Big City Plan Bus and FOI request progress
Written by Nicky Getgood on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcitycouncil, dracos, freedomofinformation, matthewsomerville, mikewhitby, peteashton
Well, it seems I’m on a steep learning curve today with my Freedom of Information request for the reasons behind changing the schedule of the Big City Plan’s consultation bus on Weds 14th Jan, which was reportedly diverted from Highgate to Aston for a photoshoot with Council Leader Mike Whitby.
You see, I’ve never done an FOI request before so really wasn’t sure how it worked. Luckilly, I know some people that do, who’ve been a great help. It seems that asking fror a statement/answer to a question rather than documents/facts held isn’t quite the right way to go about it. Had I left my original request as it was it could have well have been rejected. But after seeking out some great advice from the likes of Matthew Somerville, I’ve sent a follow-up to the original FOI request clarifying exactly what it is that I’m after – the audit trail (emails, letters, memos, etc.) behind the decision to change the route of the bus. Hopefully this means the request will be accepted and the response to it will shed some light on the reasons for the change that day.
On the advice of Pete Ashton, I’ve also emailed the original post to Birmingham City Council’s press office asking for a response. As yet I’ve not received a reply.
I will of course, keep you posted on my progress and let you know the outcome.
Comments:
What is your opinion?