As usual, Newham council always ready with a picture of the mayor, has been pretty reticent about the plan for the centre of Forest Gate using Crossrail [nearly wrote Crossfail, I hope not] and Tfl etc. cash.
Here's the list of requests: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/hugh_barnard/requests the current one, made nearly a week ago hasn't been acknowledged. In this respect they are actually 'worse' than old-regime Tower Hamlets, quite an 'achievement'.
I'm also being told that there's 'no need' for FOIs but that 'they can't stop me' [true]. To which I reply, they are a gold standard in that statutory apparatus obliges them to produce something that they have to stand by. The usual way around is to put the answer through the Sir Humphreyiser and say as little as possible, for example:
Also, on a side issue, we are 'encouraged' to put requests in via 'the default request form'. Of course, that means that they are not shared with other interested non-council parties and are buried in the pretty-much non-searchable FOI log: http://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Freedom-of-Information-disclosure-log.aspx I may do something about that, if I feel annoyed enough and have enough time to do so.
I'm aware, on the matter itself, that there have been about five internal [not in front of the children] meetings, with luck my current FOI 'may' shed some light on these. In a Benthamite world, the council should welcome this, I'm being 'engaged' and compensating for the huge, looming democratic deficit in the borough [about 60% and up do not vote for the council or current mayor, yet, there they are]. However, in spite of the immoderate upbeat Campbell-spin-language suggestive of pink unicorns and candy-mountain [this in a land of the Quakers], something I'll write about 'soon', though I dislike blogging, spoonfed is the order of the day.
If you've read this to the end, congratulations, here's the reward [thanks to Rachel T. for unearthing these]: Crossrail Slides
They're on my personal website because they're too big for Facebook and I don't use it anyway, it only encourages it.
Here's the list of requests: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/hugh_barnard/requests the current one, made nearly a week ago hasn't been acknowledged. In this respect they are actually 'worse' than old-regime Tower Hamlets, quite an 'achievement'.
I'm also being told that there's 'no need' for FOIs but that 'they can't stop me' [true]. To which I reply, they are a gold standard in that statutory apparatus obliges them to produce something that they have to stand by. The usual way around is to put the answer through the Sir Humphreyiser and say as little as possible, for example:
Full consideration of the methods of informal engagement with theThis, after being told, 'informally' that there would be stalls, workshops etc. but 'we are not sure when'.
community will begin at project start in April
Also, on a side issue, we are 'encouraged' to put requests in via 'the default request form'. Of course, that means that they are not shared with other interested non-council parties and are buried in the pretty-much non-searchable FOI log: http://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Freedom-of-Information-disclosure-log.aspx I may do something about that, if I feel annoyed enough and have enough time to do so.
I'm aware, on the matter itself, that there have been about five internal [not in front of the children] meetings, with luck my current FOI 'may' shed some light on these. In a Benthamite world, the council should welcome this, I'm being 'engaged' and compensating for the huge, looming democratic deficit in the borough [about 60% and up do not vote for the council or current mayor, yet, there they are]. However, in spite of the immoderate upbeat Campbell-spin-language suggestive of pink unicorns and candy-mountain [this in a land of the Quakers], something I'll write about 'soon', though I dislike blogging, spoonfed is the order of the day.
If you've read this to the end, congratulations, here's the reward [thanks to Rachel T. for unearthing these]: Crossrail Slides
They're on my personal website because they're too big for Facebook and I don't use it anyway, it only encourages it.
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