Services provided by Tees Valley Combined Authority

Johan Briggs made this Freedom of Information request to Tees Valley Combined Authority Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

The request was successful.

Dear Tees Valley Combined Authority,

1. What services does Tees Valley Combined Authority provide without charge to Teesside International Airport Limited?

2. What is the total number of hours legal and finance staff have devoted to Teesside International Airport Limited in each of the last 3 years.

3. What is the total payment made by Teesside International Airport Limited for the services provided by Tees Valley Combined Authority?

(a) in respect of the services identified at question 2.
(b) in respect of all other services.

4. Which other organisations does Tees Valley Combined Authority provide the services listed at 2 to?

Yours faithfully,

Johan Briggs

TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Dear Mr Briggs

Freedom of Information Act 2000 Ref: 22/2022

Thank you for your correspondence received on the 1 April 2022

Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If this request is for information that the Combined Authority holds, you will receive the information requested by 3 May 2022 which is within the statutory timescale of 20 working days.

However, please note the Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of the requested information. There will therefore be an assessment of your request to determine if any exemptions apply to the information requested. If the information cannot be released, or only released in part, you will be informed of the reasons why, together with any rights of appeal.

If the information requested refers to a third party, they may be consulted before deciding whether it can be released.

Yours sincerely

Elaine Braham | Governance & Business Support Officer
Tees Valley Combined Authority

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TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

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Dear Mr Briggs,
 
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Ref:  22/2022
 
Thank you for your correspondence received on 1^st April. In response to
your request I can now provide the following information.   
 
You asked:-
 
1. What services does Tees Valley Combined Authority provide without
charge to Teesside International Airport Limited?
 
Our response:-
 
None:  There is an arrangement in place for Group Support Services to be
provided to the Airport on a full cost recovery basis
 
You asked:-
 
2. What is the total number of hours legal and finance staff have devoted
to Teesside International Airport Limited in each of the last 3 years.
 
Our response:-
 
There have been 289 hours of group legal staff engaged on airport business
in each of the last 3 years.  Any external fees and charges are recovered
at cost.
 
Teesside International Airport have their own finance team.  Ad hoc
support is provided by TVCA Group finance if required. This totalled 192
hours pa.
 
You asked:-
 
3. What is the total payment made by Teesside International Airport
Limited for the services provided by Tees Valley Combined Authority?
 
(a) in respect of the services identified at question 2.
(b) in respect of all other services.
 
Our response:-
 

 a. Legal recharge - £10,543pa.  Ad hoc finance support recharge £5,527pa.
 b. Total charges for all services- £140,000pa

 
You asked:-
 
4. Which other organisations does Tees Valley Combined Authority provide
the services listed at 2 to?
 
Our response:-
 
South Tees Development Corporation
South Tees Site Company Limited
South Tees Developments Limited
South Tees Site Company (STSC) Employee Trust Limited
Goosepool 2019 Limited
 
 If you have any queries or concerns please contact me in the first
instance.  
 
However, if you are unhappy with the way your request for information has
been handled, you may request an internal review by writing to:  
 
Group Chief Executive, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Teesside Airport
Business Suite, Teesside International Airport, Darlington. DL2 1NJ. 
If, after your complaint has been determined, you remain dissatisfied with
the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to
the Information Commissioner at: 
 
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.  Telephone: 0303 123 1113:  Website:
[1]www.ico.gov.uk.   
The ICO does not make a charge for an appeal.  
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
 
Sally Henry | Governance Officer
Tees Valley Combined Authority
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Thank you.

So TVCA solicitor charge out rate is around £36 per hour? That seems very low compared to the normal rate. Can you explain how the figure was arrived at and why it is below the open market level?

TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Dear Mr Briggs

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Ref: 22/2022

Thank you for your correspondence received on 30-05-2022. In response to your request I can now provide the following information.

You asked:-
So TVCA solicitor charge out rate is around £36 per hour? That seems very low compared to the normal rate. Can you explain how the figure was arrived at and why it is below the open market level?

Our response:-
Charges are based on a full cost recovery basis for staff employed by the group. It is not intended to reflect the rates of a commercial law firm.

Regards

Elaine

Elaine Braham | Governance and Business Support Officer
Tees Valley Combined Authority

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The Group Services Agreement dated 17 May 2022 between Tees Valley Combined Authority, Goosepool 2019 Limited and Teesside International Airport Limited has now been placed in the public domain.

Given its contents and the bearing this has on the response provided to my request dated 1 April 2022 under the FOI Act, I am writing as a courtesy to allow the Monitoring Officer to carry out an internal review and to provide an updated response within 20 working days.

TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Dear Johan Briggs,
An Internal Review of a Freedom of Information request needs to be received within 40 working days of receipt of the original FoI response.
I would therefore politely ask that you clarify precisely what information you are seeking and resubmit this as a new Freedom of Information request.
The 20 working day period to respond will not start until such clarification is received.
If clarification is not received within 2 months, the request for information will be closed.

Yours sincerely,

Governance Team
[email address]

Tees Valley Combined Authority
Teesside Airport Business Suite | Teesside International Airport
Darlington DL2 1NJ. http://www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/

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Okay then, under the FOI Act provide each arrangement for group services in place prior to the 17 May 2022 (link below).

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/9...

Then we can see if TVCA hastily put in place agreements after an FOI was submitted and then failed to mention this in the response, in contravention of ICO guidance.

TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Dear Johan Briggs

Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Ref: 88/2023

Thank you for your correspondence received on 25/04/2023.

Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If this request is for information that the Combined Authority holds, you will receive the information requested by 24/05/2023 which is within the statutory timescale of 20 working days.

However, please note the Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of the requested information. There will therefore be an assessment of your request to determine if any exemptions apply to the information requested. If the information cannot be released, or only released in part, you will be informed of the reasons why, together with any rights of appeal.

If the information requested refers to a third party, they may be consulted before deciding whether it can be released.

Yours sincerely,

Governance Team
TVCAGovernance@teesvalley-ca

Tees Valley Combined Authority
Teesside Airport Business Suite | Teesside International Airport
Darlington DL2 1NJ. http://www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/

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TVCA Governance, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Dear Johan Briggs,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Ref: 88-2023

Thank you for your correspondence received on 25/04/2023. In response to your request, we can now provide the following information.

You asked:
The Group Services Agreement dated 17 May 2022 between Tees Valley Combined Authority, Goosepool 2019 Limited and Teesside International Airport Limited has now been placed in the public domain.

Given its contents and the bearing this has on the response provided to my request dated 1 April 2022 under the FOI Act, I am writing as a courtesy to allow the Monitoring Officer to carry out an internal review and to provide an updated response within 20 working days.

Under the FOI Act provide each arrangement for group services in place prior to the 17 May 2022. Then we can see if TVCA hastily put in place agreements after an FOI was submitted and then failed to mention this in the response, in contravention of ICO guidance.

Our response:
There is no Group Services Agreement prior to the one dated 17th May 2022 which was placed in the public domain in response to FOI 30-2023, which you have had sight of. On 01/04/2022 when you made FOI request 22/2022 concerning TVCA's services to Teesside International Airport Limited, the Group Services Agreement was already in draft form.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact [email address] in the first instance.

However, if you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you may request an internal review within 40 working days by writing to:

Group Chief Executive, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Teesside Airport Business Suite, Teesside International Airport, Darlington. DL2 1NJ.

If, after your complaint has been determined, you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: 0303 123 1113: Website: https://ico.org.uk/
The ICO does not make a charge for an appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Governance Team
Tees Valley Combined Authority

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Johan Briggs left an annotation ()

I suggest you read section 1(4) of the FOIA and update your response, taking the ICO guidance into account.

The FOIA required TVCA to provide the information in place at the date the request was made (1 April 2022) but TVCA instead introduced subsequent information (an agreement which I now know was entered into on 17 May 2022) without revealing this to me.