Dear Lambeth Borough Council,

Thank you in advance for responding to my F.O.I. questions.

My question are regarding Lambeth Council’s contracts with consultants engaged for the purposes of implementing "Low Traffic Neighbourhoods" (LTNs). ie consultants providing Community Engagement digital platforms & analysis - and/or Transport & Social Research Consultancy.

QUESTION 1. Please provide details of Lambeth Council tendering exercises (if any), for consultancy contracts for the purposes of LTN implementation - during the period 1.1.2020 to date.

QUESTION 2. Please provide the dates and duration of the contract, or contracts, between Lambeth Council and
a) Systra
b) Commonplace
c) any other consultants used by Lambeth Council for the purposes of the implementation of LTNs (please provide details).

QUESTION 3. For those contracts outlined in Q2 which are still in place, please confirm
a) the expected end date, if know.
b) if the contract(s) are time limited, or project limited. ie: does the contract end on a set date, or upon conclusion of a particular project. Please provide details.

QUESTION 4. Please confirm whether any (further) tendering exercises will be carried out in 2024 for consultancy contracts, for the purposes of LTN implementation.

QUESTION 5. Please confirm the total sum paid to Systra by Lambeth Council, from the commencement of contract - to date, (or to the conclusion of existing contract if contract/monies are still outstanding).

QUESTION 6. Please confirm the total sum paid to Commonplace by Lambeth Council, from the commencement of contract - to date, (or to the conclusion of existing contract if contract/monies are still outstanding).

QUESTION 7. Please confirm the total sum paid to any other consultants used by Lambeth Council (see 2c above), from the commencement of contract - to date, (or to the conclusion of existing contract if contract/monies are still outstanding).

Please note for Qs 5,6 &7 above,
- this refers to payment for contract(s) for consultancy for the purposes of LTN implementation only, and
- no detail of payment per LTN project, or type of service provided is required, simply a total sum, for each company’s entire contracted period.

Thank you.
Kind regards,

Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Council,
Thank you for your response to my foi questions. There are some absent &/or incomplete answers and I would be grateful for your response in completing these - as soon as possible. Thank you.

To clarify, included in my questions was a request for information re specific and any other consultants “used by Lambeth Council for the purposes of the implementation of LTNs”. Lambeth Council’s LTNs have been introduced since 2020. I would therefore expect your response to have included all contracts from that date ie: from 1.1.2020. I clarify this because the Commonplace contract info’ you supplied describes a contract from June 2023 to date - this is clearly not the complete picture. Likewise, you state they have been paid £750 which seems unlikely, I assume you mean £750k? and it is not clear if this is for the contract from June 2023 only, please confirm.

To summarise, the information supplied by you thus far:
a) Systra Dec 2021-March 2022. Paid £148,676
b) Commonplace. June 2023 -present. Expected contract end April 2024. Paid £750
c) InUseReuse 13/02/2022 -present. Expected contract end 01/04/2024. Paid £220k
d) Phil Jones Associates 10/01/2021 -present. Expected contract end 01/05/2024. Paid £376k
e) Sustrans 17/01/2021 -present. Expected contract end 10/05/2024 (Paid?)
f) Meristem contracts 02/01/2020 – present. Expected contract end 01/06/2024 (Paid?)
g) Father Nature 17/02/2020 - present. Expected contract end 01/06/2024 (Paid?)
h) Living Streets 04/02/2020 – 21/06/2023 (Paid?)

I therefore request that you revisit your responses to my original FOI Qs, as further clarified in my Qs 1-4 below. Thank you.

QUESTION 1. Please confirm, as requested, the contract dates (all, not just the most recent) and total payments made by Lambeth Council to the companies above - for contract(s) for consultancy for the purposes of LTN implementation (ie from 1.1.2020). Simply the total sum paid, for each company’s entire contracted period.

QUESTION 2. This includes, as requested, the dates of contract(s) with Commonplace from 1.1.2020. to date - and the total payment made to Commonplace for consultancy for the purposes of LTN implementation from 1.1.2020.

QUESTION 3. My original Q2 asked that you “provide the dates and duration of the contract/s between Lambeth Council and *any other consultants* used by Lambeth Council for the purposes of the implementation of LTNs” and my Q7 asked you to “confirm the total sum paid to any other consultants used by Lambeth Council from the commencement of contract - to date”.
Therefore, please supply these details for any and all contractors/consultants, for the purposes of the implementation of LTNs from 1.1.2020. Some omissions that I am aware of are: Metrocount / The Floow / MHTC / CERC. Possibly latterly the University of Westminster? Please include these, *and any other omitted contractors/consultants* in your response to the questions in my original foi request. Thank you.

QUESTION 4. My original Q1 asked you to “Please provide details of Lambeth Council tendering exercises (if any) for consultancy contracts for the purposes of LTN implementation - during the period 1.1.2020 to date”. You have declined to respond to this Q quoting Regulation 12(2) EIR - as follows: “I can confirm that the remainder of the information you have requested is held by Lambeth Council, by law. However, I'm unable to give this to you”.
My request cannot be refused on the grounds of any EIR exception since this is most certainly simply an FOI request, seeking “recorded information held by public authorities”. I am not asking for Environmental Information and my request should not be handled, recorded (or declined) by you as an Environmental Regulations (EIRs) request. LTN’s no doubt impact the environment (for better/worse) but the FOI questions I asked relate to contracts, consultants and funding, for transport intervention schemes. Therefore, please delete your reference to EIRs in this follow-up reply. I will however, clarify my original question Q1 to save further delay.

Original Q1: “Please provide details of Lambeth Council’s tendering exercises (if any) for consultancy contracts for the purposes of LTN implementation - during the period 1.1.2020 to date”.
ie: Please provide copies or links to the contents of the “Invitations to Tenders” and copies of the “Contract Award Notice” for all of the above contractors/consultants. Nb: Since you have stated elsewhere in your response that there are no further LTN related tendering exercises planned for 2024, I assume there will be no need to redact any information to protect future commercial/ tendering process.

Thank you for your further time in responding to my questions.
Sincerely,

Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Lambeth Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Lambeth Council’s contracts with consultants engaged for the purposes of implementing "Low Traffic Neighbourhoods" (LTNs) from 1.1.2020.'.

My follow-up Qs - where answers were incomplete or incorrect - a full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/l...

Yours faithfully,

Sheila OReilly

Dear Lambeth Council,

Please *complete* your Internal Review. Q1 remains unaddressed.

Thank you for your reply, outlining a total of approaching £3million spent 2020 to date, on the LTN related consultants/contractors named.
It's extraordinary how protracted a process it has been for a member of the public to get this info' from you, given my initial request was 3rd March and it is now Oct, and I have had to request the intervention of the ICO twice. A Local Authority should be both transparent and accountable - and have these numbers readily available.

Since Lambeth Council remains "fully committed" to it's imposition of LTNs throughout the borough (and funding on consultants/contractors in order to do so), seemingly instead of more local/bespoke road safety/traffic management solutions - I return to the part of my March Q that you still have not answered. This is perhaps what you refer to by "we maintain our original position". It would be wrong to have to trouble the ICO for a third time to intervene, so in the hope you will provide me with this info, I write my original Q again below and ask that you reply within the next 10 working days ie: by 16th Oct 2024 - or elaborate in detail as to why not. Failing which I will contact the ICO.

Please note, this Q1 info' requested will allow the public to see what Lambeth Council originally expected these consultants/contractors to provide - in order to be paid such sums as they eventually received. That way the public can try to appraise whether the outcome justified the outlay - this is required for transparency and accountability.

March 3rd 2024/Original Q1: “Please provide details of Lambeth Council’s tendering exercises (if any) for consultancy contracts for the purposes of LTN implementation - during the period 1.1.2020 to date”. ie: Please provide copies or links to the contents of the “Invitations to Tenders” and copies of the “Contract Award Notice” for all of the above contractors/consultants. Nb: Since you have *stated elsewhere in your response that there are no further LTN related tendering exercises planned for 2024*, I assume there will be no need to redact any information to protect future commercial/ tendering process.

Thank you for your further/final time in responding to my questions.
Regards,
Sheila OReilly