To those not up to speed:
- Last year I put in a Freedom of Information request to the Dfe for Free School Application Forms & acceptance/rejection letters.
- The DfE turned down my request, twice.
- After an 11-month consideration the Information Commissioner’s Office said, under the rules of the law, the DfE had to release the information.
- This morning I found out the DfE have appealed and are taking the judgement to First Tier Tribunal.
This means:
- The involvement of lawyers (way to spend taxpayers money, DfE)
- An additional delay (probably of about 6-9 months)
- By the time I get the information it will be far out of date (*gasp*…could this be the reason for the delay?!)
- All similar requests in the intervening period will be rejected, AND CRUCIALLY
- The public still won’t have access to information for which the ICO ruled there is a “very strong public interest”
Still, if I have to carry on with this silliness for another year in order that the public can access information which, until 2010, was always open and which has been ruled as being vital for accountability, then that is what I’ll do.
DfE, I’ll see you at Tribunal. Make sure to shine your shoes.
Reblogged this on Primary Blogging.
And politicians have the cheek to try to sell our brand of democracy around the world.
It is easy to see why people do not trust politicians. You expect it from used car salesmen but from the Government?
Keep at it.
I wonder whether there is any way that people are able to easily and convincingly express their view of the Governemnt’s approach.
Reblogged this on The Echo Chamber.
The appeal by UCLAN cost them (ie taxpayer) £80,000 http://www.dcscience.net/?p=2485 and that was 2009
Gove spending heavily to try to stay secret.. Let’s hope he fails
David, thanks for your comment…I was actually reading your judgement earlier today and recognised your name from Twitter! I cannot believe they are going down this route.
I am no twitter / social media expert at all so this may be a daft question. Is there no way that these cases could be better publicised i.e. “80,000 taxpayers money wasted”….”Gove spending heavily to try to stay secret.. Let’s hope he fails”.
Maybe outraged individuals such as myself should do some amateur PR as long as it doesn’t harm with the process or yourselves in any way.
Hi Laura Mike from Runcorn.
could you ask the newspaper to run something along that line to draw the public attention
Go, Laura!