Request for information about the actions/events planned for Haringey 50th Anniversary and the costs.

The request was refused by Haringey Borough Council.

Dear Haringey Borough Council,

I gather from your website and other sources that the Council is planning a series of events and other actions to mark the 50 years since Haringey became a London Borough within the Greater London Council area.

Other than the events mentioned on your website - http://www.haringey.gov.uk/50 and the linked flyer - can you please:

(1) Supply me with a list of all the actions you propose to take with links to any reports which refer to these.

(2) In particular I would like to know the costs - incurred or planned - of each of these events and actions.

I have been told that among these events/actions Haringey may be planning to
* Change Haringey's logo.
* Change the Borough's street signs.
* Alter the Borough stationery design.

(3) Please can you tell me the separate costs which have been or a planned to be incurred in these or any such changes.

(4) Can you also send - or provide an electronic link to - copies of any reports listing such changes, and the discussion/rationale/professional advice provided to councillors for spending scarce Council resources at a time of severe cuts - made and planned - to vital public services.

(5) If the changes I have referred to above are taking place but NOT linked as such to the 50th Anniversary of the borough, then please treat this request as an enquiry about those changes in addition to actions/events in the 50th Anniversary programme.

Thanks for your help.

Alan Stanton

Pietikainen Sirkku, Haringey Borough Council

Dear Mr Stanton

 

Freedom of Information Request: Reference LBH/4404315

 

I acknowledge your request for information received on 25 June 2015.

 

This information request will be dealt with in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 and we will send the response by 23 July 2015.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us on 020 8489 1988 or
[email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sirkku Pietikäinen

Feedback Review Officer

 

Haringey Council

River Park House, 225 High Road, London N22 8HQ

 

T. 020 8489 2552

[1][email address]

 

[2]www.haringey.gov.uk

[3]twitter@haringeycouncil

[4]facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

 

 

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FOI, Haringey Borough Council

Dear Mr Stanton

Freedom of Information Act Request ref: LBH/4404315

 

I refer to your request for information, which was received on 25 June
2015.

 

I am writing to let you know that we are dealing with your request but
need more time to before fully responding to you.

 

Section 10(3) of the Freedom of Information Act permits public authorities
to extend the 20 working day limit up to a reasonable time in any case
where it requires more time for consideration of the public interest.

 

I apologise that there will be a delay in responding to your request. We
now expect to respond to you by 20 August 2015.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Sirkku Pietikäinen

Information Governance Officer

 

Haringey Council

River Park House, 225 High Road, London N22 8HQ

 

T. 020 8489 2552

[1][email address]

 

[2]www.haringey.gov.uk

[3]twitter@haringeycouncil

[4]facebook.com/haringeycouncil

From: Pietikainen Sirkku
Sent: 26 June 2015 10:01
To: '[FOI #276723 email]'
Subject: FW: Freedom of Information request - LBH/4404315 Stanton

 

Dear Mr Stanton

 

Freedom of Information Request: Reference LBH/4404315

 

I acknowledge your request for information received on 25 June 2015.

 

This information request will be dealt with in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 and we will send the response by 23 July 2015.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us on 020 8489 1988 or
[5][email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Sirkku Pietikäinen

Feedback Review Officer

 

Haringey Council

River Park House, 225 High Road, London N22 8HQ

 

T. 020 8489 2552

[6][email address]

 

[7]www.haringey.gov.uk

[8]twitter@haringeycouncil

[9]facebook.com/haringeycouncil

 

 

 

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Dear Haringey Borough Council and Ms Pietikainen Sirkku,

As we are all aware, Haringey Council was required to reply to my request promptly by not later than 24 July 2015. The day before this deadline you replied telling me that you now require an additional four weeks as: "it requires more time for consideration of the public interest."

I am at a loss to understand how giving me the information I have requested could possibly be against the public interest.
● The events I have referred to are by their nature, public events.
● The cash expenditure is expenditure by an elected local authority.
● On the same day you wrote to me -23 July 2015 - you replied to another requester Pat Knight, giving her or him partial information about the design and cost of the new Council Logo as part of what you described in your reply to Pat Knight as the Council's "possible change of identity".
● The reply to Pat Knight discloses that: "a budget of £40,000 has been allocated to explore a change of identity but only approximately half of this has been for development of the visual identity (logo)." So it is clear that budget information is available and money has at least been partially allocated and external contractors engaged and briefed.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...
N.B. Please note that Pat Knight is not currently known to me.
● It appears that publicly listed events have in some cases already happened or are scheduled and planned for the next few weeks. Which would suggest that budgets have been set and arrangements are firmly in place. I have no inside information on the planning or other arrangements but it would clearly be sensible practice for there to be one or more staff responsible for the overall planning, co-ordination, funding and publicity for these events. It appears likely therefore that such staff would be able to supply - without any additional work - at least part of the information I requested.
And inconceivable that disclosing such information would not be in the public interest.

Yours faithfully,

Alan Stanton

FOI, Haringey Borough Council

Dear Mr Stanton,

I note your comments and these will be passed on to the officer dealing with your enquiry,

Regards
Haringey Council
River Park House, 225 High Road, London N22 8HQ

T. 020 8489 2556
[email address]

www.haringey.gov.uk
twitter@haringeycouncil
facebook.com/haringeycouncil

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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Jones Simon, Haringey Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Stanton,

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request ref: LBH/4404315

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 26 June 2015, and
your subsequent email on July 25^th.  In your original FOI request you
asked for the following information:

 

 

‘I gather from your website and other sources that the Council is planning
a series of events and other actions to mark the 50 years since Haringey
became a London Borough within the Greater London Council area.

 

Other than the events mentioned on your website -
[1]http://www.haringey.gov.uk/50  and the linked flyer - can you please:

 

(1)     Supply me with a list of all the actions you propose to take with
links to any reports which refer to these.

 

Please see a link to all information in relation to events planned to mark
the 50 years of Haringey  [2]http://www.haringey.gov.uk/50

 

 

(2) In particular I would like to know the costs - incurred or planned -
of each of these events and actions.

I have been told that among these events/actions Haringey may be planning
to

* Change Haringey's logo.

* Change the Borough's street signs.

* Alter the Borough stationery design.

 

A budget of £50,000 has been allocated to the 50^th anniversary
celebrations.

 

(3) Please can you tell me the separate costs which have been or a planned
to be incurred in these or any such changes.

 

The council is using the 50^th year to consider the borough’s future brand
identity. A  current budget in 2015/16 of £40,000 has been allocated to
explore a change of identity but no decision has been taken.  If a
decision is taken implementation costs are expected to be £25,000 although
a decision paper, should a decision be taken, will set out costs in full.

 

 

(4) Can you also send - or provide an electronic link to - copies of any
reports listing such changes, and the discussion/rationale/professional
advice provided to councillors for spending scarce Council resources at a
time of severe cuts - made and planned - to vital public services.

 

Please find attached two papers that were submitted to the Council’s
Senior Management Team.   We do hold some information which we are
withholding and you should take this response as a formal refusal notice
in respect of that information. The exemption we are relying on is section
36(2)(b) of the FOI Act (its release would or would be likely to inhibit
the free and frank exchange of advice or the free and frank exchange of
views for the purposes of deliberation).

Our reasoning is that disclosure would prejudice the decision-making
process specifically in relation to the rebranding exercise.  

The use of this exemption depends on considerations about the "chilling
effect" and "safe space" in relation to the advice/exchange of views.  The
chilling effect argument is that officers within the council will be
discouraged from discussing issues frankly and putting forward a range of
options for discussion by the prospect of public disclosure of the advice
they give.  The "safe space" argument is that the Cabinet needs to be
allowed to consider options away from the glare of publicity, before it
reaches the point when it can formulate proposals for public discussion.
 These arguments are stronger when the decision-making process is still
ongoing rather than when it has been completed and in this case, the
decision is due for Cabinet discussion in September and so is still live.

The second argument is that it would prejudice our decision-making
processes more generally for this information to be released. This also
depends on the chilling effect point.  Our view here is that disclosure of
the requested information would have a more generalised inhibiting effect
on the Council's internal deliberations, not confined to the rebranding
exercise.  Future discussions within the council would therefore be less
candid and this would undermine deliberation of proposals and ideas and
also undermine sound decision making which needs to be based on a thorough
consideration of options and their benefits and disbenefits.   As above,
this information relates to live/current policy making not past policy
making and as a result we think the argument for withholding the
information is more compelling.

Section s36(2)(b) is a qualified exemption and so the public interest test
still needs to be satisfied.

 

Arguments in favour of disclose of this information are that openness and
transparency is in principle desirable. Also the rebranding exercise
involves a range of options and disclosure of these could facilitate a
public discussion about those options and lead to better decision making.

 

Arguments against disclose are that discussions do need to take place away
from the glare of publicity to avoid the inhibition and prejudice
described above. If councils are unable to have free and frank discussions
and officers are wary of providing options including options which may be
unthinkable, the ability of the council to consider a full range of
options and come to a good decision with a sound evidential base may be
compromised.

 

In our view, the public interest arguments in favour of disclosure are
outweighed by those against disclosure and therefore on balance, we have
decided to withhold some information’

 

 

If you have any further queries, or are unhappy with how we have dealt
with your request and wish to make a complaint, please contact the
Feedback and Information Team as below. (Please note you should do this
within two months of receiving this response.)   

 

Feedback and Information Team

River Park House

225 High Road

N22 8HQ

Telephone: 020 8489 1988

Email: [3][email address]

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Simon Jones

Assistant Director, Communications

Haringey Council

River Park House

225 High Road,

Wood Green

N22 8HQ

 

Tel: 020 8489 2901

 

 

 

 

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