FOI

[seashell]

admin: split from New Portobello High School - Private Bill Porty Park.

Any word yet from the council as to why the FOI enquiry was sent to DC at PCC, rather than as a private individual?

[Sceptic]

Because that it is where it was sent from?

[Porty]

Yes, more than likely. DC could clarify matters by providing a copy of her request to John Stewart .

[seashell]

I'm sure the council will have a copy (or indeed the original) of DC's request that can sort all this out. But to be fair, DC assured Seanie she wrote as a private individual.

[Porty]

Yes she did and she may have done us all a favour. If the council are employing people to ignore the source of an FOI request and go search for a different source, where it possibly may have come from, then we should know about it. Seems like a waste of time and money.

[seashell]

The worrying thing is that FOI requests cost the Council a lot of time and money.

Looking at the Council's response to DC (available on Andy Wightman's website) it's basically been a complete waste of time and money:

She's told that some of the information she wants is freely available on the internet.
She's told that contrary to her belief, Andy Wightman was not paid by the Council, who merely used information from a report he had compiled for another source.
She's told that some of the information she requested does not fall under the scope of the FOI.

It's a detailed three-page letter, along with a 12 page attachment, covering emails about Common Good status.

A lot of time was spent responding to that FOI request. And that costs money - money that is derived from the good people of Edinburgh - to learn:
a) please do some basic research before wasting our time asking for information that you can find online.
b) CEC did not pay Andy Wightman for a report he wrote for someone else
c) Please do some basic research and don't ask for things you have no right to request.
That, of course, is reading between the lines and the response is very polite - but that is the gist of it.

Of course, CEC had to respond to the FOI request. It's a lesson not to just put pen to paper without doing some groundwork first.

[Pal of Porty]

Must be difficult for the Council though as she writes so many and often with a different hat on.

[Sceptic]

As far as I can work out a basic FOI request costs about £8,000. That takes in salaries of those who work in the department, any separate legal advice and costs of printing reply and postage. How many of these does DC make every year? Remember, it's YOUR cash she is spending.

[Bob Jefferson]

For some people, it just becomes a hobby. Wasn't there someone else who used to post here who asked for suggestions for his 50th (or was it 100th?) FOI? I suggested an FOI into how much time and money had been wasted on his stupid FOI requests, which he didn't seem to like very much.

[Makaveli]

There really should be a threshold where once you have asked for, say, five FOI's you then have to pay admin fees on any others as like you say Bob it does seem to become a hobby for some.

I read the one that was asked for recently and the tone that was used in the letter is very much like demanding one's servant get's one's request or else!!!!

[seashell]

It would interesting to know how may FOI requests have been generated from the same small group of people and what the actual monetary cost incurred has been . ANd it would be even more interesting to learn what they think they have achieved. It's only because of people like Andy Wightman that we can begin to see what is going on behind the scenes and what it is costing us as a community - money that *could* be spent on better things and which *should* not have to be spent propping up egos.
The principle of FOI is a good one, however as with any system it is open to abuse. Most organisations have their "frequent flyers" - the "well-kent" folk who continually request FOI information and who tie up a lot of time and resources by their requests. It is possible to charge for the information, under certain circumstances (mainly the amount of time it would take to obtain the information - e.g. to compile statistics).

[Makaveli]

Even if you just took away the last (it may not be the last there may have been others requested since then) FOI at £8000 and gave even a 1/4 of the money to the Lightbox project then there would have been no need for the recent fund raising campaign (although I think the fundraising campaign also helped raise awareness of the project too)!!!

Spend the other £6000 on another worthwhile project in the community.

I know what I would rather have OUR money spent on.

[wangi]

Hello, my name's wangi and I'm an FOIer. It's been 18 working days since my last request, and I've made six in total.

[Porty]

if it is £8k per request and DC's was made on behalf of Portobello Community Council. We have PCC wasting our money, it is simply not on. There is a PCC complaints procedure and if things are the way they appear to be, this needs to be nipped in the bud..

Having said that, if DC made the request "from Portobello Community Council" with the blessing of John Stewart and/or Brenda Moloney it's going to be difficult to get anywhere with a complaint.

If , as DC has declared, the request was made on a purely personal basis, it is still a waste of money and very curious as to why PCC are mentioned.

[Puerto bella]

MTraill was the proud FOI junkie who bragged about the number he did at the same time as telling everyone he worked for the council and flouted the public money he wangled for working unsocial hours.

[seashell]

If you have ever had your working day totally disrupted by having to do an FOI enquiry, and have already dealt with so many by the same person that you actually know their address off the top of your head (and have maybe even had the joy of speaking to them on the telephone) then you'll know just how frustrating they can be!

[seashell]

According to BIOB Stephen is "clearly obsessed with Diana Cairns and you come across more as a scorned lover rather than an objective observer. Your attempts to discredit a woman who has more integrity in her little finger than some of you lot have put together, says far more about you than her."

that would be the same DC who put in that time-wasting FOI enquiry? Excuse me while I lie down and laugh uproariously at the mere idea.

[Epykat]

that would be the same DC who put in that time-wasting FOI enquiry? Excuse me while I lie down and laugh uproariously at the mere idea.

Well, at least if she was in the house writing letters requesting FOI she wasn't on the High Street being subjected to intimidating and threatening behaviour - every cloud has a silver lining eh?

[Makaveli]

What was the threat?

Do you know exactly what was said?

[Porty]

Avril is fully aware of what was said; "Do One"- that's it. If she cares to check the urban dicionary it means "go away". I have the distinct advantage of having been there and of course I knew exactly what I meant. There was no threats and no intimidation, DC and Hawkins hung about for a good 7 or 8 minutes after I spoke, they weren't fussed. Other than to cry "Wolf" to whomever would listen. Compared to what i've seen and heard publicly doled out to Hawkins in particular, it was like the gossamer kiss of a fragrant Angel.

Avril thinks she knows more or better than someone who was present. She says would have called the police. Which is 100% at odds with everyone who was there. Fairly consistent tho.

Don't forget that PPAG reported a letter-writer to the police. The police turned up at his door and it was a very reasonable letter. If there had been any justification for police involvement then I'm sure the community spirited duo would have been all over it. Like most of the things school related, Avrils beliefs are allied with made up stuff that is simply untrue. You won't get a coherent answer Makavelli.

[seashell]

It all sounds like spoiler tactics by DC and SH - nothing more. And you called their bluff, Porty. Which from all accounts they weren't bothered by in the slightest. There were a lot of people out on the High Street on Saturday, giving up their own time to try to distribute factual information and give people the opportunity to respond to the consultation. Whatever "side" anybody is on, surely nobody can object to that? So quite why DC and SH thought their tactics were justified, or even a valid use of their own time is not quite clear.
The huge fuss about your intervention reminds me of a pack of dogs tearing away at a bone.
Anyway - any word yet about the mix-up with DC's FOI request?

[Porty]

deleted in error- cba posting it again

[seashell]

Over a month now - was the mystery ever solved?

[seanie]

Forgot all about it. Will chase up legal services for an explanation.

[seashell]

Thanks, seanie