Credit where credit's due

Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities did not have the information requested.

Dear Chums

When thinking of our tough economic times I am reminded of the wise words of Dr Hook. No, not the 18th century natural philosopher, but the more important pop-country-rock group of the 1970s. Managing budgets is much like being in love with a beautiful woman- it's hard.

If you imagine Dr Hook’s paean concerns not the turmoils of a jealous romantic attraction but the rather less poetic task of managing an in-year fiscal budget, you will get my drift. To get yourself in the mood, sing these lyrics to yourself while mentally picturing eight hundred lines on twelve linked Excel spreadsheets:

When you're in love with a beautiful woman
It's hard
When you're in love with a beautiful woman
You know it's hard
It's hard, you know it gets so hard
Everybody wants her, everybody loves her
Everybody wants to take your baby home

At a micro level many hard working Christian families are struggling to balance their books. Myself and the adorable Mrs T are no exception. We have decided to review all out goings and see where we can make cuts (whoops, I mean savings).

I am pleased to see that Uncle Eric is doing the same at DCLG and opening up the books to be scrutinised by the army of armchair auditors. I note with interest that all purchases made on the government credit card over £500 has been published. But does this go far enough?

Personally, I have never popped out at lunch time to get a cheese slice and Belgian bun from Greggs and ended wandering into to Currys and buying a fridge-freezer on a whim. Neither have I stumbled into DFS on my way home after a few too many shandies and randomly purchased a 3- piece imitation leather suite on the plastic only to instantly regret it when I get home to see I have already have a brand new suite in my front room.

I have, though, on numerous occasions woken up with a half eaten kebab stuffed in my coat pocket or found myself filling my cake-hole with with crisps and chocolates after my wholesome and healthy lunch.
It seems obvious to me that big expenditures are usually well researched and thought through. The smaller purchases are often bought on a whim, not needed and often do not present value for money. It is the small purchases that add up. It is also the small purchases that often hide the more embarrassing practices. Last week I had some explaining to do to Mrs T about my subscriptions to various jazz mags - thankfully she understands I need an outlet for my frustrations, and was thankful that a little splurge on Thelonius Monk does the trick.

My request is for all GPC expenditure under £500 since May 2010. If this could be supplied in the same format as the published expenditure over £500 that would be helpful (see http://www.communities.gov.uk/publicatio...)

Secondly can I also request how many cards are held by DCLG staff and can you provide a list of
job titles that are authorised to use the cards?

Finally if you could supply me with the credit card number, expiry date and 3 digit security number that would really help me.

Yours ever indebtedly

Derek

CONTACTUS,

Thank you for your email to the Department for Communities and Local
Government.

Our aim is to consider the issues you raise and to respond within 15
working days.

If we feel that the issues raised do not fall within the Department's
responsibilities, we will try to transfer your email to the relevant
government department and ask that they reply to you directly.

DCLG Contact Us Team.

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
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Martin Harding,

1 Attachment

Dear Sir/Madam

Please see the attached response to your request for information of 29
March 2011.

Martin Harding
Department for Communities and Local Government
FOI Advice Team
D/06 Ashdown House
St. Leonards on sea
Tel: 0303 44 41025
 

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Communities and Local Government's handling of my FOI request 'Credit where credit's due'.

Use of pseudonym – I will openly admit that Derek Tickles is not my legal name, though many people call me by the nom de plume. Hence I feel it is acceptable to make requests using this name.

Further, I am using this pseudonym to protect my identity. I am currently an employee of the Department of Communities and Local Government and feel it may affect my position if I was to request information using my real name. In recent months I feel there is a feeling of menace and intimidation towards staff some of this is has been instigated by the Special Advisors. They are keen to review and influence many pieces of work and staff feel powerless to challenge them. Morale within the department is at an all time low and I have decided that the Freedom of Information Act is an important vehicle to expose goings on with the Department. I have a privileged position plus many contacts that provide me with a wealth of interesting information. To protect myself and my sources, I request for this information to be released using the FoI act.

I do not see myself as a whistle blower, I see myself as vanguard of the transparency agenda and active participant in the army of armchair auditors. Is this not the wish of the Secretary of State? To quote Grant Shapps – “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”. DCLG need to ensure they are the seen to be open and not opaque if they wish to change the mentality in other public sector bodies.

For example the request about the ‘Tree of Celebration’. It is no big secret that the tree exists, let us just tell everyone we have been celebrating the good work of the Government Office of West Midlands months after they have been abolished, it may be embarrassing, but so be it. Let us be clear about how much time and money has been spent on system changes to allow spend over £500 to be put on the website. The public deserve the right to know and in turn this may lead to our leaders being more reasonable in requesting actions from councils.

May I also point out that guidance relating to the use section 8 and section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act provided by the ICO does encourage the release of information where possible when any name is provided. I also feel that DCLG state that they wish to be as helpful as possible. The name Derek Tickles may be seen by some as pun on the name of the Secretary of State but it not offensive, hence I do not see this as an issue. Has Eric Pickles complained? I suspect he has thicker skin than to find any offence.

I also take issue that my requests have been declared as vexatious under section 14(1). Whilst I have on occasion introduced humour, irony and on occasion poorly scripted slapstick, I have tried to avoid offence. In a separate request by Tony Maycock (http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ve...) the Department was unable to provide any evidence that my requests had caused distress or irritation to staff. I would go further and say that many staff are pleased they have found a voice through my requests. I have received much support via twitter, email or through my blog (http://derektickles.blogspot.com/ - have a look round!). Some of my requests have come from issues directly raised by colleagues.

In the requests that you found vexatious you have normally conceded that the request does have serious purpose. I feel that you should focus your attention of providing the requested information rather than finding excuses not to be transparent. You may not like the rhetoric, you may not like the tone, you may not like the insinuations but I am sure many colleagues in local authorities feel the same way about speeches made by DCLG ministers and press releases sanctioned by the Special Advisors. Perhaps you either need to toughen up or stop insulting everyone else.

In future, I will continue to submit requests for information, I will attempt to confine any contentious issues to my blog but will provide context in the requests. Some of this context may be humorous and I doubt there is a law against this (yet) – happy to see what the ICO say. If my requests are rejected I am sure the growing disenfranchised army of armchair auditors will take up the Colours and proudly march into battle by resubmitting requests.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cr...

Yours frustratingly,

Derek Tickles

FoI Requests,

Dear Sir/Madam

REQUEST FOR INTERNAL REVIEW

Thank you for your email of 15th April 2011, in which you seek a review of the response provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government to your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

The review will be considered under the Department's internal review procedures. A full re-evaluation of your request will be undertaken.

I will today allocate this request to an Internal Review Officer and you should receive a reply by 19th May 2011.

Yours sincerely

FOI Advice Team
Knowledge Management Division
Zone 2/A3, Eland House
0303 444 2222

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Sue Westcott,

2 Attachments

Please see the attached.

Sue Westcott
Team Leader.

<<110512 FOI internal review fin.doc>> <<110512 FOI internal review
Annex A.xls>>
Strategy and Programme Team - Localities
Department of Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
O303 444 2490

[email address]

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
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Derek Tickles left an annotation ()

Dear Sue

Thank you for conducting the internal review. I know you are a busy person and appreciate the effort you have put in. I have admired your professionalism and understand your letter if the view of the department and not your own. I do wish to contest some of your assertions though:

1. I would not describe myself as obsessive, unless you are describing my behaviours in relation to my sock draw, which I hope you are not. As you state, I have submitted 29 requests in 10 months; so approx 3 a month. DCLG is a large, powerful and important department and the Great Uncle Eric has called for an Army of Armchair auditors to hold public bodies to account. Is there an upper limit on the number of FoI requests that DCLG have in mind? I would hardly describe my requests as a barrage, more like an opening salvo perhaps?

2. I would argue that including, what you describe as satire, is not a sign of being obsessive; my purpose is simply to provide context in an engaging manner. Some people in DLCG may not like the tone but many people do and I have received positive feedback from colleagues via twitter, email and directly. My blog currently probably receives 10 times more visitors than the DCLG barrier busting website!!

3. My understanding is that there is no evidence that I have caused distress or harassment to DCLG staff. This has been confirmed by a FoI request - see: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ve...
Do you have any new evidence that you wish to share? How about conducting a staff survey?

4. I do appreciate the word ‘spadstic’ may be seen as offensive and with hindsight should not have included it in the request but saved it for the blog. I have tried to be careful not to offend, I would hate be criticised that my FoI career is based on incompetence!

5. I would argue that my requests are not burdensome. I have requested information under the Freedom of Information Act and you are legally obliged to provide the information. I have been careful to ensure that my requests usually are achievable within the legal resource limits. In many cases I know it should take less than 5 minutes to answer the requests. In some instances I have the information on my PC but wish to see it in the public domain. I am surprised that DCLG rhetoric is to promote transparency but appear to keen to block access to information.

6. I agree I poke fun at Eric Pickles (he is a big target), Ministers and SpAds, but so what! They have insulted, abused and derided civil servants, local authorities and named individuals directly or through the press. I am sure they have a thick skins (as well as skulls). Are they really upset? if so I say did-dums.

7. All my requests have serious purpose. Sometimes DCLG may not be aware of the purpose and sometimes you may not like it. As you may have realised the general themes are the lack of evidence behind policy and lack of transparency… oh and that I don’t like Nick Sheridan-Westlake - nothing professional purely personal.

8. I do not make FoI request for fun or to cause mischief (sic) . I have better things to do with my life, wife and children. But I feel I have public duty to try to hold the SoS, Minister and SpAds to account for the current behaviour.

9. I note that you are amongst the hundreds who read my blog. Is it true I heard a giggle from you whilst you were doing your research? Whilst I am flattered you trouble yourself to read it but I am baffled to what bearing it has on me being declared vexatious. Would you care to explain?

10. DCLG have stated that all future requests from Derek Tickles will be declared vexatious. I am currently seeking legal advice and may challenge this with the ICO. In the meantime I know that others will take up the cause and continue to submit FoI requests that will hold DCLG to account.

Loving yer work,
Derek