Sunday 7 November 2010

H&F Council Gets Wrist Slapped Over Shoddy Responses To Freedom Of Information Request

H&F Council has been found to take too long in responding to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests from members of the public. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is now monitoring H&F Council after it was found to have responded to less than 85% of request in a timely manner. This probation will last for three months.

Having seen H&F Council's approach at close quarters I believe that it has a deliberate policy of making it awkward for members of the public to get information they are entitled to. The reasons for this vary from fear of looking incompetent, self-serving or wasteful to a culture of indignation amongst senior bureaucrats at the public having a right to ask them about their dealings. Whatever the reasons, I hope H&F Council gets the messages and changes its ways.

If you'd like to find any information from H&F Council then you can email them by clicking here. Alternatively, you can write to them at: H&F In Touch, Room 229, Hammersmith Town Hall, London W6 9JU. The Council is obliged to provide advice on how to make an FoI request and it has done so here.

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