Comes, not unsurprisingly, from Heather Tomlinson’s intellectually vacuous education department.
Local Campaigners trying to save the extremely good and popular Sefton Park School from congenital school wrecker, Peter Hammond’s factory-style expansion plans have recently resorted to using the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) through My Society’s excellent What do they know? website to try and find out what on earth is being perpetrated by the Bristol Labour Party against their local school.
And they’ve even had a reply to one request – ‘Cost of recent Sefton Park School Expansion consultation‘, which includes this daft statement:
I have been advised that I may send information but not documents under a Freedom of Information request
Really? You can’t release documents under the Freedom of Information Act? Where the hell did Heather’s department get that one from? Who’s advising them on FoI? Coco the Clown?
The briefest of glances at FoI legislation reveals exemptions certainly exist under the act but, unsurprisingly, nowhere does it list “not allowed to send documents” as one of them.
Incredible isn’t it? A government department responsible for disbursing hundreds of millions of pounds that spends more millions on management then more millions on endless contracts for ‘expert’ CONsultants and they can’t even understand a simple piece of legislation and provide a competent service around it.
Or is it that Heather and her staff presume we’re all as stupid as she is?
Looks like most of the FOI requests re: Sefton Park Expansion have been met with a standard “Can you clarify” response from Bob Rutherford. This isn’t surprising considering a decision on “feasibility” is expected around December 12th.
You don’t suppose they’ve made up their mind already do you?
Strangely Bob Rutherford is the CYPS project manager for the school expansion.
And he does overtime as a rather dim FOI clerk.
I wonder if he and the rest of the CYPS like cricket as much as Helen Holland – she’s very photogenic when shes’s supporting the aspirations of GCCC on the JBP website http://tinyurl.com/5tqlvb
They appear to be the only opposition to the new school which should have been built on the Brunel site instead of cramming even more kids into poor old Sefton Park.
Love JBP’s Strategic Approach statement:
“Build strong, strategic relationships with key politicians at Bristol City Council to achieve their support and maximise GCCC’s involvement and influence in the planning process”.
Hmm! Influence the planning process eh!!
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Now they are just refusing to supply requested information under advice from above – cheers Bob Rutherford – we really get a nice warm glow knowing that there’s nothing to hide in your department.
see response to FOI request http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/failure_of_council_to_post_plans
“I have been advised that I am not required to supply copies of
correspondence referred to in your request.”