Spotlight on South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire Council's response to my latest FOI request has met with the usual answer - obfuscation and delay.
So, here's a copy of my request for a review of the council's initial response - which is part of the FOI process in Scotland.
No other council in Scotland behaves this way - the council's is trying to argue that how public money is spent is covered by data protection - which in my view is plainly ridiculous.
But read my review request letter and decide for yourself - if you would like a copy of South Lanarkshire's full response - I can send this by e-mail on request.
"Dear South Lanarkshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council – FOISA Review Request
I refer to the letter from South Lanarkshire Council dated 3 August 2010 regarding my FOISA request.
I am asking for a review of the council’s decision for specific reasons, which I will turn to shortly, but let me say, first of all, that I regard South Lanarkshire’s behaviour as a complete abuse of the FOISA process. The council makes the following statement about freedom of information on its web site:
"Freedom of Information legislation is designed to ensure openness and accountability. This means that wherever possible, we will make the information you request available to you."
Yet, the council behaves quite differently when it comes to dealing with my original request (about the council’s job evaluation scheme) which was first raised on 10 September 2009. However, by raising bogus objections about my request being ‘vexatious’, the council has managed to drag the process out until August 2010.
In my experience, no other council in Scotland behaves in this obstructive and unhelpful way – which is in stark contrast to the council’s public claims to support openness and accountability.
Turning to the specific reasons for my review request, these are detailed below for your information and attention:
1. What were South Lanarkshire Council’s reasons for not adopting the nationally recommended COSLA (Gauge) Job Evaluation Scheme (JES)?
The council has refused this request on the grounds of excessive cost.
I find the South Lanarkshire’s response incredible - the council behaves as if it has no collective memory and that senior officials have no recall of major strategic events. To suggest that a junior admin person should try discover this information by spending up to 70 hours trawling blindly through countless committee reports is simply absurd. The council is not being asked to find the equivalent of a ‘needle in a haystack’.
2. What was South Lanarkshire Council’s share of the £250,000 costs of producing the nationally recommended COSLA JES?
The council has refused this request on the grounds of that it does not exist.
I am asking the council to explain what steps it has taken to find this information and to share the details in responding to my review request. I find it incredible that South Lanarkshire Council has no record of its financial support for a nationally approved JE scheme, developed in conjunction with all 32 Scottish councils, COSLA and the trade unions.
3. Who were the creators or authors of South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 Job Evaluation Scheme (JES)?
The council has refused this request on the grounds that it potentially breaches data protection principles.
I am not asking about people’s personal details, as the council knows full well. I am asking for information about the professional role of senior council officials. I am asking the council to explain who carried out this important specialist task and what credentials or qualifications they possessed to allow them to advise the council on matters of such strategic importance. As public officials engaged in public duties which were paid for out of public funds – I believe this is a matter of legitimate public interest. My request is essentially no different to asking about the salary paid to the council’s chief executive, Archie Strang, which the press reported earlier this year as £146,502 per annum. Why does South Lanarkshire Council want to keep public information secret when its web site claims to support openness and accountability?
4. What payment did the creators/authors of South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 JES receive for their time and expertise?
The council has released this information stating that no additional payments were made – the costs being met within normal salaries and workload.
The council’s response is noted, but on its own, of course, this information is meaningless since the identities of the senior council officials involved are being withheld.
5. What credentials did the creators/authors possess for developing South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 JES?
The council has refused this request on the grounds that it potentially breaches the data protection principles.
Please consider my response and comments under Paragraph 3 above
I look forward to hearing from you in due course and would be grateful if you could ensure that your response is sent to me by e-mail: markirvine@compuserve.com
Kind regards
Mark Irvine"
So, here's a copy of my request for a review of the council's initial response - which is part of the FOI process in Scotland.
No other council in Scotland behaves this way - the council's is trying to argue that how public money is spent is covered by data protection - which in my view is plainly ridiculous.
But read my review request letter and decide for yourself - if you would like a copy of South Lanarkshire's full response - I can send this by e-mail on request.
"Dear South Lanarkshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council – FOISA Review Request
I refer to the letter from South Lanarkshire Council dated 3 August 2010 regarding my FOISA request.
I am asking for a review of the council’s decision for specific reasons, which I will turn to shortly, but let me say, first of all, that I regard South Lanarkshire’s behaviour as a complete abuse of the FOISA process. The council makes the following statement about freedom of information on its web site:
"Freedom of Information legislation is designed to ensure openness and accountability. This means that wherever possible, we will make the information you request available to you."
Yet, the council behaves quite differently when it comes to dealing with my original request (about the council’s job evaluation scheme) which was first raised on 10 September 2009. However, by raising bogus objections about my request being ‘vexatious’, the council has managed to drag the process out until August 2010.
In my experience, no other council in Scotland behaves in this obstructive and unhelpful way – which is in stark contrast to the council’s public claims to support openness and accountability.
Turning to the specific reasons for my review request, these are detailed below for your information and attention:
1. What were South Lanarkshire Council’s reasons for not adopting the nationally recommended COSLA (Gauge) Job Evaluation Scheme (JES)?
The council has refused this request on the grounds of excessive cost.
I find the South Lanarkshire’s response incredible - the council behaves as if it has no collective memory and that senior officials have no recall of major strategic events. To suggest that a junior admin person should try discover this information by spending up to 70 hours trawling blindly through countless committee reports is simply absurd. The council is not being asked to find the equivalent of a ‘needle in a haystack’.
2. What was South Lanarkshire Council’s share of the £250,000 costs of producing the nationally recommended COSLA JES?
The council has refused this request on the grounds of that it does not exist.
I am asking the council to explain what steps it has taken to find this information and to share the details in responding to my review request. I find it incredible that South Lanarkshire Council has no record of its financial support for a nationally approved JE scheme, developed in conjunction with all 32 Scottish councils, COSLA and the trade unions.
3. Who were the creators or authors of South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 Job Evaluation Scheme (JES)?
The council has refused this request on the grounds that it potentially breaches data protection principles.
I am not asking about people’s personal details, as the council knows full well. I am asking for information about the professional role of senior council officials. I am asking the council to explain who carried out this important specialist task and what credentials or qualifications they possessed to allow them to advise the council on matters of such strategic importance. As public officials engaged in public duties which were paid for out of public funds – I believe this is a matter of legitimate public interest. My request is essentially no different to asking about the salary paid to the council’s chief executive, Archie Strang, which the press reported earlier this year as £146,502 per annum. Why does South Lanarkshire Council want to keep public information secret when its web site claims to support openness and accountability?
4. What payment did the creators/authors of South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 JES receive for their time and expertise?
The council has released this information stating that no additional payments were made – the costs being met within normal salaries and workload.
The council’s response is noted, but on its own, of course, this information is meaningless since the identities of the senior council officials involved are being withheld.
5. What credentials did the creators/authors possess for developing South Lanarkshire Council’s 555 JES?
The council has refused this request on the grounds that it potentially breaches the data protection principles.
Please consider my response and comments under Paragraph 3 above
I look forward to hearing from you in due course and would be grateful if you could ensure that your response is sent to me by e-mail: markirvine@compuserve.com
Kind regards
Mark Irvine"
