Another Fine Mess you got me into - Alan

Just sent a letter to the Bolton News following on from the article that appeared there on 26th December.

Dear Sir

Further to your article 'Open up or face Court' (26th Dec), might I add the following.

The Deputy Information Commissioner, in his twenty five pages long Decision Notice of 17th December, has stated (not claimed) that Bolton Council has breached variously Sections 1, 10 and 17 of the Freedom of Information Act seven times in dealing with Mr Greenwood's request.

Seven individuals were sent on 'Courses' held by the Common Purpose organisation. The name of one person is already in the public domain. The Commissioner has decided that two further individuals are indeed protected by the Act leaving the four which the Council now has to name.

The 'Chatham House Rules', under which these courses are held, require that nothing said or discussed can be revealed by the attendees. Nor can they reveal the names of anybody else attending.

Common Purpose, in it's own words, promotes 'Leadership beyond Authority' which, when encouraged in an employee of a public body, strikes me as a sinister if not Orwellian phrase.

The cost of each three day course can be up to £6,600 per person. The seven individuals sent on these courses by Bolton Council cost Bolton Council Tax payers £28,367.71p.
If I sent my son to University, the tuition fees would be £3,000 for a whole year.

Because of the secrecy, there is no way of confirming that this spending of money is for the Public Benefit as is required.

Many Councils and Public Bodies utilise these courses. Leaving aside the question of 'Why ?', other Councils, when faced with similar FOI requests, are completely open and reveal names, dates, bank details etc straight away. Why then does Bolton Council try to hide the information?

Bizarrely, within the Council, the Monitoring Officer who reviews FOI decisions is the same man who refused the request in the first place.

Bolton Council is aquiring a bit of a track record when it comes to the accuracy of legal advice that it relies on. Perhaps the Leader, Councillor Morris, ought to issue a statement that he has complete confidence in those who provide it before it costs us any more money.

Paul Richardson