Homecoming parade
Dear Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council,
I am writing to submit a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding the homecoming parade and reception for Olympic Gold Medal winner Hannah Scott, which took place on Wednesday, 14th August 2024.
It has been reported that both the Council and Bann Rowing Club were involved in the event; however, there are details emerging that the Coleraine Business Improvement District (BID) had a significant role in the planning and execution of the event, particularly concerning the outdoor entertainment. I would appreciate clarification on the following:
1. Council Contributions: Aside from barriers, the stage, and manpower on the ground, can the Council confirm if they provided any other services, resources, or contributions for the homecoming event?
2. Financial Contribution: What was the overall financial contribution made by the Council toward this event (outdoor only)? Please provide a breakdown of specific costs where applicable.
3. Financial Contribution: What was the overall financial contribution made by the Council toward the indoor event /reception? Please provide a breakdown of specific costs where applicable.
4. Responsibility for Sound, Audio, Visual, and Compere: Did the Council cover the costs for sound, audio-visual equipment, and the compere, Alan Simpson, for the event, or were these expenses managed and paid for by the Coleraine Business Improvement District?
5. Council Media Release and Publicity: The Council’s media release prominently mentions the Council and Bann Rowing Club as hosts of the homecoming event but does not appear to give prominent acknowledgment to the Coleraine Business Improvement District (CBID) for their role in providing key aspects of the outdoor entertainment, including the compere and audio-visual elements. Could the Council provide information as to why CBID was not prominently included in all related publicity materials?
6.Council’s Leadership Role: Given the significance of the event in celebrating an Olympic Gold Medal winner from the local area, could the Council clarify why it did not take a leading role in the planning and organisation of the homecoming event, instead of leaving a significant portion of the arrangements to the Coleraine Business Improvement District?
Thank you for your attention to this request. I look forward to receiving a response within the statutory timeframe.
Should you require any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours faithfully,
Thomas Caldwell
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
Good afternoon,
Council writes to update you in relation to your request for information.
Unfortunately, it is taking longer than expected to issue the response to
you.
Council sincerely apologises for this delay and is currently working to
issue its response as soon as possible.
Kind Regards,
Aileen Devlin
Business Support Assistant
Policy and Community Planning
[1][email address]
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
[2]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
From: Aileen Devlin
Sent: 02 October 2024 13:29
To: '[FOI #1180909 email]' <[FOI #1180909 email]>
Subject: RFI/336/24 - Homecoming parade
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:
[3]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:
[4]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: [5][email address]
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
[6]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Dear Aileen Devlin,
I am following up on this. Still no response. It is quite concerning that a number of FOI responses have been delayed here. Is this normal practice for this council? This was a simple and straight forward request for information.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Caldwell
I am out of the office until Monday 25th November, my emails will not be
monitored during this time. If your matter is urgent please contact
Stacy Mc Clarty by email: [email address] or Romana Khaoury on [email
address]
Regards,
Aileen
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
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. Please consider the environment before
printing.
Good afternoon Thomas,
I acknowledge receipt of your email, I have followed up with the relevant Service Areas and hope to have a response issued shortly.
If the request involves multiple service areas, it may take longer to collate the information.
Apologies for the delay,
Aileen
Aileen Devlin
Business Support Assistant
Policy and Community Planning
[mobile number]
Dear Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Homecoming parade'.
The request has not been answered and no updates from this local authority have been forthcoming. I notice a number of FOI requests here are quite late and that is not what residents should expect.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h...
Yours faithfully,
Thomas Caldwell
PLEASE USE THIS REFERENCE NUMBER WHEN CONTACTING THE INFORMATION GOVERNANCE TEAM ABOUT THIS REQUEST FOR AN INTERNAL REVIEW : RFI/336/24
Dear Thomas Caldwell,
Further to your correspondence received on Friday 2 January 2025 regarding your dissatisfaction with how Council has processed your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Council will now commence its internal review process. Attached is a copy of Council’s guidance on “The Right to Know”.
A response will follow in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woods
Information Governance Officer
Policy and Community Planning
Email: [email address]
www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Please consider the environment - only print this e-mail if absolutely necessary
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 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. Please consider the environment before printing.
Dear Matthew Woods,
I am writing to follow up once again on my Freedom of Information (FOI) request, which was initially submitted on 1st October 2024. Despite my previous correspondence and the subsequent request for an internal review, I have yet to receive the requested information. As of today, 27th January 2025, this delay is entirely unacceptable and continues to reflect poorly on the Council's approach to handling FOI requests.
It is clear, upon reviewing other requests on this site, that such delays are not isolated incidents but rather part of an ongoing pattern of slow and inadequate responses. This persistent failure to meet statutory obligations is uncalled for and undermines public confidence in the Council's transparency and accountability.
Given the straightforward nature of my request—especially in light of the understanding that the Council had little involvement with the event in question—this level of delay is unjustifiable. The lack of progress suggests a disregard for the importance of open access to information, which is a fundamental right under the FOI Act.
I am now formally reiterating my request for the full and complete response to my FOI request without any further delay. I trust that this will be prioritised accordingly. Should the Council continue to fail in its duties, I will have no option but to escalate this matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further investigation.
I expect an immediate update on the status of my request and a clear commitment to resolving this matter promptly.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Caldwell
Dear Thomas Caldwell,
Thank you for your correspondence received on 27 January 2025 regarding your access to information and internal review requests.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your request and for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We understand the importance of timely communication and are committed to resolving this matter as soon as possible. Please be assured that your Freedom of Information request is being treated as a priority. We will endeavour to provide you with a full response as soon as possible or by close of play on 31 January 2025, in accordance with the internal review deadline.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to address this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woods
Information Governance Officer
Policy and Community Planning
Email: [email address]
www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Please consider the environment - only print this e-mail if absolutely necessary
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 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. Please consider the environment before printing.
Dear Thomas Caldwell,
Please see the attached correspondence regarding your access to
information request.
A response to your internal review request will be provided separately
upon completion.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woods
Information Governance Officer
Policy and Community Planning
Email: [1][email address]
[2]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Please consider the environment - only print this e-mail if absolutely
necessary
A white sign with black text Description automatically generated
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
[3]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. Please consider the environment before
printing.
From: Aileen Devlin
Sent: 02 October 2024 13:29
To: '[FOI #1180909 email]' <[FOI #1180909 email]>
Subject: RFI/336/24 - Homecoming parade
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:
[4]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:
[5]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: [6][email address]
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
[7]www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Dear Thomas Caldwell,
Please see the attached correspondence regarding your internal review request.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woods
Information Governance Officer
Policy and Community Planning
Email: [email address]
www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
Please consider the environment - only print this e-mail if absolutely necessary
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 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. Please consider the environment before printing.
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