Serious concerns over council’s delays in responding to Freedom of Information requests

SERIOUS concerns have been raised over Warrington Borough Council’s lengthy delays in responding to Freedom of Information requests connected to ongoing delays in signing off the accounts for 2017/18.

Local resident Richard Buttrey says there has been a “long history” of Warrington Borough Council failing to respond to Freedom of Information requests relating to their investment in Redwood Bank, resulting in the unusual step of the Information Commission Office writing to the council, “because of the seriousness of the matter.”
The letter went on to say “.. the Commissioner has concerns that the council either does not understand its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act or that it is not taking them sufficiently seriously”.
With internal reviews normally expected to be completed in 20 days of receipt, or on occasions 40 days, Mr Buttrey had requested an internal review on June 6 last year and almost a year later the council had still not issued a response.
The letter went on to say “In order to avoid further, formal action by the Commissioner, the council should, within 10 working days of the letter issue a review response to the complainant.”
Mr Buttrey was seeking an internal review of the council’s handling of his original Freedom of Information request seeking all correspondence and any minutes between the council and auditors Grant Thornton or any other organisation, firm, advisor or company, where the subject is the council’s 2017/2018 accounts.
The council originally withheld the information under the exemption for prejudice to commercial interest, which then became subject of a complaint to the Commissioner who ruled the council had breached the Freedom of Information Act.
The council provided a new response but withheld some information under a range of exemptions, prompting the calls of an internal review.
Mr Buttrey said: “Sadly there is a long history of FoI delays and failures to respond and address public concerns.
“Why did it take several months and an internal review to overturn a refusal to make public a copy of the Redwood Bank Shareholders agreement?
“Why didn’t the council accept the auditor’s valuation of Redwood? They could have done so two years ago and the 2017/18 accounts would by now have been approved.
“Instead the council have taken the valuation challenge personally and have employed yet more consultants at even more public expense in an effort to have their view trump that of the auditors.
“Why have the council not released the auditor’s report into the public objection to the 2017/18 accounts?
“An internal review appealing this decision is already several months overdue.
“All too often when the council does reject a FoI their default response is to cite ‘commercial confidentiality’ as a reason not to disclose. That’s still the case here.
Mr Buttrey has also submitted a Freedom of Information Act request on the cost of the new council offices at Time square.
Mr Buttrey added: “It has taken thirty-two months since I first submitted a FoI. During the intervening period, WBC has continually stalled, ignoring many reminders and not even having the common courtesy to acknowledge communications.
“It took three letters from the ICO in 2019/2020 to get WBC to answer the original FoI.
“Much of the correspondence was redacted so I requested an internal review of that response in June last year. That request too was ignored.
Only on the ICO’s deadline of June 17th did WBC respond. Much of the appeal has been refused or redacted so I’m now appealing WBC’s review decision to the ICO.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We responded to both the ICO and the concerned resident in full, within the timeline set out by the ICO.”