Instruction to block Inside Croydon
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
Please provide a copy of the instruction to the Council's IT team or external partner requesting the blocking of "Inside Croydon".
Please identify all emails sent or received by Katherine Kerswell CEO since 1st January 2025 where "Inside Croydon" is mentioned. This should be achieved through a simple e-Discovery exercise.
Yours faithfully,
Thomas Richards
Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA
Contact: Information Team
[email address]
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.
Dear Thomas Richards
FOI/12290
Subject: FOI - Instruction to block Inside Croydon
Thank you for your e-mail. Please accept our apologies for the delay in
responding to you.
We can confirm that the relevant service who hold this information are
working on your request and are aware of the urgency and that it is now
overdue.
We are monitoring its progress and as soon as we receive this information
from them we forward this onto you.
Should we have any further delays we will keep you informed.
Further information about your rights to information is available from the
Information Commissioner's Office at www.ico.org.uk
Kind Regard
Information Management Team
Croydon Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
7th Floor, Zone B
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Instruction to block Inside Croydon'.
This is 2 weeks late. If you're not going to issue it, issue a Refusal Notice so I can get on with the escalation to the ICO.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
Yours faithfully,
Thomas Richards
Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA
Contact: Information Team
[email address]
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.
Dear Thomas Richards
FOI/12290
Subject: FOI - Instruction to block Inside Croydon
Thank you for your e-mail received on 4/6/25, in which you have requested
an internal review of your FoI F/12290 in relation to Instruction to block
Inside Croydon. Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to
you.
Reviews can only be carried out on responses already issued, therefore we
cannot process or log a review in this instance.
We can confirm that the relevant service who hold this information are
working on your request and are aware of the urgency and that it is now
overdue. We are monitoring its progress and as soon as we receive this
information from them we forward this onto you.
Your email requesting a review has come into our Infreemation system that
we use for FoIs, and has automatically been given a new ref number. This
will be cancelled and this enquiry merged into the current request
F/12290. Please use this reference in any correspondence regarding this
request.
Further information about your rights to information is available from the
Information Commissioner's Office at www.ico.org.uk
Kind Regard
Information Management Team
Croydon Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
3^rd Floor, Zone E
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
Dear [email address],
Thanks for your most recent email. I must admit I'm confused regarding your position on internal reviews. Surely I'm seeking a review because you haven't responded within the appropriate timeframe. If I can't raise a review on a request that hasn't been answered, there's no incentive for you to answer any requests.
I'd expect a review on how the request has been handled to include when it was sent to the department, how many chases you had to make etc...
It's good to know that an instruction was given to block Inside Croydon, but not having sight of this (which can't be too hard to find one would assume), is frustrating.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Richards
Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA
Contact: Information Team
[email address]
Dear Thomas Richards
Request FOI/12290
Further to your request received on 23/04/2025, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000/Environmental Information Regulations. Please accept our apologies
for the delay in responding to your request.
Specifically, you have requested the following information:
Please provide a copy of the instruction to the Councils IT team or
external partner requesting the blocking of "Inside Croydon".
Please identify all emails sent or received by Katherine Kerswell CEO
since 1st January 2025 where "Inside Croydon" is mentioned. This should be
achieved through a simple e-Discovery exercise.
Please see the attached document for the Council's response.
The document contains redacted information which is not relevant to the
request.
The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)
To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:
[1]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)
If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act / Environmental Information
Regulations, you may ask for an internal review. This should be submitted
to us within 40 working days of this response. You can do this by
outlining the details of your complaint by:
Email: [2][email address]
Writing: Information Team
London Borough of Croydon
Bernard Weatherill House
Floor 3, Zone E
8 Mint Walk
Croydon, CR0 1EA
Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
Louise Edwards
Information Team
Croydon Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
3^rd Floor, Zone E
Bernard Wetherill House,
Mint Walk,
Croydon,
CR0 1EA
References
Visible links
1. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/
2. mailto:[email%20address]
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Instruction to block Inside Croydon'.
The response provides refers to a chase by the Chief Executive to her CIO which implies that either (a) there was an earlier request not included in this response or (b) this request was made verbally.
My request specifically asked on the instruction. It's unlikely that Mr Golland himself would have conducted the blocking activity so there must have been a ticket or instruction to either internal Council staff or the Council's external IT provider.
Therefore I don't believe that you have published all the information relevant to my request and seek an internal review so that the full chain relating to the instruction and execution of that instruction be made public.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
Yours faithfully,
Thomas Richards
Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA
Contact: Information Team
[email address]
Dear Thomas Richards
Acknowledgement: Internal Review in relation to request FOI/12290
Subject: FOI - Instruction to block Inside Croydon
Thank you for your request for an internal review of FOI/12290 - FOI -
Instruction to block Inside Croydon which was received on 18/6/25.
As a result of your request, we will be carrying out an internal review.
An officer from our legal team, who was not involved in the original
decision, will reconsider your request for information and notify you of
their decision by 16/07/2025.
Our colleagues from legal will be in touch with you as soon as they have
an update on your case.
If you have any queries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Yours sincerely,
Information Management Team
Croydon Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
3^rd Floor, Zone E
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
Dear Thomas Richards
Further to your email dated 17 June 2025, in which you requested an
Internal Review of the Council’s response to your request for information
made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I have now concluded this
review, and I am able to reply as follows.
In your request for an Internal Review, you asked the Council to
reconsider your request as you believed that you had not been provided
with the information requested and stated as follows:
“Dear Croydon Borough Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information
reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon Borough Councils
handling of my FOI request Instruction to block Inside Croydon.
The response provides refers to a chase by the Chief Executive to her CIO
which implies that either (a) there was an earlier request not included in
this response or (b) this request was made verbally.
My request specifically asked on the instruction. Its unlikely that Mr
Golland himself would have conducted the blocking activity so there must
have been a ticket or instruction to either internal Council staff or the
Councils external IT provider.
Therefore I dont believe that you have published all the information
relevant to my request and seek an internal review so that the full chain
relating to the instruction and execution of that instruction be made
public.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on
the Internet at this address:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
In response to your request for an Internal Review, having made further
inquiries in respect of the information requested, I have been informed
that the instruction to block “Inside Croydon” was made verbally and
therefore the Council has no further information to provide.
If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
Amarina Fakir-Evangelou
Corporate Lawyer
Resources Directorate
Legal Services Division
Floor 12
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
DX 136017 Croydon 17
Email: [1][email address]
Working pattern: Please note I work standard hours Monday to Thursday.
Council services, online, 24/7 www.croydon.gov.uk/myaccount.
Please use this web site address to view the council's e-mail disclaimer -
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
References
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1. mailto:[email%20address]
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Thomas Richards left an annotation ()
Reported to the ICO. I don't believe a ticket wasn't raised regarding the blocking of this website.