Dear Mr Maxwell

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-73145

Thank you for your request dated 09 May 2023

Your request will be answered by 07 June 2023. 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

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Dear Mr Maxwell

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-73145

We apologise for the delay in providing the response to your Freedom of
Information request. We do remain committed to responding to your request
and will respond as soon as we are able to do so.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Officer

Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

* The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

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From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 9, 2023 2:53 PM
To: 'James Maxwell' <[FOI #978867 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI-73145: Freedom of Information request - Greenwich Foot
Tunnels

Dear Mr Maxwell

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-73145

Thank you for your request dated 09 May 2023

Your request will be answered by 07 June 2023. 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

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Dear Mr Maxwell

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-73145

Thank you for your request dated 09 May 2023

Our response is as follows:

I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

1) The amount of days in the past 356 days the Greenwich foot tunnel lifts
were not operational.

Section 12 (1) does not oblige a local authority to comply with a request
for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with
the request would exceed the appropriate limit.

The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and
Fees) Regulations 2004 (“the Fees Regulations) sets the appropriate limit
at £450 for the public authority in question. Under these Regulations, a
public authority can charge a maximum of £25 per hour for work undertaken
to comply with a request. This equates to 18 hours work.

A public authority is only required to provide a reasonable estimate or
breakdown of costs and in putting together its estimate it can take the
following processes into consideration:-

 a. Determining whether it holds the information
 b. Locating the information, or a document which may contain the
information;
 c. Retrieving the information, or a document which may contain the
information, and
 d. Extracting the information from a document containing it.

We have estimated the length of time it will take to do the following
tasks in accordance with section 12.

Determining whether we hold the information and locating the information,
or a document which may contain the information. The information is held
in an electronic data base.

Retrieving and extracting the information.  To retrieve and extract the
information one officer will have to read through each case record, this
would take approximately 20 minutes (10 minutes to locate file and 10
minutes to retrieve and extract the information. 20 minutes x 57 records)
= 19 hours. This information is held electronically.

Total hours to complete the request equates to 19 hours

We estimate that it will take us in excess of 19 hours to determine the
appropriate material and locate, retrieve and extract the information in
reference to your request. The council is not obliged to comply with this
request because it exceeds the appropriate limit.

Section 16:

Section 16 of the Act imposes an obligation on public authorities to
provide advice and assistance to a person making a request, so far as it
is reasonable to do so.

In order to provide you with advice and assistance we suggest you reduce
the timescale of your request, we can provide information relating to the
last 3 months.

2) The proposal (or any draft of a proposal) to ensure equal access and a
better lift service for all tunnel users in relation to the Greenwich foot
tunnel lifts .*

DRES/Highways have recruited an Engineering consultant to undertake
feasibility reports and make recommendations as to the long term strategy
for the Foot Tunnels, with regards Greenwich, they have proposed two
smaller capacity lifts be provided, thus ensuring that should one lift
fail, a second is readily available, however, in realism, any such
programme could be several years in the making and we must manage
expectations until this project does proceed further.

We are hopeful that under the current retender for lift services that we
are taking, a fresh new lift contractor will offer a better approach and
response to these assets and in turn, a better service or first-time fix
rate can be achieved.

3) The repair plan in relation to the Greenwich foot tunnel lifts.*

The Royal Borough of Greenwich aim to undertake repairs to the lifts as
quickly as possible and return lifts to operation to limit the disruption
to lift users and public. From time to time there are delays while
components are sourced, and we rely on the lift contractor to source the
parts needed swiftly.

The repair works undertaken in 2022 have eliminated the risk with regards
components no longer available, however, other consumable parts do need
sourcing and this can take time to have imported where parts are shipped
from Europe and abroad.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich are working closely at present with lift
equipment suppliers to collate a list of critical spares which upon spend
approval, will enable parts to be purchased and stored onsite to minimise
downtimes whilst components are sourced.

If you have any queries about this correspondence, please contact me,
quoting the reference number above.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request, you can ask
for an Internal Review.  Internal review requests must be submitted within
two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
request.  If you wish to do this, please contact us in writing, setting
out why you are dissatisfied.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Internal Review, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision.  Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the Internal Review
procedure provided by the Council. You can contact the ICO by emailing , or by
post at Customer Contact, Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

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