Topic: FOI Act

[Spookyville]

Our council cleared the perimeter of the site of trees and brambles etc. in preperation for putting a security fence up. This is now not happening due to no money by all accounts. Which is fare enough in this current climate but I am curious as to what they have been spending their budget on the past 2/3 years.
Has anyone put a Freedom of Information act request in to their council as to what has been spent by their allotmants dept and if so how did you go about it? Do you write directly to the dept, the council or who? thanks in advance.

[Unwashed]

You can use this form, or you can ask Asset Management directly on this form.

Any written request for information is a FoI request, so there's no reason to use the FoI request form or make the declaration it asks for.

If you get fobbed off let us know and we'll go from there.

[Spookyville]

thanks for that. Not a witch hunt here, but I am genuinely curious. Some of the plot holders on our site seem to think its a postcodce lottery as to where money is spent, and money was already spent on our site clearing the perimeter ready for the fencing which is not now going to happen. The brambles and trees etc are starting to grow back too so that was a waste of money.

[Unwashed]

Witch hunt?  You're asking a public authority to account for how it has spent public money.  Why would you need to defend that?

[ACE]

Spooky sounds as if he just wants some information, not a confrontation, whereas Unwashed has got his nickers in a twist again. Well that way does not always solve problems, just makes you walk funny.

Just go and ask Spooky, they won't bite and I expect they will give you a reasonable answer. It seems like the gravy train has it the buffers, all local authorities have to cut back on non essentials and  there are a lot more needier  causes than an allotment fence.

[tonybloke]

Spooky sounds as if he just wants some information, not a confrontation, whereas Unwashed has got his nickers in a twist again. Well that way does not always solve problems, just makes you walk funny.

Just go and ask Spooky, they won't bite and I expect they will give you a reasonable answer. It seems like the gravy train has it the buffers, all local authorities have to cut back on non essentials and  there are a lot more needier  causes than an allotment fence.

yeah, like bus passes for oldies!

[flytrapman]

In addition to anyone using the FOIA to obtain information a Environmental Regulation Request can be made, this request can be made verbal and does not need to be in writing. Remember both types of request can only be made to public authorities.

[Spookyville]

Just as book end to this I submitted one, got some info back which led to a 2 hour meeting with the allotments officer about our site. Since then have had regular contact from council to attend forum meetings and seem to have become the "unofficial" site rep as far as council concerned. Still not had any progress on resolving the site issues (due to lack of money at the moment with budget cuts etc. ) but I will keep n at them until they finally do something :)

[digmore]

Spooky,

Well done, close contact with the Allotment Officer is essential, dialogue gets things done. Winding folk up only causes barriers.

We are an Assoc. run site, here at Rob Lane Allotments, so we manage the day to day business on the site, we have absolutely no probs with our allotment officer or his deputies. We stick to the rules and should we encounter anything we cannot sort out ourselves, we contact them.

There is an open invitation for tea and biscuits to all at the council offices, thats the relationship we have with them. From time to time they ask us for advice, it works both ways.

Keep it up Spooky talking is far better than no action at all.

Digmore.