LGA Press Release
Dear Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council,
Wigan Council was recently mentioned in a list of strange requests issued by the LGA in an attempt to discredit the FOI process. The Wigan request was about dragons. I would like to request the following information about the Council's involvement.
Did officers working for the council search for any information, given the extremely unlikely nature of the proposition in the FOI request?
Did Wigan Council approach the LGA about the dragon FOI request or was the Council approached by the LGA? If the LGA used the Wigan request without consulting the council, please confirm this.
I would like to request copies of correspondence between the Council and the LGA about the dragon request and how it would be used.
I would like to request copies of any correspondence received by Wigan Council from the LGA on the subject of FOI generally in the last 12 months. Please limit any search to Chief Executive’s team, the Public Relations Team, and those staff dealing with FOI requests.
Yours faithfully,
Tony Parker
Please quote ID 6195 on all correspondence/emails/faxes
Dear Sir / Madam
I am emailing to confirm the receipt of your recent FOI request to Wigan Council.
We will respond as soon as possible and in any case no later than 16th September 2014 , which is 20 working days after the receipt of your request.
If you have any comments or questions in the meantime, please direct them to [Wigan Council request email], or at Wigan Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN.
Your contact is Sharon Crippin.
Regards
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom
they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please
notify the system manager.
Email may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded
for legal purposes.
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this
email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 unless the information in it is covered by one of the
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This footnote also confirms that this email has been swept for
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Dear Tony
I am writing to respond to your freedom of information request recently
received. This request has been handled under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.
The response to your request is detailed below.
Did officers working for the council search for any information, given the
extremely unlikely nature of the proposition in the FOI request?
No search for information was made. The request received the standard
acknowledgement but no further response.
Did Wigan Council approach the LGA about the dragon FOI request or was the
Council approached by the LGA? If the LGA used the Wigan request without
consulting the council, please confirm this.
The Council released a press release to the local press relating to the
increase and associated cost of dealing with FoIs, a copy of the press
release was sent to the LGA on 6th June.
I would like to request copies of correspondence between the Council and
the LGA about the dragon request and how it would be used.
Copy of press release attached.
I would like to request copies of any correspondence received by Wigan
Council from the LGA on the subject of FOI generally in the last 12
months. Please limit any search to Chief Executive’s team, the Public
Relations Team, and those staff dealing with FOI requests.
LGA CommsNet Bulletin 25.7.14 attached
If you are unhappy with any aspect of this response, an independent senior
officer will review this decision. Please let me know if you would like to
arrange this.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner, who is the
regulator for Freedom of Information. His website is
[1]www.informationcommisioner.gov.uk and his helpline number is 0303
1231113.
His staff may ask you to exhaust our internal complaints procedure if you
choose to complain to his office now.
Kind Regards
Complaints and Information Team
Resources Directorate
Wigan Council
Wigan New Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN
[2]www.wigan.gov.uk
[3]www.twitter.com/wigancouncil
[4]www.facebook.com/WiganCouncilOnline
[5]www.facebook.com/WiganCouncilOnline
>>Corporate Disclaimer<<
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom
they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please
notify the system manager.
Email may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded
for legal purposes.
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this
email or any response to it under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 unless the information in it is covered by one of the
exemptions in the Act.
This footnote also confirms that this email has been swept for
the presence of computer viruses.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.informationcommisioner.gov.uk/
2. file:///D:/WTSRV/Profiles/k_macd/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Signatures/www.wigan.gov.uk
3. file:///D:/WTSRV/Profiles/k_macd/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Signatures/www.twitter.com/wigancouncil
4. file:///D:/WTSRV/Profiles/k_macd/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Signatures/www.facebook.com/WiganCouncilOnline
5. http://www.facebook.com/WiganCouncilOnline
Lee Gardiner left an annotation ()
Au contraire David Lucas, an FOI can't be made verbally. the legislation is quite specific that an FOI has to be ,ade in writing to be valid (Section 8.1.a)
Ms Molly left an annotation ()
To help clarify david's point. I think he means that if you ask the council for information in general and it was answered, there number of FoI's would fall. He indicates that the council will not part with information unless it is presented in FoI format. Hence, the number of FoI's.
As no time was allocated to the Dragon request, this can't be used as an example of expense.
David Lucas left an annotation ()
Extract from Wigan Council's policy on freedom of information:
Staff should respond positively to simple requests for information. If information is available and can be provided without causing harm or damage, it should be disclosed. The Council encourages staff to disclose information where there is no risk of harm. Applicants do not need to make written requests if their requests can be answered verbally.
APPLICANTS DO NOT NEED TO MAKE A WRITTEN REQUEST IF THEIR REQUESTS CAN BE ANSWERED VERBALLY!
Their words not mine Lee.
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David Lucas left an annotation ()
Wigan Council seem to be complaining about the number of FOIs that are being submitted by the public, well Wigan Council, if you were not so secretive about everything, especially anything to do with the collection of money, the number of FOIs could be cut dramatically. An FOI request can be made verbally but officers of the Council refuse to answer what should be very simple questions so members of the public have to resort to making written requests. I have personally encounters rude, arrogant and aggressive behavior from Wigan Council officers, if these people simply answered questions when asked the council would save its self a fortune.
There is no point in blaming the public for the number of requests, Wigan Council needs to look closer to home for the true cause behind the increase of requests.