Suspension of Wandsworth Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

The request was partially successful.

Dear Wandsworth Borough Council,

The recent decision to suspend the Wandsworth Low Traffic Neighbourhoods was made by Paul Chadwick, Director of Environment and Community Services and Councillor John Locker, Cabinet member for Strategic Planning and Transportation.

Please share the full correspondence between Chadwick and Locker in relation to the suspension of the low traffic neighbourhoods, along with any meeting minutes or notes of telephone conversations between the two, in relation to the suspension of the LTNs.

Yours faithfully,

Ian Fenn

Official

Wandsworth Request for Information - 2020/3610 - Suspension of LTNs

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[2][email address]

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3 Attachments

Dear Mr Fenn,

 

Wandsworth Request for Information - 2020/3610 - Suspension of LTNs

 

I refer to your request for information received on 17/11/2020.  Please
see the information below and attached in response to your request: -

 

Please share the full correspondence between Chadwick and Locker in
relation to the suspension of the low traffic neighbourhoods, along with
any meeting minutes or notes of telephone conversations between the two,
in relation to the suspension of the LTNs?

 

The decision to suspend the LTNs was taken by myself in liaison with Cllr
Locker and others and in more precise terms via what is called the SO
(Standing Order) 83A process, which is in essence a process that allows
officers like myself to take significant, urgent decisions of this type a
step away from the full Committee processes in liaison with senior
officers and Members.  Usually for reasons relating to urgency as was the
case for the LTNs.  Most Councils have processes of this type though
varying in format.

 

The first attachment to this note is the SO83A form itself for this
decision for ease of reference.

 

The decision to suspend was in response to the very significant issues
described at some length within this SO83A form and it was necessarily
taken at pace.  The in writing exchanges between myself and Cllr Locker in
the build up to the decision point of 11/9/20 were somewhat limited as a
reflection of that pace and urgency and predominantly we handled our
discussion of the issues via a series of conversations.  We have no
written record of those discussions, that is just not how we handle
conversations of this type, but my memory is that there were around 4 or 5
conversations from around 2/9/20 to the decision point and they covered,
as you would expect, all of the matters that were eventually covered off
within the SO83A form.  I cannot think of any matter discussed that did
not eventually see its way into being within the report in one shape or
another.

 

The one written exchange that I refer to above is the trail of e-mails
that is the second attachment and is Cllr Locker (on 8/9/20) describing
the process to be followed (and its urgency) from his perspective and me
in return (on 9/9/20) describing via a word document (the third
attachment) my thoughts on how the SO83A report should be shaped up in
terms of the issues that it would cover off. You will see that those
thoughts aren`t far removed from the way the SO83A report was in its final
version on 11/9/20.  The sense of increased urgency that is described in
this written exchange is a reflection of the Metropolitan Police`s direct
contact with Councillors and myself through that week, contact initiated
by them and that included alarming examples of the impact that they were
seeing on police operations.  Some of what they said to us is referred to
in the SO83A form, though I quite deliberately redacted large elements of
it for what were (and remain as) operational reasons and concerns for
them.  I did however leave a summary of the position in the SO83A via an
extract of a note from my main contact at the Metropolitan Police,
Superintendent Roger Arditti that said “most concerning is that any urgent
assistance or other threat to life could not be responded to effectively
by any 999 vehicle.”

 

Your FOI request is one of many made by many people in respect of the LTN
suspension decision, including more made by yourself.  There is sense from
me that there are a number of individuals who feel that the decision was
taken in an inappropriate or underhand or untransparent way, whereas
nothing could be further from the truth with my actions being for exactly
the reasons described in the SO83A report that I have attached.  A report
type that is not in fact ordinarily published in full.  Indeed I have
included exchanges here in this note that could be argued as being exempt
(from publication) information via the various parts of the Freedom of
Information Legislation that support that approach, but I have not
attempted to do so in the interests of the transparency that we seem to be
being accused of lacking.

 

That may not be your own personal motive in making these requests but
please anyway be assured that my decision was neither taken lightly or
without good reason and purpose.  I want to especially flag what I say in
the report about reputational damage and think it especially pertinent for
those who support the broad principle of LTNs and wish to see them put in
place.  I quote:-

 

“There is also a wider risk to the reputation of the LTNs in the
Director`s view if the Council does not suspend and regather its thinking
on the approach at this point.  The perception would likely otherwise be
that we are ill-prepared to adapt and adjust thinking to suit the true
circumstances on the ground such that it might tarnish the approach
forever more.  Whereas the reality is that if delivered well and at the
right time LTNs can likely still be an important component in our approach
to modal shift, climate change, improvements in air quality and therefore
the delivery of the WESS”.

 

I hope you will understand that point but in any event, if you do wish to
question our approach further then I am very happy and willing to have a
Teams Meeting with you to take you through these issues some more.  That,
for me, would be far preferable to the use of the time consuming FOI
process that risks distracting my officers away from delivering good
schemes on the ground for our Borough`s residents and businesses.  If you
want that meeting to happen then please contact me via e-mail at:
[1][email address] and I will gladly arrange
it.

 

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If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision
at: [3]https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

 

 

Regards,

 

Paul Chadwick

Director of Environment and Community Services

Serving Richmond and Wandsworth Councils

Service information available via the Councils’ websites:

[4]www.richmond.gov.uk / [5]www.wandsworth.gov.uk

 

 

From: Ian Fenn <[FOI #706472 email]>
Sent: 17 November 2020 10:43
To: FOI WBC <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Suspension of Wandsworth Low
Traffic Neighbourhoods

 

Dear Wandsworth Borough Council,

The recent decision to suspend the Wandsworth Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
was made by Paul Chadwick, Director of Environment and Community Services
and Councillor John Locker, Cabinet member for Strategic Planning and
Transportation.

Please share the full correspondence between Chadwick and Locker in
relation to the suspension of the low traffic neighbourhoods, along with
any meeting minutes or notes of telephone conversations between the two,
in relation to the suspension of the LTNs.

Yours faithfully,

Ian Fenn

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sender of the error immediately. Emails sent and received by Richmond and
Wandsworth Councils are monitored and may be subsequently disclosed to
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References

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3. https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
4. http://www.richmond.gov.uk/
5. http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/
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