Dear Croydon Borough Council,

At the Cabinet meeting on 30 November 2022, Cllr Jeet Bains made reference to a 'recent Planning Advisory Service report'.

I understand that Cllr Bains will most likely be referring to a 'Planning Peer Challenge' undertaken by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS).
https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/our-work/pe...

+++ Please provide a full copy of any Planning Peer Challenge report (and/or any other report prepared by PAS) regarding the Croydon's planning service since 2017.

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Whiteside

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

Although the response from your 'Strategic Information Manager' failed to mention that this was an option open to me, 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 'Planning Peer Challenge report'.

Although in his 'refusal notice', Mr Rodgers acknowledged that exemption under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is subject to a public interest test, he then failed to explain the public interest factors he took into consideration when refusing to provide the information requested. All that he relayed to me was that "... we can see no reason to place something in the public domain ahead of its intended publication."

The Council has therefore FAILED to properly assess whether or not it is in the wider public interest for the information to be disclosed ... without delay! I set out below a few arguments in favour of disclosure.

+ General public interest in transparency.
There is a general public interest in promoting transparency, accountability, public understanding and involvement in the democratic process and there is clear evidence of ongoing public concern over the Council's general lack of openness and transparency. Withholding the 'Penn report' is a prime example, though not the only one.

+ Public interest in the issue.
There is a long-standing lack of public confidence in the performance/conduct of Planning, which has caused so much unforgivable damage to the people and places of Croydon under the direction of Heather Cheesbrough.

+ Public interest in the information
According to the PAS website, a 'typical' planning peer review will cost between £14,000 & £16,000, and there is a legitimate public interest in seeing what 'we' got for 'our' money.
The public should be informed as to the scope of this review, who was involved and what questions were asked.
The public should be assured that what was said by Cllr Jeet Bains during the meeting of Cabinet on 30 November 2022 ('department ... all but broken', 'highly professional', 'chronic staff shortage', 'toxic legacy'), was an accurate reflection of the review's findings and recommendations. We want (and are owed) the 'full picture'!

+ Suspicion of wrongdoing
There is evidence of public concern of possible wrongdoing within the planning service, and further delay in disclosure can only add to those concerns. There is a public interest argument for disclosure to show that the concerns are unjustified and to help restore public confidence.
All that Mr Rodgers has told us is that "The appropriate papers will be published on the Council website in due course". In all the circumstances of the case, I have no confidence that the FULL report WILL be published at February's Cabinet meeting, or indeed that the FULL report will ever see the light of day.
Unless there is something to hide, I can see no GOOD reason why that FULL report was not published as soon as it was received.

With regard to arguments in favour of withholding the report I can see NONE, apart from assisting in a potential 'cover up'.

+++ Please provide a copy of the Planning Peer Challenge report as requested, without further undue delay.

'Thanks' ... in advance.

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,

Stephen Whiteside