Data analytics usage

Wellingborough Borough Council did not have the information requested.

Data Justice Lab

Dear Wellingborough Borough Council,

We are submitting the following Freedom of Information Request for documents relating to uses of data analytics, predictive analytics, or algorithmic automated systems used for risk assessment, scoring systems or automated decision making within the jurisdiction of your authority. This could include the use of these data systems in order to draw insights from large and integrated datasets, or to influence decisions about resources, funding or service delivery. This could include, but may not be limited to, uses of predictive analytics in child welfare, health care, adult social care, fraud detection, or policing.

Specifically, we are requesting:

· Any briefing notes, reports, evaluations, or summaries concerning uses of algorithmically driven data systems. Ideally this would include information about software, hardware, operations and types of data

· Any overviews about how system outputs are produced.

· Any training manuals or materials (e.g. slides, etc.) for staff about data collection, analysis, assessment and reporting as related to the use of the systems.

. Any impact assessments

· Any data visualisation outputs connected to the systems.

· Any promotional material, presentation material, or staff educational material related to the systems.

. Any contracts relating to the systems. We argue that the release of contracts does not compromise commercial sensitivity. The full argument is provided below.*

Also, please note we are not requesting datasets or any data about individuals.

Please let us know if any information requires clarifying.

We would like to receive electronic copies of this information.

All the very best,

Data Justice Lab

Please note that we are following the Information Commissioner’s guidance on the Freedom of Information Act which specifies that requests can be made by organisations and there is no need for a named individual (pages 9-10, sections 38-39).
Source: https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

*Addressing the commercial sensitivity question:
a) Section 20 of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s ‘Local Government Transparency Code 2015’, which encourages greater transparency in the public interest, notes:

‘The Government has not seen any evidence that publishing details about contracts entered into by local authorities would prejudice procurement exercises or the interests of commercial organisations, or breach commercial confidentiality unless specific confidentiality clauses are included in contracts. Local authorities should expect to publish details of contracts newly entered into – commercial confidentiality should not, in itself, be a reason for local authorities to not follow the provisions of this Code’.

Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk... (page 9, section 20)

b) There is always the potential for a company in any area to act in bad faith, but this should not be a reason to deny access to information about how public money is spent.

c) Contract and tendering details are provided regularly by a range of government bodies in the public interest. For example, many police and fire services release contractual information through the Bluelight database ( https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx ).

d) There may be core aspects of the systems contracted that have competitive commercial value and we appreciate that such details will be redacted from any documents released. We argue that commercial interests will not be compromised by revealing other details that may be provided in contracts or related communications with contracted companies. Details that could be released include details about the existence of a system, it's purpose, the tasks being contracted, continued relationships, general descriptions, types of data being used, how this data is shared.

Lucy DaSantos, Wellingborough Borough Council

Dear Sirs

 

Thank you for your email of 20 July 2018.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days. 

 

Requests having the potential to involve more than 18 hours work could be
subject to a charge. If we are not able to complete the response within 18
hours we will contact you with the calculated charge asking how you would
like us to proceed.

 

If you have any queries about this request do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Kind Regards

 

Lucy DaSantos

Information Officer

[1][Wellingborough Borough Council request email]

01933 231822

 

Making Wellingborough a place to be proud of

 

 

From: Data Justice Lab [mailto:[FOI #499354 email]]
Sent: 20 July 2018 13:41
To: info - Shared Mailbox
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Data analytics usage

 

This Message originated outside your organisation.

Dear Wellingborough Borough Council,

We are submitting the following Freedom of Information Request for
documents relating to uses of data analytics, predictive analytics, or
algorithmic automated systems used for risk assessment, scoring systems or
automated decision making within the jurisdiction of your authority. This
could include the use of these data systems in order to draw insights from
large and integrated datasets, or to influence decisions about resources,
funding or service delivery. This could include, but may not be limited
to, uses of predictive analytics in child welfare, health care, adult
social care, fraud detection, or policing.

Specifically, we are requesting:

· Any briefing notes, reports, evaluations, or summaries concerning uses
of algorithmically driven data systems. Ideally this would include
information about software, hardware, operations and types of data

· Any overviews about how system outputs are produced.

· Any training manuals or materials (e.g. slides, etc.) for staff about
data collection, analysis, assessment and reporting as related to the use
of the systems.

. Any impact assessments

· Any data visualisation outputs connected to the systems.

· Any promotional material, presentation material, or staff educational
material related to the systems.

. Any contracts relating to the systems. We argue that the release of
contracts does not compromise commercial sensitivity. The full argument is
provided below.*

Also, please note we are not requesting datasets or any data about
individuals.

Please let us know if any information requires clarifying.

We would like to receive electronic copies of this information.

All the very best,

Data Justice Lab

Please note that we are following the Information Commissioner’s guidance
on the Freedom of Information Act which specifies that requests can be
made by organisations and there is no need for a named individual (pages
9-10, sections 38-39).
Source:
[2]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

*Addressing the commercial sensitivity question:
a) Section 20 of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s
‘Local Government Transparency Code 2015’, which encourages greater
transparency in the public interest, notes:

‘The Government has not seen any evidence that publishing details about
contracts entered into by local authorities would prejudice procurement
exercises or the interests of commercial organisations, or breach
commercial confidentiality unless specific confidentiality clauses are
included in contracts. Local authorities should expect to publish details
of contracts newly entered into – commercial confidentiality should not,
in itself, be a reason for local authorities to not follow the provisions
of this Code’.

Source:
[3]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
(page 9, section 20)

b) There is always the potential for a company in any area to act in bad
faith, but this should not be a reason to deny access to information about
how public money is spent.

c) Contract and tendering details are provided regularly by a range of
government bodies in the public interest. For example, many police and
fire services release contractual information through the Bluelight
database ( [4]https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx ).

d) There may be core aspects of the systems contracted that have
competitive commercial value and we appreciate that such details will be
redacted from any documents released. We argue that commercial interests
will not be compromised by revealing other details that may be provided in
contracts or related communications with contracted companies. Details
that could be released include details about the existence of a system,
it's purpose, the tasks being contracted, continued relationships, general
descriptions, types of data being used, how this data is shared.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #499354 email]

Is [Wellingborough Borough Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Wellingborough Borough Council? If so, please contact us using
this form:
[5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[6]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[7]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Wellingborough Borough Council request email]
2. https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
3. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
4. https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx
5. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...
6. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...
7. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Lucy DaSantos, Wellingborough Borough Council

Dear Sirs

 

I refer to your email of 20 July 2018 in which you made a request under
the Freedom of Information Act.

 

The Borough Council of Wellingborough confirms that this information is
not held.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your
original correspondence and should be addressed to:
[1][Wellingborough Borough Council request email]

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF or at [2]www.ico.org.uk

 

Kind Regards

 

Lucy DaSantos

Information Officer

Borough Council of Wellingborough

 

[3][Wellingborough Borough Council request email]

01933 231822

 

Making Wellingborough a place to be proud of

 

 

From: Data Justice Lab [mailto:[FOI #499354 email]]
Sent: 20 July 2018 13:41
To: info - Shared Mailbox
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Data analytics usage

 

This Message originated outside your organisation.

Dear Wellingborough Borough Council,

We are submitting the following Freedom of Information Request for
documents relating to uses of data analytics, predictive analytics, or
algorithmic automated systems used for risk assessment, scoring systems or
automated decision making within the jurisdiction of your authority. This
could include the use of these data systems in order to draw insights from
large and integrated datasets, or to influence decisions about resources,
funding or service delivery. This could include, but may not be limited
to, uses of predictive analytics in child welfare, health care, adult
social care, fraud detection, or policing.

Specifically, we are requesting:

· Any briefing notes, reports, evaluations, or summaries concerning uses
of algorithmically driven data systems. Ideally this would include
information about software, hardware, operations and types of data

· Any overviews about how system outputs are produced.

· Any training manuals or materials (e.g. slides, etc.) for staff about
data collection, analysis, assessment and reporting as related to the use
of the systems.

. Any impact assessments

· Any data visualisation outputs connected to the systems.

· Any promotional material, presentation material, or staff educational
material related to the systems.

. Any contracts relating to the systems. We argue that the release of
contracts does not compromise commercial sensitivity. The full argument is
provided below.*

Also, please note we are not requesting datasets or any data about
individuals.

Please let us know if any information requires clarifying.

We would like to receive electronic copies of this information.

All the very best,

Data Justice Lab

Please note that we are following the Information Commissioner’s guidance
on the Freedom of Information Act which specifies that requests can be
made by organisations and there is no need for a named individual (pages
9-10, sections 38-39).
Source:
[4]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

*Addressing the commercial sensitivity question:
a) Section 20 of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s
‘Local Government Transparency Code 2015’, which encourages greater
transparency in the public interest, notes:

‘The Government has not seen any evidence that publishing details about
contracts entered into by local authorities would prejudice procurement
exercises or the interests of commercial organisations, or breach
commercial confidentiality unless specific confidentiality clauses are
included in contracts. Local authorities should expect to publish details
of contracts newly entered into – commercial confidentiality should not,
in itself, be a reason for local authorities to not follow the provisions
of this Code’.

Source:
[5]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
(page 9, section 20)

b) There is always the potential for a company in any area to act in bad
faith, but this should not be a reason to deny access to information about
how public money is spent.

c) Contract and tendering details are provided regularly by a range of
government bodies in the public interest. For example, many police and
fire services release contractual information through the Bluelight
database ( [6]https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx ).

d) There may be core aspects of the systems contracted that have
competitive commercial value and we appreciate that such details will be
redacted from any documents released. We argue that commercial interests
will not be compromised by revealing other details that may be provided in
contracts or related communications with contracted companies. Details
that could be released include details about the existence of a system,
it's purpose, the tasks being contracted, continued relationships, general
descriptions, types of data being used, how this data is shared.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #499354 email]

Is [Wellingborough Borough Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Wellingborough Borough Council? If so, please contact us using
this form:
[7]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[9]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Wellingborough Borough Council request email]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. mailto:[Wellingborough Borough Council request email]
4. https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
5. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
6. https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx
7. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...
8. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...
9. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...