Retired Vice Chair signing minutes 5 years after the event.
Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,
The Commission for Local Administration held a meeting at Millbank Tower on Tuesday 8th May 2005 at 11pm.
Present at the meeting were Pat Thomas the Vice Chair and LGO, Mrs Ann Abraham PHSO and Jerry White LGO.
The Chair was excluded whilst the others discussed his planned study tour of Australia at the Commission's (taxpayer's) expense.
Pat Thomas Vice Chair of the Commission and LGO retired later that year.
Accordingly I would like any information you hold including emails and letters to and from Pat Thomas over the last 5 years that would explain how, why and where she signed the minutes of the said meeting on the 20th June 2010 nearly 5 years after she retired together with any information you hold that would explain why the said minutes were not signed earlier.
Yours faithfully,
Pauline Nunn
Anne Hide left an annotation ()
I think the 8th of May 2005 was a Sunday not a Tuesday!
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=ht...
Dear Mrs Nunn
Our ref: CS/10/087
This is to acknowledge receipt of your I request below received on 30 July. I will respond within the 20 working day target (which would be by 27 August 2010) or, if unable to do so, I will write to you again explaining why.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's office | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
Dear Foi Officer,
Thank you.
I have been informed that the 8th May 2005 was a Sunday not a Tuesday. Accordingly I would also like to know the exact time, day and date the said meeting was actually held.
Yours sincerely,
Pauline Nunn
Anne Hide left an annotation ()
The 20th July 2010, the day Pat Thomas supposedly signed the minutes, was a Tuesday!
Trevor R Nunn left an annotation ()
Following a little detective work I have identified that the monthly CLAE meeting took place at 11.30am on Tuesday the 10th May 2005 and Pat Thomas was NOT present.
Item 1 on the agenda of that meeting was: Apologies for absence had been received from Patricia Thomas.
I have also have a copy of the minutes for their prior meeting at 10am on Tuesday the 12 April in which Pat Thomas apologises for her forthcoming absence from the NEXT meeting planned for at 11.30am on Tuesday the 10th May 2005.
The next meeting planned was at 11.30am on Tuesday 7 June at the York office.
There is no record or mention of any other meeting or Mr Redmond's planned trip to Australia.
So why (assuming they did) hold a special confidential meeting at 11pm at night (on a day and date as yet unconfirmed) and what was so confidential about Redmond's planned trip to Australia? And why was this signed off by Pat Thomas last month nearly five years after the event?
Trevor R Nunn left an annotation ()
Curious and curiouser
Minutes from their June 2005 meeting state
Australian Study Tour
"Tony Redmond tabled a paper which summarised the main points raised in discussions with other Ombudsmen in his recent study tour. He explained that the discussions had been in confidence to encourage frank exchange, and so the paper would be a confidential record (section 41 FOIA applies). If there was sufficient interest he could provide an open note. The confidential paper was noted by the Commission."
So we have his trip to Australia (mostly paid for by taxpayer) kept secret until it was all over, then all the information he obtained due to the trip also kept confidential. Even going so far as pre-empting any future FOI request by stating that section 41 of the FOI would apply.
Anne Hide left an annotation ()
Only 2 days before they were due to hold their planned meeting they hold a clandestine meeting at 11pm at night to authorise the Chair's up to then confidential/secret trip to Australia.
A meeting in which the minutes were only signed off by the Vice Chair 5 years after the event and nearly 5 years after she retired in order for the LGO to respond to a recent FOI request. mmm
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/au...
A Johnson left an annotation ()
The meeting was too close to the 2005 select committee report regarding their investigation into the Role and Effectiveness of the Local Government Ombudsman. Many people were monitoring the LGO very closely at the time and would have pounced on a trip to Australia if he hadn't kept it confidential.
mark price left an annotation ()
Why have clandestine last minute meetings at all? The Document "Study Tour of Australia" says the following ten weeks before Tony Redmond and his wife left for Australia on 13 May 2005 - "12. Members of the Commission have been consulted on the proposed tour.
Nigel Karney
Deputy Chief Executive and Secretary
8 March 2005"
See responses to J Byrne for the full document.
And why complicate a "secret" study tour with accommodation provided by the CPA?
mark price left an annotation ()
Trevor, further to my annotation above, do you have copies of minutes prior to 8 March 2005?
By the way, the Australian trip seems to have flowed from a discussion with an Australian Ombudsman in Canada in 2004 (September from memory). Canada was another jaunt that featured Mrs Redmond and unexplained flights at public expense, by the way. See Robin Ford's request.
Trevor R Nunn left an annotation ()
Mark
I had a hard drive crash a while ago and I am still trying to recover a lot of historic data from backup discs. Up to now I can only go back as far as Feb 2005.
http://lgowatcher.blogspot.com/p/clae-mi...
In the meantime you could always search the LGO website Way Back archives for any info regarding the visit.
http://ombudsmanwatchers.org.uk/wayback/...
A Johnson left an annotation ()
All Local Government Ombudsmen were giving evidence to a select committee on the 15th March. If the trip hadn't been kept internal and confidential questions may have been asked then. There was also a chance the trip could have been brought to the committee's attention by a member of the public before they ended their investigation.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...
Dear Mrs Nunn
I attach a letter in response to your request below, along with the correspondence you request and a copy of the corrected minute of the meeting in 2005.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's office | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
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Pauline Nunn left an annotation ()
The minutes in question
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/40...