Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,
Please provide all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023

Yours faithfully,

Erebus Smith

Hi Chaps,
You’re late again.
Please commence another internal review.
Impact study on Birkenhead market community.
Please provide all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023

Yours faithfully,

Erebus Smith

Dear InfoMgr, FinDMT,
In my original request I asked for “all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023”
The link provided in your response does not provide any impact studies either created or published.
Please send the information I requested or alternatively state “no such documents exist”.

Yours sincerely,

Erebus Smith

Dear InfoMgr, FinDMT,
I did not request “further documents” on this matter.
I requested “all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023”
The link you have provided does not contain any documents relating to any impact studies conducted relating to Birkenhead Market traders.
Please confirm “No impact study documents have been created or published relating to Birkenhead Market during 2023”

Yours sincerely,

Erebus Smith

Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

Hi chaps,
Please pass this on to the person who has decided to reject my six month old information request entitled “Impact study on Birkenhead Market community” that requests information related to “all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023”

I am requesting an internal review of the Council’s decision to judge my information request invalid and ask that their review takes into account the following facts when conducting the review.

1: The council have stated “We note that you are continuing to use a false name when communicating with the Council. ICO guidance states that where a requester has used a pseudonym then their request is considered invalid under the Freedom of Information Act”.
Interestingly, the IOC guidance notes then go on to state.. “If a public authority chooses not to comply with the request it should, in keeping with its duty under section 16, advise the applicant that the FOIA requires their real name to be provided”.
Oh, look…..I supplied the Council with my real name On 14 February 2024 when I wrote to the Council stating “I have recently spoken with T.O'H (Information Management Technical Officer) from the information team, who advised me to inform you that I am using this pseudonym (Erebus Smith) and my true name is Alan Featherstone, please update your records accordingly.”

2: Both Tracey (Information Management Technical Officer) and Lynette (Principal Information Management Officer) have consistently referred to me in correspondence within this request as “Dear Mr Featherstone” And so it seems obvious that the Council records were updated as I requested and the Council do in fact know exactly who I am.

3:Discounting points 1 & 2… My request for information relates to “ “Impact study on Birkenhead Market community”. and constitutes a request for environmental information, the Government’s website states that it is not necessary to supply a name.
What to include
You should give:
Your name (not needed if you’re asking for environmental information)
A contact postal or email address
For your convenience I have added a link here.
https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-inf...

4: Furthermore, the Information Commissioner’s guidance notes go on to reference “GOOD PRACTICE,” stating ..
“Where a public authority knows that a pseudonym has been used, as a matter of good practice it should still consider the request, for example where identity is not relevant and it is content to disclose the information requested, even though technically the request is invalid”.
NOTE. For the avoidance of doubt, I strongly believe that my information request is valid, the Council have been informed of my real name and this is an environmental issue request.

5: What originally seemed like simple request for information relating to “all impact studies concerning Birkenhead Market created or published during 2023” was made last year, it’s dragged on for six months when it should have been responded to in a maximum of 20 working days.
Either Officers conducted an impact study relating to the Birkenhead Market community and the effect the proposed Argos market would have on their trading environment. Or they did not do this work. Either the Council is hold this information or it does not exist. It is a simple request that can be addressed by sending the document or stating the Council does not hold this document.

6: Finally, I have met and spoken with some incredibly conscientious and honest officers. I would like to respectfully remind everyone that the website hosting this request https://www.whatdotheyknow.com is a public forum, and the public is watching events with interest. Many are wondering, why some Officers have consistently avoided addressing this freedom of information request, delayed it for so long and are now attempting to declare it invalid.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...

Kindest regards

Erebus Smith
A.K.A. Alan Featherstone