Free FOI Seminar Saturday 16th Sept 2017.
How many toilet rolls are used by Shepway District Council each year? How many accidents have there been in SDC’s toilets? What is Cllr David Monk’s weight? And what type of coffee is drunk in the Council offices?
The public’s right to know the answers to these questions was probably not foremost in the minds of the Labour government pioneers of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which became law on 1 January 2005. But some of them have been asked.
The Freedom of Information Act has revealed that the Creative Foundation & the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust had the bailiff sent in by SDC to collect their Council tax .
It revealed that Cllr David Monk had lied about SDC’s intention regarding Otterpool Park
And it has helped and assisted the Save Princes Parade campaign.
Freedom of Information Act has achieved greater transparency both locally and nationally but has hindered progress in our trusting of politicians at all tiers of government.
The Shepwayvox Team are pleased to announce that we’ll be running a free interactive seminar about the Freedom of Information Act.
The interactive seminar will take place on Saturday 16th Sept at Christchurch CEP Academy, Brockman Road Folkestone CT20 1DJ. It will take place between 1.30pm and 4.30pm. (Red tag on Map below) Most importantly it is free.
If you are free on the day just turn up for 1.30 sharp and learn a little about FoI and how it can help you. Bring pen and paper, and/or your laptop.
The interactive seminar is for absolute beginners to advance practitioners and will be a space where you can ask questions and make mistakes safely.
If you are free and wish to participate, please just turn up on the day.
A big thank you to NS, RF & LP for making this happen.
The Shepwayvox Team
This should be a very interesting event – I hope lots of people go because the FOI Act 2000 is highly important towards holding the local and national government or aonyone with power over the little people to account and thereby “we” can learn the truth…
Incidently I’ve been classified as a vextatious FOI requester in the past probably ane one FOI details supplier did not redact the names in council meetings whereas SDC did….. NICE !!!!
How many gaging orders have SDC got in place . .
they never answer questions, look at the ones on parking and the outsourcing of it
Gagging orders invariably mean that there is something nasty that needs to be hidden.
I believe that a Gagging Order does not negate the Whistleblowers Act.