in its provision of its services within the competitive
commercial market.

 

The Council is also of the view that disclosure will prejudice the
commercial interests of the Home Office as this is a confidential
arrangement with the Home Office, the Council and the commissioned
organisations.  It is commonly understood that there are many individuals
and groups who are against settling refugees into the UK.  If the specific
details of the funding arrangements in terms of the extensive support
provided to refugees from Home Office to the specific parties where to be
placed in the public domain  this may cause an unwarranted backlash for
the Home Office and its associated partners in delivering the Refugee
Resettlement Programme.

 

If the  confidential arrangements relating to the specific funding amounts
provided to the commissioned agencies and statutory bodies for the
resettlement of refugees (which is a UK National programme in conjunction
with the Home Office and the United Nations Human Rights Commission for
Refugees) are in the public domain this could pose a threat to local and
national security should a back-lash occur.

 

Having considered the public interest test the Council considers that the
public interest favours maintaining the exemption.

 

The requested information is withheld in accordance with section 43(2).

 

 

If you have any queries about this correspondence, please contact me,
quoting the reference number above.

 

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request, you can ask
for an Internal Review.  Internal review requests must be submitted within
two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
request.  If you wish to do this, please contact us in writing, setting
out why you are dissatisfied.

 

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Internal Review, you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. 
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. You can contact the ICO
by emailing [1][email address], or by post at Customer Contact,
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 05 February 2021 15:55
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI-48208: Freedom of Information request - Syrian Vulnerable
Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-48208

 

Thank you for your request dated 05 February 2021

 

Your request is due to be answered by 05 March 2021, however, please note
that your request for information may be delayed due to urgent operational
responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We apologise for any
inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to responding to your
request and will respond as soon as we are able to do so. 

 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [3]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections

Darryl Chamberlain

Dear foi,

I am writing to request an internal review of your decision to refuse to answer what I hoped would be a routine Freedom of Information request into Greenwich’s participation in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

Particularly with councillors voting last November for Greenwich to become a borough of sanctuary, it seems at odds with this spirit of openness that Greenwich is unwilling to give even basic financial figures for its current scheme.

To take each point in turn:

a) “The Council considers disclosure of the funding amounts and any reports provided will prejudice its commercial interests as these agreements were finalised by the Council when commissioning for delivery of services by each organisation.”
It is unclear how asking how much has been received from central government prejudices the council’s commercial interests. In addition, if residents are not allowed to know how much of this money is being spent, how are residents supposed to have confidence in any future “borough of sanctuary” scheme?

b) “If this is publicly disclosed this could be open to unwarranted and unnecessary scrutiny and criticism by third parties who have no connection to this arrangement or to the delivery of services to the various organisations.”

Since this is taxpayers’ money, everybody in the United Kingdom has a connection to this arrangement. It is also unclear how any scrutiny can be “unwarranted” - this is a council contract, not a private arrangement.

c) “The council has consulted with GIC and their views as to why disclosure would prejudice their commercial interests are…”
Assuming this means Greenwich Islamic Centre, you have now named an organisation that is presumably involved in this scheme - despite you saying doing this would cause harm.

d) “The reports from the organisations detailing what has been done with the money contains sensitive information.”
If there is sensitive information about individuals, then please redact it. This is a request for information on where money is being spent, not on individuals.

e) “[from GIC] sharing these reports will have an impact on other negotiations of future projects as it can be used against our interest.”
The public interest lies in scrutinising how public money is being spent by GIC. Why is it in the public interest to help GIC in future negotiations for public money when other organisations could possibly provide a better service? It appears that Greenwich Council is yielding to the commercial interests of GIC and not the interests of local residents or taxpayers more widely.

f) “Disclosing these reports could potentially lead to threats or harassment of the GIC staff due to the sensitivity of the information contained in the reports.”
How on earth does asking for details of where public money has been spent put GIC staff at risk?

g) “The Council is of the view that disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of these organisations. A number of these organisations are faith-based community establishments which is accessible [sic] to the public. Disclosure could open such organisations, who are public service providers, up to unwarranted scrutiny and may result in these organisations becoming the target of a possible backlash which may involve violence which could pose a danger to staff and the respective establishments. This would upset the functioning of the various roles of these organisations.”

The public interest lies in scrutinising how public money is being spent by the council’s partner organisations. If these organisations are unable to withstand scrutiny, why are they being awarded contracts? In other sensitive fields, we are able to see where money is being spent - on care homes and children’s services, for example. I am not asking for people’s personal details, I am asking to find out where public money is being spent.

h) “In addition to the reasons stated above the Syrian families settled under the GSP may also become targets of violence or repercussion if the specific funding amounts provided by the council to each organisation / statutory body to help the families to settle into the UK is placed in the public domain.”

Nobody is asking for personal details of the Syrian families. Indeed, transparency regarding how much money is being spent housing them may help them in terms of scrutinising the services offered to them.

i) “The resettled Syrian families receive local authority housing stock, free NHS treatment, are prioritised for educational services and are assisted with practical and emotional support from dedicated support staff and other services. If the specific yearly funding amounts for each organisation is placed in the public domain this may cause upset, incite protest and anti-refugee action or violence which may also affect wider members of the community including migrants, migrant organisations and the Council.”

It is unclear why disclosure of commercial contracts (as in point c) would be an incitement to violence.

j) "Disclosure is likely to result in the reputation and credibility of the GSP being undermined and leading to commercial detriment through a loss of confidence in its provision of its services within the competitive commercial market."

If you are not willing to reveal how money is being spent, this is more likely to result in a loss of credibility. Either this is a normal commercial contract process or it is not.

k) “The Council is also of the view that disclosure will prejudice the commercial interests of the Home Office as this is a confidential arrangement with the Home Office...”
The Home Office would appear to disagree, as it provides information about funding arrangements with local authorities on request.

l) “If the confidential arrangements relating to the specific funding amounts provided to the commissioned agencies and statutory bodies for the resettlement of refugees (which is a UK National programme in conjunction with the Home Office and the United Nations Human Rights Commission for Refugees) are in the public domain this could pose a threat to local and national security should a back-lash occur.”

The national figures are open to scrutiny (National Audit Office https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/upload...) and it is a publicly-known fact that Greenwich participates in the programme, as seen in this tweet from the council leader: https://twitter.com/DanLThorpe/status/11.... This has not resulted in any threat to national or local security. It is hard to see why disclosing details of which organisation gets funding, and outlines of what they spend this money on, would result in any threat.

Yours sincerely,

Darryl Chamberlain

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Thank you for your request for an Internal Review regarding our response
to your Freedom of Information request.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days,
however, please note that your request for information may be delayed due
to urgent operational responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We
apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to
responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able to do
so. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact me, quoting the reference number.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you can
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing a response to your
Internal Review of the Freedom of Information request.  The department
that is responsible for providing this response, has stated that a
response should be available to issue by the end of this week.

 

We do remain committed to responding to your request as soon as possible.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

* 3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 26 April 2021 14:34
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Thank you for your request for an Internal Review regarding our response
to your Freedom of Information request.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days,
however, please note that your request for information may be delayed due
to urgent operational responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We
apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to
responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able to do
so. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact me, quoting the reference number.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you can
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Please accept our apologies once again for the delay in providing a
response to your Internal Review of the Freedom of Information request.
 The department that is responsible for this are still working on the
response and have stated that a response should be available to issue by
the end of next week (W/E 04^th June).

 

We do remain committed to responding to your request as soon as possible.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

* 3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 25 May 2021 14:24
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing a response to your
Internal Review of the Freedom of Information request.  The department
that is responsible for providing this response, has stated that a
response should be available to issue by the end of this week.

 

We do remain committed to responding to your request as soon as possible.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

* 3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[3][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 26 April 2021 14:34
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[4][FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[5][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Thank you for your request for an Internal Review regarding our response
to your Freedom of Information request.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days,
however, please note that your request for information may be delayed due
to urgent operational responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We
apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to
responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able to do
so. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact me, quoting the reference number.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you can
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [6]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Thank you for your Internal Review request on the handling of your Freedom
of Information request. Please find the outcome attached.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 28 May 2021 15:43
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Please accept our apologies once again for the delay in providing a
response to your Internal Review of the Freedom of Information request.
 The department that is responsible for this are still working on the
response and have stated that a response should be available to issue by
the end of next week (W/E 04^th June).

 

We do remain committed to responding to your request as soon as possible.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

* 3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[3][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 25 May 2021 14:24
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[4][FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[5][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing a response to your
Internal Review of the Freedom of Information request.  The department
that is responsible for providing this response, has stated that a
response should be available to issue by the end of this week.

 

We do remain committed to responding to your request as soon as possible.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information Team

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

* 3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

8 [6]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[7][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 26 April 2021 14:34
To: 'Darryl Chamberlain' <[8][FOI #724677 email]>
Cc: foi <[9][Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI/IR-48208: Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

 

Dear Mr Chamberlain

 

Freedom of Information request Internal Review:  FOI-IR-48208

 

Thank you for your request for an Internal Review regarding our response
to your Freedom of Information request.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days,
however, please note that your request for information may be delayed due
to urgent operational responses to dealing with Covid-19 priorities.  We
apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to
responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able to do
so. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact me, quoting the reference number.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you can
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Compliance

Directorate of Communities and Environment

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [10]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

show quoted sections