A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers
A blog about Wirral Council's public meetings, Wirral Council's councillors, Bidston & St. James ward and other public bodies on Merseyside
Why did the First-tier Tribunal (information rights) take over 2 years to decide on a permission to appeal request?
This recent judicial decision has a bit of a backstory to it by way of explanation.
Continue reading “Why did the First-tier Tribunal (information rights) take over 2 years to decide on a permission to appeal request?”
Hearing in London in Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) information rights case GIA/3037/2017 involving Martin Morton, ICO and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council took place yesterday
This story continues from Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) case involving information request to Wirral Council by Martin Morton listed for public hearing on Thursday 26th April 2018.
The hearing in Upper Tribunal case GIA/3037/2017 (previously First-tier Tribunal case EA/2017/0108) took place yesterday at Field House, 15-25 Breams Buildings, London, EC4A 1DZ. Unfortunately I wasn’t present at the hearing.
Continue reading “Hearing in London in Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) information rights case GIA/3037/2017 involving Martin Morton, ICO and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council took place yesterday”
Wirral Council asks judiciary to intervene to keep 94 page report on Hoylake Golf Resort secret!
This is an update to a previous story I published on this blog headlined ICO require Wirral Council to release 94 page draft agreement with Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited about Hoylake Golf Resort.
I received a 2 page letter yesterday (4th September 2017) sent by Second Class post dated 1st September 2017 from ICO (the regulator).
In summary the letter states that the Information Commissioner’s solicitors are now dealing with the matter as Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council have appealed decision notice FER0672223 to the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights).
As Wirral Council are the Appellant, the Information Commissioner will be First Respondent.
ICO’s letter also states that due to this the Commissioner won’t be keeping me informed about further developments on the appeal.
Although I’m the person who made the original information request, as I’m not appealing the decision notice, I’m not at the point of writing this blog post a party to the matter.
From past experience it could take ~7 months before a decision is reached.
This is a new situation I find myself in as it’s the first time a public authority has appealed to the First-tier Tribunal a decision notice relating to an information request I’ve made!
A copy of ICO’s two page letter is below, the First-tier Tribunal case reference number is EA/2017/0191.
What were the top 10 most popular stories on this blog last month in June 2016?
Below are links to the ten most popular stories read on this blog last month (June 2016). Eight involve Wirral Council, one Liverpool City Council and the other Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service/Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority. All except one (the one about the regeneration of Birkenhead Town Centre) were published in June 2016. Two are on the topic of the recent First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) public hearing involving myself and Wirral Council.
I’m surprised the EU Referendum stories didn’t feature higher up in the list, but as the EU Referendum was held in the last week of June, those stories have had less time to be read than articles published nearer the start of June.
1. Why has Wirral Council sunk deeper into the quagmire of poor corporate governance surrounding a complaint about Cllr Steve Foulkes? (published 29th June 2016)
2. Secrets about Wirral Council’s Birkenhead Town Centre Regeneration revealed (published 27th December 2013)
3. Labour councillors reject Green Party proposal to reduce Mayor of Liverpool’s Allowance by £89,000 over a 4 year period (published 1st June 2016)
4. Surjit Tour asks Wirral councillors to agree to changes to how complaints about councillors are dealt with (published 3rd June 2016)
5. £206,000 extra for Wirral’s potholes, £170,000 for selling “ornamental pleasure gardens” and a land swap to a body that doesn’t exist! (published 13th June 2016)
6. What did Surjit Tour answer to questions about a Freedom of Information request to Wirral Council at the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) hearing (EA/2016/0033) (continued)? (published 22nd June 2016)
7. Disclosure of 46 pages of PFI contractor’s banking details by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service described as “oversight” (published 14th June 2016)
8. What was in the 11 A4 page witness statement of Surjit Tour (Wirral Council) about a Freedom of Information request for the minutes of a meeting of the Headteachers’ and Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee (EA/2016/0033)? (published 17th June 2016)
9. Where is your polling station (for Wirral voters) for the 2016 EU Referendum vote? (published 23rd June 2016)
10. Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist calls for cross-party unity on Wirral Council on issue of EU funding withdrawal (published 27th June 2016)
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At the outset I will make four declarations of interests.
1) I am the Appellant in this case (EA/2016/0033).
2) My wife was my McKenzie Friend in case EA/2016/0033.
3) I made the original Freedom of Information request on the 29th March 2013.
4) I am referred to by name (Mr. Brace) in paragraphs 1, 4 and 5 of the witness statement of Andrew Roberts.
Hearing: EA/2016/0033
Court/Room: Tribunal Room 5, 3rd Floor
Address: 35 Vernon St, Liverpool, Merseyside L2 2BX
Date/time: 16th June 2016 10:15 am
First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) (General Regulatory Chamber)
First-tier Tribunal Judge Mr. David Farrer QC
First-tier Tribunal Member Mr. Michael Hake
First-tier Tribunal Member Dr. Malcolm Clarke
Appellant: Mr John Brace
First Respondent: ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office)
Second Respondent: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
The below is an incomplete record written up from my handwritten notes made at the hearing. The below does not cover some of the sections when I am speaking due to the difficulties in taking notes as doing that you end up facing the paper you’re writing on.
First-tier Tribunal Judge Mr. David Farrer QC opened the hearing by explaining how he planned the hearing would happen.
There were some preliminary matters to be discussed at the start of the hearing.
