Blue Badge Holders - Parking Charges Proposals - Justifcation
Chris Hudson made this Freedom of Information request to Powys County Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear Powys County Council,
Does the Council have any data that directly relates to the use of Blue Badge Holders in Council Owned/Run Car Parks?
If Yes what is this data showing?
In the Proposal for Parking Charges the following has been posted on Facebook by the Council;
“The proposals have been seen by the Portfolio holder. Some are quite radical and have been implemented in other Welsh authorities. Our preferred option is to ask blue badge holders to pay something towards a parking ticket but to give extra time”
Do you have available the data/documents/reports produced on which the Portfolio Holder would have made their decision?
I am particularly interested to see if this Council took advice on what appears to be an act of Discrimination on Blue Badge Holders, this is the text I submitted on the Council’s Facebook page, clearly that is not going to be able to disclose any documentation relating to a contentious subject.
“Currently the Council is consulting on Blue Badge parking proposals. I am somewhat concerned that contained in those proposals is one that actively discriminates against disabled users of the Blue Badge scheme. The proposal is that Blue Badge Holders can only park in designated Disabled bays, which will attract a discount on the charges payable. Other Blue Badge Holders would not be permitted to have this concession and would have to pay the full rate when using ‘normal’ bays. In effect a registered holder of a Blue Badge would not be treated equally on the basis of accessing car parking in council run car parks. How is it possible to even publish proposals like this irrespective of being adopted or not” My comments are directed at the Council’s proposal to DISCRIMINATE.
You can see from the above the context of my request for information. If you need further clarification please contact me and I will hopefully clarify this request.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Hudson
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0557
Date / Dyddiad: 31/05/18
Request Accepted
FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000
Reference No: F2018/0557
Dear Mr Hudson
Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
30/5/18, in which you requested details of the following:
Blue Badges
The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.
Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.
There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you choose not to make a payment then your request will
remain unanswered.
Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.
The due date for responding to this request for information is 27^th June.
Should you need to discuss this further please contact the Information
Compliance Team on 01597 827543.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Davies
Information Compliance Officer
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0557
Date / Dyddiad: 07/06/2018
Reference No: F2018-0557
Dear Mr Hudson,
Thank you for your request for information dated 30/05/2018 concerning
Blue Badges.
This is to inform you that your request has been considered and I can
provide the following response:
The Request:
Does the Council have data on the misuse of Blue Badges within Powys?
Yes we do.
I am looking for data that shows the last 3 full years
Here is the data for the misuse of Blue Badges within Powys within the
last 3 years as requested :-
6 cases pursued of DBB (Disabled Blue Badges)misuse (by a third party) and
6 persons received and accepted and received formal(simple) caution
1 badge seized by us (belonging to deceased person)
1 live case we are investigating currently
4 cases referred to our CEO (Civil Enforcement Officers)to keep watch on
referrals we have received of misuse where vehicle and badge details known
that are allegedly being misused
Powys County Council also takes part in the National Fraud Initiative(NFI)
and DBB matches are referred to the Customer Services team to look and
there are no suspected fraudulent BB’s flagged up to date within PCC.
We believe that this request is now complete and shall be closed
immediately. Should any further information be requested regarding this
topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Information Compliance Team
The supply of documents under Freedom of Information does not give the
person or organisation who receives them an automatic right to re-use the
documents in a way that would infringe copyright.
You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example, by publishing the information or issuing copies to the public
will require the permission of the copyright owner.
The copyright of most of the information that we provide in response to
Freedom of Information Act requests will be owned by Powys County Council.
The copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organisation, as indicated in the information itself.
For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the Office of
Public Sector Information(OPSI) website.
[2]http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received in relation to
your request and wish to make a complaint, please contact Information
Compliance. Our complaints procedure is available on request or on our
website.
If you are still not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to
the Information Commissioner, who is the statutory regulator. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
2nd floor
Churchill House
Churchill way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH
Tel: 029 2067 8400
Email: [3][email address]
[4]www.ico.org.uk
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
2. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/
Dear Powys County Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Powys County Council's handling of my FOI request 'Blue Badge Holders - Parking Charges Proposals - Justifcation'.
Good morning, having tried unsuccessfully 3 times to telephone, I have had to resort to this request. Could you look at this information again and at the same time look at the ‘other’ request sent just prior. It looks as if you have placed the 2 requests together but only delivered on one? If you could look again and let me know I would appreciate it. Thanks
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...
Yours faithfully,
Chris Hudson
Dear Mr Hudson,
Thank you for your communication below. I would like to apologise that you have not been able to get hold of us via the telephone.
You are quite correct that we have crossed wires, Again my apologies.
I will send the response below to the correct what do they know request in a moment and properly acknowledge this request so that we can respond to it.
If this satisfies your query we will not take this forward as a review, If you would like to proceed with the review please let us know.
Many Thanks
Carl Bryden
Information Compliance Officer.
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0608
Date / Dyddiad: 11/06/18
Request Accepted
FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000
Reference No: F2018/0608
Dear Mr Hudson
Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
30/05/2018, in which you requested details of the following:
Blue Badge Proposals
The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.
Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.
There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you choose not to make a payment then your request will
remain unanswered.
Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.
The due date for responding to this request for information is 27/06/2018.
Should you need to discuss this further please contact the Information
Compliance Team on 01597 827543.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Carl Bryden
Information Compliance Officer
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
Dear Information Compliance (CSP - Generic),
It seems your last communication with me accepted the the error in dealing with my 2 requests as 1. It seems that you then expected me to comeback to you to explain that I wanted to proceed? part from the delay in this request it also asked me to contact you, needless to say that has been a fruitless task by phone. I will however continue to find away of getting though to you.
Meanwhile I would appreciate your views on this delay in providing me with what I had asked, from my point of view it was your error and you should be complainant with the original time constraints.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Hudson
Dear Mr Hudson,
We now have 2 blue badge requests from you on our system. F2018-0557 to which we have responded in full and F2018-0608 which is still open and has passed its deadline for response which, as you have suggested, has been calculated from the point at which we received the request initially. We regret the delay you have experienced with this request. We acknowledge that Powys County Council has failed in its obligation under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to provide you with a response to your request within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. Please accept our apologies for this and for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are taking F2018-0608 forward and I can advise that we have a response prepared but are awaiting management approval for release which I will chase again for you today. I am hoping to be able to make a response to you imminently.
Our request for input on how to proceed was only in relation to your request for a review. We are able to proceed with a review if you wish but would hope that a response (Which I hope to provide soon) would preclude the need. Please advise if you wish to proceed with the review.
I further apologise that you have been unable to reach us via telephone. Our main switch board number is 01597 826000 and a request to be transferred to myself will get you through to me should you wish to discuss further.
Many Apologies.
Carl Bryden
Information Compliance Officer.
Cyfarwyddwr Strategol: Rheoli Gwybodaeth/
Adnoddau
Information Compliance
Strategic Director: Resources
Neuadd Y Sir / County Hall
David Powell
Spa Road East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys LD1 5LG
If calling please ask for / Os yn galw
gofynnwch am
Tel / Ffôn: 01597 82 7543
Fax / Ffacs: 01597 82 6215
Email/Llythyru electronig:
[1][Powys County Council request email]
Our ref / Ein cyf: F2018-0608
Date / Dyddiad: 11/07/2018
Reference No: F2018-0608
Dear, Mr. Hudson
Thank you for your request for information dated 30/05/2018 concerning
Blue Badge Proposals
This is to inform you that your request has been considered and I can
provide the following response:
The Request:
1) Does the Council have any data that directly relates to the use of
Blue Badge Holders in Council Owned/Run Car Parks?
Yes
2) If Yes what is this data showing?
The data shows that on average about 8% of the vehicles within the car
parks were Blue Badge holders and therefore obtaining parking for free.
On an income of approximately £1.25M which is paid by 92% of the users of
the car park it would mean if those not paying for parking did, the
potential increase in income would be in the region of £100k.
In the Proposal for Parking Charges the following has been posted on
Facebook by the Council;
“The proposals have been seen by the Portfolio holder. Some are quite
radical and have been implemented in other Welsh authorities. Our
preferred option is to ask blue badge holders to pay something towards a
parking ticket but to give extra time”
3) Do you have available the data/documents/reports produced on which
the Portfolio Holder would have made their decision?
The Portfolio Holder has not yet made any decision, we are consulting upon
a proposal and the results of the consultation will be considered by the
Portfolio Holder when making a decision. For information on the charges
levied by other local authorities please see document attached.
I am particularly interested to see if this Council took advice on what
appears to be an act of Discrimination on Blue Badge Holders, this is the
text I submitted on the Council’s Facebook page, clearly that is not going
to be able to disclose any documentation relating to a contentious
subject.
“Currently the Council is consulting on Blue Badge parking proposals. I am
somewhat concerned that contained in those proposals is one that actively
discriminates against disabled users of the Blue Badge scheme. The
proposal is that Blue Badge Holders can only park in designated Disabled
bays, which will attract a discount on the charges payable. Other Blue
Badge Holders would not be permitted to have this concession and would
have to pay the full rate when using ‘normal’ bays. In effect a registered
holder of a Blue Badge would not be treated equally on the basis of
accessing car parking in council run car parks. How is it possible to even
publish proposals like this irrespective of being adopted or not” My
comments are directed at the Council’s proposal to DISCRIMINATE.
We regret the delay you have experienced with this request. We acknowledge
that Powys County Council has failed in its obligation under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000, to provide you with a response to your request
within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. Please accept our
apologies for this and for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We believe that this request is now complete and shall be closed
immediately. Should any further information be requested regarding this
topic, a separate request will need to be submitted.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.
Yours sincerely,
Information Compliance Team
The supply of documents under Freedom of Information does not give the
person or organisation who receives them an automatic right to re-use the
documents in a way that would infringe copyright.
You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example, by publishing the information or issuing copies to the public
will require the permission of the copyright owner.
The copyright of most of the information that we provide in response to
Freedom of Information Act requests will be owned by Powys County Council.
The copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organisation, as indicated in the information itself.
For HMSO Guidance Notes on a range of copyright issues, see the Office of
Public Sector Information(OPSI) website.
[2]http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received in relation to
your request and wish to make a complaint, please contact Information
Compliance. Our complaints procedure is available on request or on our
website.
If you are still not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to
the Information Commissioner, who is the statutory regulator. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
2nd floor
Churchill House
Churchill way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH
Tel: 029 2067 8400
Email: [3][email address]
[4]www.ico.org.uk
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Powys County Council request email]
2. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/crown-copy...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/
Dear Powys County Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Powys County Council's handling of my FOI request 'Blue Badge Holders - Parking Charges Proposals - Justifcation'.
Whilst at first glance this response appears to be complete I am somewhat concerned that the statement made in response to 'data' available this was the response;
"The data shows that on average about 8% of the vehicles within the car
parks were Blue Badge holders and therefore obtaining parking for free.
On an income of approximately £1.25M which is paid by 92% of the users of
the car park it would mean if those not paying for parking did, the
potential increase in income would be in the region of £100k. "
Perhaps you could expand on this as I don't consider it a reply to the specific request 'data available' as it only talks about the 'data shows', what data?
Sorry if I am a little cynical but even my math's show that 8% of Powys population could be an amount that equals the 10k blue badge holders. I am sure you can clear the little concern up without undue delay as you have already identified that the data exists (well your management has!)
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...
Yours faithfully,
Chris Hudson
Dear Mr Hudson,
We acknowledge receipt of your complaint regarding the Information relating to " Blue Badge Holders". We regret that you have expressed dissatisfaction in the service provided by Powys County Council in respect of your recent request for information. Your complaint will be referred to the most appropriate individual for review, in accordance with the Council’s Freedom of Information Complaints Policy.
Powys County Council attempts to respond to requests for a review within 20 working days, however, this is not possible in all cases. We will endeavour to respond by 10/08/18.
Information Compliance Team
Dear Information Compliance (CSP - Generic),
It appears to me that the total response to this request from the start has been plagued by 'problems' and I fail to understand why. The last communication talked about response by 10/08 but even that was not a specific time. I get the distinct impression that whoever you are expecting to supply you with the detail of the data is busy making it up! or perhaps the delay is so that a 'positive decision' on the consultation process then makes this request obsolete. It will not.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Hudson
Dear Mr Hudson
Please find attached the response to your request for an internal review
into F2018-0608 - Blue Badge Holders. We apologise for the delay in
providing this response.
Regards
Information Compliance Team
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