What has Wirral Council been spending money on in 2017 and 2018 (part 2)?

What has Wirral Council been spending money on in 2017 and 2018 (part 2)?

What has Wirral Council been spending money on in 2017 and 2018 (part 2)?

                                       

Last week I published some invoices to Wirral Council, I received some more of the invoices I’d requested on Friday, some of which are below.

Some are to Wirral Council for the legal expenses of barristers (who are self-employed). Section 26(8) of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 specifically states that names that relate to a business carried on by a sole trader can’t be withheld as personal information. Despite this Wirral Council has blacked out the names of the barristers on some of the invoices below.
Continue reading “What has Wirral Council been spending money on in 2017 and 2018 (part 2)?”

Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) case involving information request to Wirral Council by Martin Morton listed for public hearing on Thursday 26th April 2018

Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) case involving information request to Wirral Council by Martin Morton listed for public hearing on Thursday 26th April 2018

Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) case involving information request to Wirral Council by Martin Morton listed for public hearing on Thursday 26th April 2018

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX (where the hearing for First-Tier Tribunal case EA/2017/0108 would have been held) which was cancelled and transferred to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX (where the hearing for First-Tier Tribunal case EA/2017/0108 would have been held) which was cancelled and transferred to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)

On the 26th April 2018 next week starting at 10.30 am is a public hearing in Upper Tribunal case GIA/3037/2017.

This involves a Freedom of Information request made to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council by Anthony Martin Morton on the 5th August 2016.

This was refused twice by Wirral Council and then this refusal was appealed to the regulator the Information Commissioner.
Continue reading “Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) case involving information request to Wirral Council by Martin Morton listed for public hearing on Thursday 26th April 2018”

What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?

What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?

What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?

                                       

ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) logo
ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) logo

I’ll declare at the start an interest as the person who made the information request the below is about.

This is an update to two earlier blog posts, the first headlined ICO require Wirral Council to release 94 page draft agreement with Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited about Hoylake Golf Resort and the second being Wirral Council asks judiciary to intervene to keep 94 page report on Hoylake Golf Resort secret!

Below are Wirral Council’s grounds of appeal. On the first page it lists Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council as the Claimant, when they are in fact the Appellant.

The case number is EA/2017/0191 in the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) which is part of the General Regulatory Chamber. I’ve linked certain words and phrases below such as to legislation or the decision notice. I will point out that there are parts of it I do not agree with.
Continue reading “What are the 21 paragraphs of reasons why Wirral Council opposes release of the Hoylake Golf Resort contract?”

What were the 6 A4 pages of partially redacted minutes of a Headteachers’/Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee meeting and the name of a LGA Associate Tutor that Wirral Council disclosed voluntarily in response to a First Tier-Tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) hearing (case number EA/2016/0033) about a Freedom of Information request first made in March 2013?

What were the 6 A4 pages of partially redacted minutes of a Headteachers’/Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee meeting and the name of a LGA Associate Tutor that Wirral Council disclosed voluntarily in response to a First Tier-Tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) hearing (case number EA/2016/0033) about a Freedom of Information request first made in March 2013?

What were the 6 A4 pages of partially redacted minutes of a Headteachers’/Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee meeting and the name of a LGA Associate Tutor that Wirral Council disclosed voluntarily in response to a First Tier-Tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) hearing (case number EA/2016/0033) about a Freedom of Information request first made in March 2013?

Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX (the venue for First-Tier Tribunal case EA/2016/0033)
Liverpool Civil & Family Court, Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX (the venue for First-Tier Tribunal case EA/2016/0033)

I will start by declaring an interest as I was the Appellant in case EA/2016/0033. I am also married to my McKenzie Friend in this matter Mrs Leonora Brace.


Court | Room: Tribunal Room 5, 3rd Floor, Liverpool Civil and Family Court Hearing Centre, 35 Vernon Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 2BX

Oral Hearing
On: 16th June 2016
Time: 10.15am

First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber)
Case Ref: EA/2016/0033

Parties
Mr | John Brace (Appellant)
ICO (First Respondent)
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (Second Respondent)

Before:
Mr. David Farrer QC Tribunal Judge
Mr. Michael Hake Tribunal Member
Dr Malcolm Clarke Tribunal Member

Clerk: Clare Adams


Continue reading “What were the 6 A4 pages of partially redacted minutes of a Headteachers’/Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee meeting and the name of a LGA Associate Tutor that Wirral Council disclosed voluntarily in response to a First Tier-Tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) hearing (case number EA/2016/0033) about a Freedom of Information request first made in March 2013?”

Hoylake RNLI Open Day and the top 7 stories this week

Hoylake RNLI Open Day and the top 7 stories this week

Hoylake RNLI Open Day and the top 7 stories this week

                                    

It’s a Bank Holiday today and although I’ve been down to the Hoylake RNLI Open Day today and taken plenty of photos which is a story on that can wait till tomorrow. Three years ago I wrote about the Area Forum where the beginnings of what is now the Hoylake Lifeboat Museum were discussed, which is one of the buildings that is open as part of the Open Day.

Wirral Council’s interest in the car park next to the Hoylake Lifeboat Museum was as you can read from this story in the Wirral News from 2010 was originally going to be sold off along with where the museum is after a decision by former Cllr Simon Holbrook (who was then Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources) in November 2010. However the decision was “called in” by councillors and reconsidered in December 2010, a letter from Hylgar Properties Limited being one of the factors that led to a changed decision. Despite brief mentions about that call in meeting, here and here on this blog, it seems I never did get round to writing up a detailed account of what happened at that call in meeting back in December 2010, however the minutes of what happened at the call in are on Wirral Council’s website.

As it is a bank holiday today, I will just be writing briefly today about what has been popular on this blog in the last week and taking the rest of the day off. The last week (August is traditionally a quiet month for politics) has seen 551 visitors to this blog viewing 1,247 pages. The top seven stories in order of popularity the last week have been:

1) Why did Wirral Council spend an incredible £1,872 on a London barrister to prevent openness and transparency?

2) The incredible £754,783.18 that Wirral Council councillors cost (plus amounts for the Mayor & Deputy Mayor)

3) Lyndale School Consultation Meeting: Julia Hassall “we’re not having straightforward consultation” (part 10)

4) Planning Committee on 8:5 vote approves plans for Tranmere Rovers training ground to move to Leasowe

5) Bidston Moss Retail Park: Five New Units Under Construction

6) Birkenhead Market Limited Accounts: Is This The Reason Behind Neptune’s Masterplan?

and

7) Government asks councils in England to bid for £16 million of money to tackle fraud

Note the Contact details for 66 Wirral Council councillors (2014) is in joint 7th place but as it is just for information I have not included it in the above list.

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