York Council slow to answer information requests

FOI
The York Council is struggling to reach statutory response time targets for responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

The number of such requests increased following the change in policy implemented by the new Council – elected in May 2011 – which saw more decisions taken behind closed doors and background information withheld from residents.

The local media have also struggled to get answers to legitimate questions

The Information Commissioner had to be called in force the Council to reveal information about bus services

A guide to FOI can be found here.https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

The Council admits,

“Between April 2012 and March 2013, 239 FoI responses have taken more than (the deadline of)20 days

Of the 239, on some occasions, extensions to the deadline have been negotiated with those requesting information. In other cases, the complexity of a request has contributed to a delay.

The Council also accepts that some were delayed because of the volume of requests received at particular times.

A review is currently underway to consider how the FOI process could be improved”.

We have some sympathy with the York Council which, in 2009, became one of the first in the country to routinely publish its responses to FOI requests on its web site.

It is also true that some commercial interests clog the system with repeat requests for information about contracts and lists of ratepayers that they believe they can exploit on a commission basis.

But taxpayers do have a legal right to information and the processes need to be speeded up.

The number of FOI requests is likely to increase further as the Council is now reducing the frequency that it publishes quality of public service statistics

Now it begins – Westview Close decision set to erode York Green Belt

The first successful appeal against a refusal of planning permission in the York Green Belt will see 8 additional homes built in Westview Close in Acomb.

Westview Close

The application, from Hogg builders, was originally rejected by the York Council.

Subsequently the Council published its – now infamous – draft Local Plan in April which sought to build on land previously recognised as being part of the Green Belt.

Now an Inspector has used that as an excuse to allow the Westview Close development to go ahead.

Click here to see the full decision.

Labour also want to build on the adjacent land – the former Civil Service sports Ground.

The ruling bodes ill for the future of the City.

York GCSE results

Pupils, parents and teachers are celebrating today!

Whilst it is being reported nationally that results are down on last year, York pupils have bucked this trend with schools showing a 4 per cent improvement on last year’s results.

Provisional results show that 67 per cent of young people achieved five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths GCSE, compared to 63 per cent last year.

This result is the highest ever for the city. Fulford school, Huntington school, Archbishop Holgate’s school and All Saints school all achieved over 70 per cent.