Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect

fFaudwAtch UK made this Freedom of Information request to North East Lincolnshire Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear North East Lincolnshire Council,

Please disclose whether Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect is an employee of North East Lincolnshire Council.

If so please disclose the cost to taxpayers of this employment.

If not an employee of the Council and the service he provides is contracted out then I would like that cost to the taxpayer in respect of the contract.

Yours faithfully,

fFaudwAtch UK

PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear Mr Gilliatt (aka fFaudwAtch UK)

 

On 23/06/2016, you submitted 4 Freedom of Information requests
NEL2320/1617, NEL2321/1617, NEL2322/1617 and NEL/2323/1617 through the
‘whatdotheyknow’ website, which have been followed by further requests,
follow-ups to previous requests and correspondence on 24/06/02016
(NEL2240/1617),  27/06/2016 (NEL/2327/1617),  and 01/07/2016 (2367_1617).

 

We consider that these requests, along with the large number of related
requests submitted over the past 4 of years under your own name and
pseudonyms such as fFaudwAtch UK through the ‘whatdotheyknow’ website,
form a campaign intended to frustrate and challenge the Council’s ability
to effectively administer and collect Council Tax in accordance with the
Local Government Finance Act 1992.

 

Despite the Council answering and directing you to the information you
require, and signposting you to the established procedures in place to
formally challenge Council Tax decisions, you have continued to submit
regular and overlapping requests challenging the administration and
collection of Council Tax by the Council. This unreasonable persistence
and intransigence, is placing an unreasonable burden on the resources of
the Council. Further the inclusion in your requests of unfounded
accusations and the targeting of individuals addressing the issues you
have raised, appears to be a deliberate intention to personalise requests
and cause annoyance or distress. As your requests have no serious purpose
other than to continue your challenge of the Council’s administration of
Council Tax, and are not intending or attempting to obtain any recorded
information held by the Council, I have determined by virtue of section 14
(1) of the Freedom of Information Act that your requests NEL2320/1617,
NEL2321/1617, NEL2322/1617, NEL/2323/1617, NEL2240/1617, NEL/2327/1617,
and NEL 2367_1617, are vexatious in nature.

 

We will therefore not be answering be responding to requests NEL2320/1617,
NEL2321/1617, NEL2322/1617, NEL/2323/1617, NEL2240/1617, NEL/2327/1617,
and NEL 2367_1617, by virtue of section 14 (1) of the Freedom of
Information Act.

 

The Council will consider any future requests received, on a request by
request basis, but would again draw your attention to guidance issued by
the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding what you should and should
not do when making an information request, which is available on their
website: [1]https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/offici...

 

Please note however that requests made to continue your campaign to
challenge the administration and collection of Council Tax by the Council,
or which target the processes or individuals that are in place to handle
and address your requests for information and complaints, will be refused
in accordance with section 14 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act.

 

If you remain dissatisfied with the Council’s handling of your request, or
the decision of the internal review you can request an independent review
by contacting the Information Commissioner's Office at Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

 

Feedback Officer

 

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Dear North East Lincolnshire Council,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of North East Lincolnshire Council's handling of my FOI request 'Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect'.

There is a genuine purpose for my requests which should be obvious.

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

Yours faithfully,

fFaudwAtch UK

PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

 

Dear Mr Gilliatt

I am pleased to acknowledge your correspondence and wish to confirm that
an Internal Review of the handling of your Information Request
NEL/2367/1617 is to take place.

 

The Internal Review has been passed to the relevant department for
processing and you can expect your response within the 20 working day
limit. If it will take us longer than 20 working days to respond to you,
we will inform you of this and provide you with the expected date for
receiving a response.

 

Further information about how we will deal with your Freedom of
Information requests is available on our website at:
[1]https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/council-infor....

 

Please feel free to contact me if you require any further information or
assistance quoting the reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

 

Feedback Officer

 

 

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PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear Mr Gilliatt

Further to your request an Internal Review has taken place into North East
Lincolnshire Council's handling of your information request NEL/2367/1617.

I have reviewed the response provided to you and the handling of your
request, and determine that this has been in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act, and your request was correctly refused on the basis of
Section 14 (1) of the Freedom Information Act.

I trust that this Internal Review answers your queries in relation to your
request, and clarifies that your request has been handled in accordance
with the Freedom of Information Act. 

If you remain dissatisfied with the Council’s handling of your request, or
the decision of the internal review you can request an independent review
by contacting the Information Commissioner's Office at Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

Feedback Officer

 

 

 

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fFaudwAtch UK (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

Complaint to Information Commissioner's Office for the council's mishandling of this freedom of information request.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF

7 July 2016

Dear Sir/Madam

RE: INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF FOI REQUEST NE LINC'S COUNCIL – REF NUMBER 2367-1617

I made a freedom of information request to North East Lincolnshire Council. The details can be found on the “what do they know” website at the following address:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

“Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect”

BACKGROUND

North East Lincolnshire Council [redact] obtained a liability order by committing [redact]. There was no debt owing, however, the Council [redact] engineered a non-payment scenario. The Police, Local Government Ombudsman and judges are complicit because all of them have looked the other way when the matter brought to their attention.

The negligence of the organisations has enabled North East Lincolnshire Council unhindered to make further [redact] demands by appointing its [redact] bailiff firm Rossendales to enforce the liability order that was obtained by lying to the court about money that is not owed.

A formal complaint had been submitted to the Council which contained an allegation of [redact] but was dealt with through the corporate complaints procedure where the Council flatly refused to address it, asserting that the concerns raised fell outside the scope of the complaints process.

It was later discovered that the a member of the Council’s complaints team should have referred the matter to the Audit, Risk, Insurance and Corporate Fraud team immediately in accordance with the 'Fraud Response Plan’.

The audit and assurance team claimed to have carried out a detailed investigation was which was reviewed by the head of audit and assurance (Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect) who concluded that, based on the evidence of the review, he had found no evidence that any fraudulent activity had taken place and stated he would not be corresponding further on the issue.

The [redact] charges continued to increase (currently around £500) and it was suspected that the head of audit and assurance endorsing [redact] behaviour was not an employee of the council but offered his services out of a private company, and so the following request submitted.

FOI REQUEST – 1 JULY 2016

It was asked that the Council disclose whether Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect was an employee of North East Lincolnshire Council and if so to disclose the cost to the taxpayer of his employment. If not an employee of the Council and the service provided is contracted out then the cost to the taxpayer in respect of the contract.

RESPONSE – 6 JULY 2016

The Council determined the request vexatious and refused to provide the information under section 14 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act as it considered the request had no serious purpose other than to continue challenging the Council’s administration of Council Tax, and so not intending or attempting to obtain any recorded information held by the Council.

REQUEST FOR INTERNAL REVIEW – 6 JULY 2016

It was put to the council that there was a genuine purpose which should be obvious.

RESPONSE TO INTERNAL REVIEW – 7 JULY 2016

The response and the handling of the request was determined to have been in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and the request correctly refused on the basis of Section 14 (1) of the Freedom Information Act.

Yours sincerely

Dear PPD - FOI,

Please see response from North Lincolnshire Council.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

What happens now?

I would like to withdraw my complaint to the Information Commissioner. If NELC simply discloses the information this would allow me to do so.

Yours sincerely,

fFaudwAtch UK

Dear PPD - FOI,

Will you please respond to the email dated 29 July 2016.

Yours sincerely,

fFaudwAtch UK

PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear Mr Gilliatt

Please can you clarify what correspondence you are referring to or provide a copy. We will then look into this further as appropriate.

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

Feedback Officer

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Dear PPD - FOI,

Please find a link to the correspondence:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours sincerely,

fFaudwAtch UK

Dear PPD - FOI,

Is the website below associated with NELC / Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect?

http://www.nlbusinessconnect.co.uk/

Yours sincerely,

fFaudwAtch UK

PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear fFaudwAtch UK

 

I am pleased to acknowledge your request for information, which has been
allocated the reference number NEL/2777/1617.

Your request has been passed to the relevant department for processing and
you can expect your response within the 20 working day limit. If it will
take us longer than 20 working days to respond to you, we will inform you
of this and provide you with the expected date for receiving a response.

Further information about how we will deal with your Freedom of
Information requests is available on our website at:

[1]https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/council-infor....

Please feel free to contact me if you require any further information or
assistance quoting the reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

 

Feedback Officer

 

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PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear Mr Gilliatt (aka fFaudwatch)

I have reviewed the correspondence and it is evident that the final position of North East Lincolnshire Council has been clearly communicated to you and an internal review undertaken. In the interests of the effective use of Council resources we will not continue to respond to, or acknowledge, repeated and intransigent correspondence.

As previously advised, if you remain dissatisfied with the Council’s handling of your request, or the decision of the internal review you can request an independent review by contacting the Information Commissioner's Office at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

Feedback Officer

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Dear PPD - FOI,

I consider my email sent to NELC on 28 August 2016 is an appropriate response to your communication today. Please find the contents below:

"Considering the spurious statement made in your 26 August response regarding unreasonable persistence and intransigence, unfounded accusations and that my requests have no serious purpose, I will make you aware, if you aren't already, that I have not once had any straight answers; sometimes no answers and have more often than not been lied to.

Further more, NELC conducts its administration of Council Tax criminally which is the cause of the requests in the first place (the council's normal channels for addressing these issues are dysfunctional).

I don't see how you have the front to lecture me about how my persistence is placing an unreasonable burden on the resources of the Council considering the years of gross injustice I've suffered at the dishonest hands of NELC, especially when my taxes are contributing to the salaries of those responsible. "

Yours sincerely,

fFaudwAtch UK

PPD - FOI, North East Lincolnshire Council

Dear Mr Gilliatt,

 

Thank you for your information request, reference number 2777_1617.

 

I wish to confirm that North East Lincolnshire Council holds the following
information.

 

Is the website below associated with NELC / Peter Hanmer, Head of Audit
and Assurance, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect?

 

[1]http://www.nlbusinessconnect.co.uk/

 

Yes, Northern Lincolnshire Business Connect own
[2]http://www.nlbusinessconnect.co.uk 

 

If you believe that your request for information has not been handled in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, you have the right to
request an internal review by the Council. Please be clear about which
elements of the Council’s response or handling of the request you are
unhappy with, and would like the Council to address during the internal
review process.  If following this you are still dissatisfied you may
contact the Office of the Information Commissioner. If you wish to request
an internal review, please contact me and I will make the necessary
arrangements.

 

Yours sincerely on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council

 

Feedback Officer

 

 

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