Covid 18 and reallocation of Oxford City Council staff

Pat Mastelotto made this Freedom of Information request to Oxford City Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Pat Mastelotto
Delivered

Dear Oxford City Council,

When a FOI request is submitted to Oxford City Council the council responds with the following message:
=============================================
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recognises the unprecedented challenges all are facing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In particular they understand that resources, whether they are finances or people, may be diverted away from usual compliance or information rights work. Whilst the ICO can’t extend statutory timescales, they will not be penalising public authorities for prioritising other areas or adapting their usual approach during this extraordinary period.

Therefore while the Council will make every effort to comply with the Statutory Requirements you may experience understandable delays when making information rights requests during the pandemic.
===============================================

Please list the number of Council staff who are normally responsible for answering FOI requests who have been re-tasked or furloughed as a result of COVID-19.

Yours faithfully,

Pat Mastelotto

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freedomofinformation, Oxford City Council

Dear Pat Mastelotto,
 
Oxford City Council – Reference:10319
 
Further to the email below, I can respond to your Freedom of Information
Act 2000 request received on 6th August 2021 as follows:
 
Please list the number of Council staff who are normally responsible for
answering FOI requests  who have been re-tasked or furloughed as a result
of COVID-19. 
 
Corporately there is one part-time employee who coordinates and responds
to FOI requests for Oxford City Council and Oxford Direct Services and
they have not been re-tasked or furloughed as a result of Covid-19. We do
not hold any further information regarding your request.
 
 
If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are
entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s)
made.  You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either
email – [1][email address] – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford
City Council, St Aldate’s Chambers, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1DS.  After
the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask
the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf.  You may do this
by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Kathryn Winfield
Information Governance Requests Officer
 
Kathryn Winfield | Information Governance Requests Officer | Oxford City
Council | Law and Governance | St. Aldate's Chambers | Oxford | OX1 1DS |
Email: [2][email address] | T: 01865 252007
My working days are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
 
Stop the virus from spreading. Keep Oxford safe.
Follow the guidance: Clean hands. Wear a face mask. Keep your distance.
Get tested if you have symptoms.
 
 
 

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Pat Mastelotto
Delivered

Dear freedomofinformation,

If the Oxford City Council employees who handle FOI requests have not been impacted in any way by Covid-19, why does the council post the following message in response to FOI requests? Who took the decision to include the following message:

"=============================================
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recognises the unprecedented challenges all are facing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In particular they understand that resources, whether they are finances or people, may be diverted away from usual compliance or information rights work. Whilst the ICO can’t extend statutory timescales, they will not be penalising public authorities for prioritising other areas or adapting their usual approach during this extraordinary period.

Therefore while the Council will make every effort to comply with the Statutory Requirements you may experience understandable delays when making information rights requests during the pandemic.
==============================================="

Yours sincerely,

Pat Mastelotto

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freedomofinformation, Oxford City Council

Dear Pat Mastelotto

The signature footnote was put on as a result of advice from the Information Commissioners Office, it was not necessarily known during the pandemic when/if delays may occur in collating information from across the council's many departments. The decision to use this advisory note was made by the Head of Law and Governance.

I note that recent requests from yourself have been along the lines of asking for opinions/explanations and this is not the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If you have a particular concern or complaint in relation to services of the Council, the appropriate course of action is to either contact the service/business direct or to submit a complaint via the Council's website.

Kind Regards

Liz
Elizabeth Godin | Information Governance Manager | Law and Governance | SAC 3.8 | Oxford City Council | St Aldates Chambers | 109-113 St. Aldate's | Oxford | OX1 1DS | 01865 252513.
Website: www.oxford.gov.uk | Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/OxfordCity | Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OxfordCityCouncil

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