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Event Spend

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Dear Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council,

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following information regarding both the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival and the Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival. I remind you of the statutory obligations imposed by the Act to respond within the prescribed timeframe and to provide the information in a readily usable format.

Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival
1. Event Budget
Provide a detailed breakdown of the budget allocated to the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival. This should include a comprehensive itemisation of expenditures across all categories, as well as information on any underspend. This data should be provided in Excel spreadsheet format to facilitate analysis.

2. Business Engagement
Provide all records detailing the council’s engagement with local businesses in relation to the festival. This includes, but is not limited to, correspondence, minutes of meetings, consultation records, and any other relevant documentation evidencing the council’s efforts to promote and support local businesses within the scope of the festival.

Furthermore, provide documentation demonstrating how these efforts align with the council’s broader strategic objectives regarding the support and development of local businesses and the promotion of tourism. Specifically, provide information on how the council’s activities have contributed to attracting visitors, strengthening the local hospitality sector and positioning Ballycastle as a key tourist destination.

3. Visitor Satisfaction
Provide copies of all visitor satisfaction surveys conducted in connection with the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival, along with any accompanying analysis or conclusions drawn from the data.

4. Community Engagement
Provide documentation evidencing how community engagement was considered and integrated into the development of the festival’s programme. This should include consultation documents, feedback reports, records of public meetings, or any other relevant materials that demonstrate how community input was incorporated into the planning process.

5. Event Promotion
Provide a comprehensive account of the promotional activities undertaken by the council for the Rathlin Sound Maritime Festival. This should include all marketing channels employed, including but not limited to social media platforms, local radio, print advertisements, and any other promotional initiatives carried out to publicise the event.

Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival
In relation to the Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival and while it is understood that the event has not yet taken place, I request the following information based on current planning and preparations:

1. Event Budget (to be provided in Excel spreadsheet format)
2. Business Engagement – Records detailing how local businesses have been engaged or are intended to be engaged. Provide all information as requested in point 2 above.
3. Community Engagement – Documentation evidencing community input in shaping the event. Provide all information as requested in point 4 above.
4. Event Promotion – A detailed account of planned or ongoing promotional activities. Provide all information as requested in point 5 above.

Whilst I acknowledge that certain information may be subject to exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the council cannot simply apply an exemption without a clear and legally valid basis. Should the council consider invoking any exemption, it must identify the specific legal exemption relied upon and provide a detailed explanation of its applicability, in strict accordance with the statutory requirements of the Act.

For the avoidance of doubt, and as a matter of legal fact, case law has consistently affirmed that exemptions must be grounded in a proper legal basis. While some exemptions, such as those related to personal data (under Section 40), are absolute and prevent disclosure under any circumstances, other exemptions are qualified and require a public interest test. The council must not engage in the exemption process arbitrarily or without legal justification.

Where qualified exemptions apply, the council is legally required to assess whether the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it. If the council seeks to apply a qualified exemption, it must provide a clear and detailed explanation of how the public interest test was conducted, along with the legal reasoning behind its decision to withhold or release the information. Simply asserting that an exemption applies without this analysis would not meet the legal threshold under the Act.

In conclusion, the council must ensure that any exemption applied is fully justified both in terms of legal grounds and public interest considerations, in line with established legal standards.

Thank you for your time and attention in processing this request. I look forward to receiving your response within the statutory time limit.

Yours faithfully,
Steven Patton

Aileen Devlin, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Sir / Madam,

REQUEST FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council was formed under the Local
Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 effective 1 April 2015 and replaces
the former councils of Ballymoney, Coleraine and Limavady Borough Councils
and Moyle District Council.  Requests made to the legacy councils since 1
April 2015 are being handled by the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough
Council and duplicate requests made to the legacy councils are being
treated as one request. 

Council acknowledges your request for information under the above
legislation and will process your personal data, provided as part of this
request i.e. name and contact details as part of its legal obligation. 
Your request is being considered and you will receive the information
requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), subject to the information not
being exempt, containing reference to a third party or other provisions
within the legislation. 

If any of the exemption categories apply, the information will not be
released and you will be informed of this, including your rights of
appeal.  Where a public interest test is required, Council will inform you
if the 20 day time scale has to be extended. 

Where information requested contains reference to a third party, they may
be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release
the information and you will be informed where appropriate. 

There may be a fee payable for this information.  For requests under FOIA,
Council will not normally charge unless the cost of responding exceeds
£450 based on £25 per hour.  Where applicable, the council can choose to
either decline to respond to the request, or to do so only after payment
of a fee.  Under the EIR, (subject to legislative exemptions) Council will
normally charge a fee for complying with requests for information based on
a fee of £25 per hour. Where a Fees Notice has been issued and no payment
received within three months of issue, the Council will consider the
request closed.  Further information about charges for environmental
information is available at:
[1]https://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk...

Council will endeavour to provide information in the format requested. 
However if it is not practicable or it is unreasonable to do so, it will
likely be provided in pdf format.  A disbursement fee may be applied and
any fees must be paid before the information is released. 

Council will not respond to correspondence that has been copied to us.

If you have any queries about the process, please do not hesitate to
contact me.  A leaflet entitled “The Right to Know” is available in all
main Council Offices and from the website which may answer your queries. 
Please include the above reference number on all correspondence related to
this request.

For further information regarding your privacy rights or for how long we
hold your data, please refer to the privacy section of the website:
[2]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/footer-information/privacy-statement.

Please note that replies are subject to release under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.  Personal details, where applicable, will be removed
to protect confidentiality.

Yours faithfully,

Aileen Devlin

Policy & Community Planning

Business Support Assistant

Email: [3][email address]

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council             

         

[4]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

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Romana Khaoury, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Sir / Madam

REQUEST FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council acknowledges your request for
information under the above legislation.

Please note The Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council was formed under
the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 effective 1 April 2015
and replaces the former councils of Ballymoney, Coleraine and Limavady
Borough Councils and Moyle District Council.  Requests made to the legacy
councils since 1 April 2015 are being handled by the Causeway Coast and
Glens Borough Council and duplicate requests made to the legacy councils
are being treated as one request.

The text of your request does not make clear what year you need the
information from. I would be grateful under section 1(3) of the Freedom of
Information Act, if you would clarify which year you would like the
information.

Would you like the information from 2023/24 financial year or another
period.

If you would like Council to progress your request, please respond
providing clarification as soon as possible.  After Council understands
what information, you are trying to access, a response will be issued in
accordance with the legislation. 

If clarification is not received within 20 working days, you request be
considered as withdrawn and you will not receive a response.

If you would like to withdraw your request there is no need to respond to
this correspondence.

If it would be beneficial to discuss, please do not hesitate to phone me
at the number below.

Council will process your personal data, provided as part of this request
i.e. name and contact details as part of its legal obligation.  For
further information regarding your privacy rights or for how long we hold
your data, please refer to the privacy section of the website:
[1]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/footer-information/privacy-statement.

Please be advised that under Freedom on Information, replies may be
released into the public domain via our website
[2]www.coastwaycoastandglens.gov.uk.  Personal details in respect of your
request will, where applicable, be removed to protect confidentiality.

Yours faithfully

Romana Khaoury

Information Governance Officer

Email: [3][email address]

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council             

        [4]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council processes personal information in
compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. To learn more, you can
review our privacy notice at
[5]http://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/....
If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender and
securely delete. You must not copy, share or take any further action with
the information contained therein without approval. Any opinions expressed
are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Causeway
Coast and Glens Borough Council.

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We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are Steven Patton please sign in and let everyone know.