Expenditure on byways
Dear Newport City Council,
Please provide the following information:
1: A list of maintenance at public expense on the byways open to all traffic in your administrative area in the last 20 years
2: Yearly total expenditure on the byways open to all traffic in your administrative area in the last 20 years
3: Yearly total expenditure on the rights of way network in your administrative area in the last 20 years
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Jones
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information about :
Byway expenditures
Received on 20/10/2021
This request has been formally logged in our FOI management system and has been assigned the reference REQ09519.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible. Please note that due to the current Coronavirus situation in the UK, your request may take longer than usual to respond to and potentially, it could exceed the statutory deadline of 20 working days. Please be assured that we are working to respond to all requests and we appreciate your patience during this extraordinary period.
Please remember to quote the reference number REQ09519 in any future communications.
Yours sincerely,
Information Management
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg, Saesneg neu yn y ddwy iaith. Byddwn yn cyfathrebu â chi yn ôl eich dewis. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in English or Welsh or both, and will respond to you according to your preference. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to delay.
Disclaimer/Ymwadiad
This email contains information intended for the addressee only and may be confidential, the subject of legal or professional privilege, or be otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose, distribute or copy the email to any other party. This email and any attached file are the property of Newport City Council.
When you email Newport City Council, you consent to the Council monitoring and reading any such emails for the purposes of security and legislative compliance. For the full disclaimer please access http://www.newport.gov.uk/disclaimer.
Mae'r e-bost hwn yn cynnwys gwybodaeth y bwriedir ar gyfer y derbynnydd yn unig a gall fod yn gyfrinachol, yn destun ragorfraint gyfreithiol neu broffesiynol, neu fel arall wedi’i diogelu rhag cael ei rhyddhau. Os nad chi yw derbynnydd bwriadedig y neges hon, a fyddech cystal â rhoi gwybod i'r anfonwr ar unwaith a pheidio â datgelu, dosbarthu neu gopïo’r e-bost i unrhyw barti arall. Mae’r e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau atodedig yn eiddo i Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd.
Pan fyddwch yn anfon e-bost at Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd, rydych yn cydsynio i’r Cyngor fonitro a darllen unrhyw e-byst o’r fath at ddibenion cydymffurfio â diogelwch ac â deddfwriaeth. I weld yr ymwadiad llawn ewch i http://www.newport.gov.uk/ymwadiad
Dear Peter Jones,
Thank you for your recent request for information which I have enclosed
below for ease of reference. Your request has been treated in accordance
with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004.
Your Request: REQ09519
I can confirm that we do hold information that falls within the scope of
your request. The answers to your questions have been provided in Red Text
below.
1: A list of maintenance at public expense on the byways open to all
traffic in your administrative area in the last 20 years
Byway Open to All Traffic 411/9/1 - Installation of 2 x way marker post in
2006. Byway Open to All Traffic 396/3/2 - No record of maintenance.
Byway Open to All traffic 395/59/1 - No record of maintenance.
2: Yearly total expenditure on the byways open to all traffic in your
administrative area in the last 20 years
No costs given in records for above maintenance and no other records that
maintenance has been carried out on above Byway Open to All Traffic in
last 20 years.
3: Yearly total expenditure on the rights of way network in your
administrative area in the last 20 years
Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act states that a public
authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the
authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would
exceed the appropriate limit of either 18 hours and/or £450. To enable us
to identify the information you requested we would need to check over 1000
records which would take at least 5 minutes each so, 1000 x 5 minutes = 83
hours
I hope this provides the information you were looking for; if there is any
further information that we can provide, please submit a further request.
If you have any queries about this email or if you are unhappy with the
service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, please contact me.
If you are not content with the subsequent outcome of your complaint, you
may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Councils complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
For future reference, all Freedom of Information requests can now be
submitted via the link below.
[1]www.newport.gov.uk/foi
Regards
Information Management
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg, Saesneg neu yn y ddwy
iaith. Byddwn yn cyfathrebu â chi yn ôl eich dewis. Ni fydd gohebu yn
Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in English or Welsh or both, and will
respond to you according to your preference. Corresponding in Welsh will
not lead to delay.
Disclaimer/Ymwadiad
This email contains information intended for the addressee only and may be
confidential, the subject of legal or professional privilege, or be
otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient
of this message, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose,
distribute or copy the email to any other party. This email and any
attached file are the property of Newport City Council.
When you email Newport City Council, you consent to the Council monitoring
and reading any such emails for the purposes of security and legislative
compliance. For the full disclaimer please access
http://www.newport.gov.uk/disclaimer.
Mae'r e-bost hwn yn cynnwys gwybodaeth y bwriedir ar gyfer y derbynnydd yn
unig a gall fod yn gyfrinachol, yn destun ragorfraint gyfreithiol neu
broffesiynol, neu fel arall wedi’i diogelu rhag cael ei rhyddhau. Os nad
chi yw derbynnydd bwriadedig y neges hon, a fyddech cystal â rhoi gwybod
i'r anfonwr ar unwaith a pheidio â datgelu, dosbarthu neu gopïo’r e-bost i
unrhyw barti arall. Mae’r e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau atodedig yn eiddo
i Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd.
Pan fyddwch yn anfon e-bost at Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd, rydych yn cydsynio
i’r Cyngor fonitro a darllen unrhyw e-byst o’r fath at ddibenion
cydymffurfio â diogelwch ac â deddfwriaeth. I weld yr ymwadiad llawn ewch
i http://www.newport.gov.uk/ymwadiad
References
Visible links
1. http://www.newport.gov.uk/foi
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Newport City Council's handling of my FOI request 'Expenditure on byways'.
-----------------
Dear Newport City Council,
Thank you for your response to my recent information request.
I note that you decline to process part of my request on the basis that you claim the work would exceed 18 hours. On review, it appears there may have been a misunderstanding of the question I asked. Following the instructions provided, I wish to ask you to review your response.
My request for information asks questions on how the Council has spent its money on the public rights of way network and asks a few simple questions to learn more about whether there has been a fair distribution.
In assessing the reasonableness of my questions, it is helpful to refer to the responses of your neighbouring Councils to the same questions. Over the 20 year period, they have undertaken 0 to 15 instances of work on their byways: Mostly minor work, vegetation clearance, surface repair, clearing of obstructions, etc. The costs being largely traceable, having been charged to a cost centre. The total expenditures are summaries of the department spending and seem readily available, although one Council has chosen to supply a spreadsheet of the relevant costs codes. Their responses appear to have taken under an hour to produce, well under in some cases.
I note your response provides answers to question 1 and 2, to which I am very grateful. However, it appears question 3 was misinterpreted, leading to the claim of excessive work.
Question 3 asks for the "yearly total expenditure on the rights of way network". You say, "To enable us to identify the information you requested we would need to check over 1000 records which would take at least 5 minutes each so, 1000 x 5 minutes = 83 hours"
My request is, however, a request for summary information showing yearly expenditure. It is reasonable to expect this information to be routinely compiled and incorporated in various reports, executive summaries and plans (ROWIP, etc) showing how the department has spent its money. It appears to be readily available in the accounts of other Councils in the area, and there was no need for them to extract the information from its source.
Given the seemingly ready availability of the information requested, it is my erstwhile view that my request was declined unreasonably, albeit acknowledging the apparent misunderstanding.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ex...
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Jones
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information about :
Expenditure on byways
Received on 24/11/2021
This request has been formally logged in our FOI management system and has been assigned the reference REQ09617.
You should receive a reply to your request within the statutory time limit of 20 working days.
Please remember to quote the reference number REQ09617 in any future communications.
Yours sincerely,
Information Management
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg, Saesneg neu yn y ddwy iaith. Byddwn yn cyfathrebu â chi yn ôl eich dewis. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in English or Welsh or both, and will respond to you according to your preference. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to delay.
Disclaimer/Ymwadiad
This email contains information intended for the addressee only and may be confidential, the subject of legal or professional privilege, or be otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose, distribute or copy the email to any other party. This email and any attached file are the property of Newport City Council.
When you email Newport City Council, you consent to the Council monitoring and reading any such emails for the purposes of security and legislative compliance. For the full disclaimer please access http://www.newport.gov.uk/disclaimer.
Mae'r e-bost hwn yn cynnwys gwybodaeth y bwriedir ar gyfer y derbynnydd yn unig a gall fod yn gyfrinachol, yn destun ragorfraint gyfreithiol neu broffesiynol, neu fel arall wedi’i diogelu rhag cael ei rhyddhau. Os nad chi yw derbynnydd bwriadedig y neges hon, a fyddech cystal â rhoi gwybod i'r anfonwr ar unwaith a pheidio â datgelu, dosbarthu neu gopïo’r e-bost i unrhyw barti arall. Mae’r e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau atodedig yn eiddo i Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd.
Pan fyddwch yn anfon e-bost at Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd, rydych yn cydsynio i’r Cyngor fonitro a darllen unrhyw e-byst o’r fath at ddibenion cydymffurfio â diogelwch ac â deddfwriaeth. I weld yr ymwadiad llawn ewch i http://www.newport.gov.uk/ymwadiad
Dear Peter Jones,
Thank you for your recent request for information which I have enclosed
below for ease of reference. Your request has been treated in accordance
with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004.
Your Request: REQ09617
I can confirm that we do hold information that falls within the scope of
your request. The answers to your questions have been provided in Red Text
below:
My request is, however, a request for summary information showing yearly
expenditure. It is reasonable to expect this information to be routinely
compiled and incorporated in various reports, executive summaries and
plans (ROWIP, etc) showing how the department has spent its money. It
appears to be readily available in the accounts of other Councils in the
area, and there was no need for them to extract the information from its
source.
NCC PROW budgets and spending is incorporated into our wider Countryside
budget and spending. We have been able to locate and extract the
following data relating to PROW back to 2008 but have been unable to
locate the requested information prior to that date.
2008/09 £44,830.00
2009/10 £44,830.00
2010/11 £44,830.00
2011/12 £194,120.84
2012/13 £36,756.00
2013/14 £29,002.00
2014/15 £56,637.59
2015/16 £48,892.00
2016/17 £48,892.00
2017/18 £19,210.00
2018/19 £19,210.00
2019/20 £49,001.50
2020/21 £109,547.67
I hope this provides the information you were looking for; if there is any
further information that we can provide, please submit a further request.
If you have any queries about this email or if you are unhappy with the
service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, please contact me.
If you are not content with the subsequent outcome of your complaint, you
may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Councils complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
For future reference, all Freedom of Information requests can now be
submitted via the link below.
[1]www.newport.gov.uk/foi
Regards
Information Management
Mae’r Cyngor yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg, Saesneg neu yn y ddwy
iaith. Byddwn yn cyfathrebu â chi yn ôl eich dewis. Ni fydd gohebu yn
Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
The Council welcomes correspondence in English or Welsh or both, and will
respond to you according to your preference. Corresponding in Welsh will
not lead to delay.
Disclaimer/Ymwadiad
This email contains information intended for the addressee only and may be
confidential, the subject of legal or professional privilege, or be
otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient
of this message, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose,
distribute or copy the email to any other party. This email and any
attached file are the property of Newport City Council.
When you email Newport City Council, you consent to the Council monitoring
and reading any such emails for the purposes of security and legislative
compliance. For the full disclaimer please access
http://www.newport.gov.uk/disclaimer.
Mae'r e-bost hwn yn cynnwys gwybodaeth y bwriedir ar gyfer y derbynnydd yn
unig a gall fod yn gyfrinachol, yn destun ragorfraint gyfreithiol neu
broffesiynol, neu fel arall wedi’i diogelu rhag cael ei rhyddhau. Os nad
chi yw derbynnydd bwriadedig y neges hon, a fyddech cystal â rhoi gwybod
i'r anfonwr ar unwaith a pheidio â datgelu, dosbarthu neu gopïo’r e-bost i
unrhyw barti arall. Mae’r e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau atodedig yn eiddo
i Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd.
Pan fyddwch yn anfon e-bost at Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd, rydych yn cydsynio
i’r Cyngor fonitro a darllen unrhyw e-byst o’r fath at ddibenion
cydymffurfio â diogelwch ac â deddfwriaeth. I weld yr ymwadiad llawn ewch
i http://www.newport.gov.uk/ymwadiad
References
Visible links
1. http://www.newport.gov.uk/foi
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