Minutes of Council meetings and original Project Shape plans
Dear University of Liverpool,
My attention was drawn to the latest Project Shape Update[1] and its reference to the announcement dated 21 June 2019[2] made at its launch that: "The proposals have now received the full support of the Executive Board and are entering the first phase of implementation alongside consultation discussions with Trade Unions."
Although the University has fallen behind in duty to publish the minutes of its past meetings, I can read in Section 3.5 of the minutes of the Council meeting dated 9 July 2019[3] that
"The final report from the Project SHAPE Board, recommending a new strategy for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and a revised organisational structure designed to deliver the strategy.... The proposals had been made following extensive consultation and the recommendations had been considered by Executive Board, Planning and Resources Committee and Senate."
The Executive Board does not appear in the list of 36 University committees,[4] and is therefore difficult to track down, so I will assume that the Proposals which received a mandate were in the report provided to the Council three weeks after the 2019 press release.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, please may I see copies of:
(1) The "final report from the Project SHAPE Board" as presented to the Council in its meeting of 9 July 2019
(2) The Minutes of the Council meeting of 13 October 2020, as stated on the Committee's webpage.[5]
(3) The Minutes of the Council meeting of 24 November 2020
(4) The Minutes of the Council meeting of 9 February 2021
(5) The Minutes of any Council meetings between 20 May 2020 and now that are not on the list above
I have been warned that the University maintains a quaint custom of not releasing the minutes of its meetings for up to three months for the reason that they have not been "formally approved" -- even though there is no evidence that they ever get amended.[6]
If this custom continues to be applied with regards to the meeting of 9 February 2021, please can I have (a) A copy of the Agenda for that meeting, and (b) the list of motions that were Agreed by the Committee. I think this is reasonable demand given the fact that Agenda was approved in effect by the meeting it guided, and the Decisions/Agreements made at the meeting do not wait three months before they are implemented.
Footnotes:
[1] https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2021/03/08/...
[2] https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2019/06/21/...
[3] https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacu...
[4] https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/governance/u...
[5] https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/governance/c...
[6] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/u...
Yours faithfully,
Julian Todd
Dear Mr Todd
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request under the Freedom of
Information Act. Your reference number is FOI/2021/108
Due to the ongoing disruption caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic, we
may take a little longer than normal to respond to certain enquiries. We
ask that you bear with us; we will keep you updated as best as we can.
The University will aim to respond within 20 working days of receipt – 7
April at the latest. If we ask you to clarify your request, the deadline
will be re-calculated once we have received clarification.
If you have any queries about this email, your request, or the way in
which your enquiry is being handled, please do not hesitate to get in
touch.
Kind regards, Kirsty
Kirsty Rothwell
Freedom of Information Officer / Data Protection Co-ordinator
Legal & Governance
University of Liverpool, Foundation Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69
7ZX
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential. Unless
you are the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, distribute, use
or retain this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately.
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Dear Mr Todd
We are unable to provide a response to your enquiry by the due date, 7
April 2021.
I have emailed the relevant department to ask for an update on progress
and will update you as soon as possible.
The University remains committed to responding to your request and will do
so as soon as we can. I expect to be able to provide a response by Friday
16^th April 2021 or provide a further update as applicable.
Kind regards, Kirsty
Kirsty Rothwell
Freedom of Information Officer / Data Protection Co-ordinator
Legal & Governance
University of Liverpool, Foundation Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69
7ZX
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential. Unless
you are the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, distribute, use
or retain this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately.
[1]Signature-Footer
From: foi Uof Liverpool
Sent: 09 March 2021 07:53
To: 'Julian Todd' <[FOI #734517 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Minutes of Council meetings
and original Project Shape plans
Dear Mr Todd
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request under the Freedom of
Information Act. Your reference number is FOI/2021/108
Due to the ongoing disruption caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic, we
may take a little longer than normal to respond to certain enquiries. We
ask that you bear with us; we will keep you updated as best as we can.
The University will aim to respond within 20 working days of receipt – 7
April at the latest. If we ask you to clarify your request, the deadline
will be re-calculated once we have received clarification.
If you have any queries about this email, your request, or the way in
which your enquiry is being handled, please do not hesitate to get in
touch.
Kind regards, Kirsty
Kirsty Rothwell
Freedom of Information Officer / Data Protection Co-ordinator
Legal & Governance
University of Liverpool, Foundation Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69
7ZX
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential. Unless
you are the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, distribute, use
or retain this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately.
[2]Signature-Footer
Dear Kirsty,
Thanks for the update. I fully understand.
I am glad to see that the minutes of the missing Council meetings of 7 July 2020, 13 October 2020 and 24 November 2020 have been posted to their proper place at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/governance/c...
This means that parts (2), (3) and (5) of my request have been satisfied.
Having reviewed the contents of the newly published minutes, it still remains important to me to know what was discussed and agreed in the Council meeting of 9 February 2021 at around the time some of the more surprising consequences of Phase 2 of Project SHAPE were revealed. My interpretation of items 4, 7 and 11 of the "primary responsibilities of the Council"[1] suggest that it would have been appropriate for the this body to have formally considered and agreed to it.
[1] https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/governance/c...
Yours sincerely,
Julian Todd
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request under the Freedom of
Information Act.
The University will aim to respond within 20 working days of receipt. If
we ask you to clarify your request, the deadline will be re-calculated
once we have received clarification.
If you have any queries about this email, your request, or the way in
which your enquiry is being handled, please do not hesitate to get in
touch.
Please note the University is closed for the Easter break from Thursday 1
April until Wednesday 7 April.
Kind regards, Kirsty
Kirsty Rothwell
Freedom of Information Officer / Data Protection Co-ordinator
Legal & Governance
University of Liverpool, Foundation Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69
7ZX
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential. Unless
you are the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, distribute, use
or retain this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately.
[1]Signature-Footer
References
Visible links
Dear Mr Todd
I am writing in response to your request for information under the Freedom
of Information Act (our reference FOI/2021/108).
Please find attached the University's response.
Kind regards, Kirsty
Kirsty Rothwell
Freedom of Information Officer / Data Protection Co-ordinator
Legal & Governance
University of Liverpool, Foundation Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69
7ZX
The information in this email and any attachments is confidential. Unless
you are the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, distribute, use
or retain this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately.
[1]Signature-Footer
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