Reference: FOI-418576739
Date of request: 28/04/2022
Title of request: Use of PR Media Firms

Dear Jamie Mann,

Thank you for submitting your FOI Request. We confirm receipt of your
request and will be in touch in due course.

If we are unable to provide you with a response within 20 working days, we
will advise you of this. Please refer to the attachment which gives a
summary of your request and explains your right to ask for a review if you
are unhappy with how the Council is dealing with your request.

Yours sincerely

Information Governance

This message is strictly confidential. If you have received this in error,
please inform the sender and remove it from your system. If received in
error you may not copy, print, forward or use it or any attachment in any
way. This message is not capable of creating a legal contract or a binding
representation and does not represent the views of Angus Council. Emails
may be monitored for security and network management reasons. Messages
containing inappropriate content may be intercepted. Angus Council does
not accept any liability for any harm that may be caused to the recipient
system or data on it by this message or any attachment.

Reference: FOI-418576739
Date of request: 27/04/2022
Title of request: Use of PR Media Firms
Information request:

Dear Angus Council,
In excel spreadsheet form, please list any external public relations,
communications, media consultancy, social media or lobbying firms hired by
your organisation from 2017/2018 to 2021/22.
Please provide break the data down by financial year and include the
following information:
– The name of the firm hired for each job (or individual/freelancer)
– The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)
–The specific remit/purpose of the hire, and detail of what activities
they undertook for your organisation
Please ensure that this data is provided in spreadsheet form and not Pdf.
Thanks,

Dear Jamie Mann,

Request for Information

Thank you for your request for information dated 27 April 2022 (received
by the Council that same date) which has been passed to me for attention.
Apologies for the delay in responding

You have requested the following information:

In excel spreadsheet form, please list any external public relations,
communications, media consultancy, social media or lobbying firms hired by
your organisation from 2017/2018 to 2021/22.
Please provide break the data down by financial year and include the
following information:
– The name of the firm hired for each job (or individual/freelancer)
– The amount of money paid to each firm (including VAT)
–The specific remit/purpose of the hire, and detail of what activities
they undertook for your organisation
With the exception of social media, the information from 2017 - 2021 was
provided to you last year under FOI-358185313, therefore this part of your
request is deemed repeated under s14(2) of the Act.
 
As for social media; for 2017-2021, I have provided the information
previously provided under another FOI request: FOI-384810497. Please see
the attached.
 
I can confirm these is no recorded data from 2021-2022 in relation to
external public relations, communications, media consultancy, social media
or lobbying firms hired by your organisation.  Therefore this information
is not held - s17 of the Act refers.
In compiling responses to information requests we invariably use
information which is routinely published on the [1]Council’s
website (opens in a new window) or through its [2]Publication Scheme
(opens in a new window). If you require further information please first
check that the information you want is not routinely published as any such
information is exempt from release in terms of Section 25 of the Freedom
of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 or Regulation 6(1)(b) of the
Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Please note that the information contained in this reply is believed to be
accurate as at today's date (unless otherwise indicated) but no warranty
is given.  Further, Angus Council does not accept liability for any loss,
injury or damage which arises from the use of the information contained in
this reply either by you or by any other party.  Please refer to the
request summary document sent to you as part of your request
acknowledgement which explains your right to ask for a review if you are
unhappy with the Council’s decision on this matter.

If you have any queries, please contact [Angus Council request email]

Yours sincerely

Alison Duthie
Paralegal - FOI

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2004

INSPIRE (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2009

Your Right to Request a Review by the Council

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which Angus Council has dealt with
your request for information under any of the above legislation, you have
a right to ask the council to review its actions and/or decisions
regarding your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your
request to the Service Leader - Legal, Angus Council, Angus House, Sylvie
Way, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN or
email [3][Angus Council request email] within 40 working days.

Your request must:

• be in writing (or recordable format),
• give your name and address for correspondence,
• give details of the information which you originally requested from
the council, and
• give the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the way in which your
application for information has been dealt with.

Your application for review will then be considered by the council's
review panel. The review panel will write to inform you of its decision
not later than 20 working days after receipt of your request for review.
The review panel will also provide you with a statement of its reasons for
arriving at the decision it has made.

Your Right to Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner

If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the council's review panel (or
where the review panel has not provided you with a response), you have the
right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as
to whether your request for information has been dealt with by the council
in accordance with the above statutory instruments.

Your application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must:

• be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc),
• give your name and address for correspondence,
• give details of the request for information which you originally
requested from the council,
• give details of why you were dissatisfied with the council’s response
to your original request,
• give details of why you were dissatisfied with the decision of the
council's review panel.

In the case of an EIR or FOI request your application to the Scottish
Information Commissioner must be made within 6 months of receipt of the
decision of the council’s review panel (or within 6 months of the date
that the review panel should have responded).  No such time limit applies
under the 2009 Regulations. 

Appeals to the Commissioner can be lodged online through the following
hyperlink:

[4]http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...
by contacting:

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS; Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax - 01334 464611;
Email - [5][email address]

This message is strictly confidential. If you have received this in error,
please inform the sender and remove it from your system. If received in
error you may not copy, print, forward or use it or any attachment in any
way. This message is not capable of creating a legal contract or a binding
representation and does not represent the views of Angus Council. Emails
may be monitored for security and network management reasons. Messages
containing inappropriate content may be intercepted. Angus Council does
not accept any liability for any harm that may be caused to the recipient
system or data on it by this message or any attachment.

References

Visible links
1. Council’s website
https://www.angus.gov.uk/
2. Publication Scheme
https://www.angus.gov.uk/council_and_dem...
3. mailto:[Angus Council request email]
4. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...
5. mailto:[email address]

Dear Jamie Mann,

You should have received a response today.

Kind regards

Alison

Alison Duthie | Paralegal - FOI | 01307 49 2354 | Angus Council | [email address] | www.angus.gov.uk

Covid: As restrictions ease, the emphasis will continue to be on personal responsibility, good practice and informed judgement. Get the latest information on Coronovirus in Scotland

Follow us on Twitter
Visit our Facebook page

Think green – please do not print this email

show quoted sections