West Berks Council breaks a record Options

[absolutebounder]

Is it not truly amazing the speed at which Gordon lundy and Nick Carter managed to get on their knees to bow scrape and grovel to our hopeless MP? Their reaction time in responding to their **** up must be a record. Its not like West Berks ever get anything right first time is it but when there is MP after your name it will get corrected very fast.

[Lolly]

It seems Richard Benyon is hitting back, but not at West Berkshire Council.

http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2...rdbenyonmp.html

The main focus of his criticism appears to be the FOI Act itself. All seemingly based on information given to him by West Berkshire Council!

[Simon Kirby]

It seems Richard Benyon is hitting back, but not at West Berkshire Council.

http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2...rdbenyonmp.html

The main focus of his criticism appears to be the FOI Act itself. All seemingly based on information given to him by West Berkshire Council!

I agree, it's a perverse response. Perhaps the Tory MP is reluctant to criticise the Tory WBC, but to level criticism at the FoI is unwarranted. If campaigners are using FoI to extract information from reluctant administrations to support their political campaigning then that's a good thing isn't it? It's never occurred to me before the Richard Benyon would have anything to hide and I think he does the thinking-voter a disservice to assume we can't immediately see through the kind of malicious smearing that kicked this story off, but he's gone off on one here by attacking the principle of open government and I think that was ill-judged. I can't think that I've ever had anything negative to say about our MP who, despite his politics not being my own, I've respected as a good MP and a particularly competent Environment minister. Open government, particularly local government, is a virtual fable.

I see our MP's attack on Freedom of Information as a sinister development. It's the devil's own job fighting jiggery-pokery in local government and FoI is one of the most valuable tools in uncovering maladministration, and I'm very disappointed to hear RB slating the right to information just because some sleazy rag used it to get information which embarrassed him - information which WBC seemingly got wrong!

[Lolly]

I agree, it's a perverse response. Perhaps the Tory MP is reluctant to criticise the Tory WBC, but to level criticism at the FoI is unwarranted. If campaigners are using FoI to extract information from reluctant administrations to support their political campaigning then that's a good thing isn't it? It's never occurred to me before the Richard Benyon would have anything to hide and I think he does the thinking-voter a disservice to assume we can't immediately see through the kind of malicious smearing that kicked this story off, but he's gone off on one here by attacking the principle of open government and I think that was ill-judged. I can't think that I've ever had anything negative to say about our MP who, despite his politics not being my own, I've respected as a good MP and a particularly competent Environment minister. Open government, particularly local government, is a virtual fable.

I see our MP's attack on Freedom of Information as a sinister development. It's the devil's own job fighting jiggery-pokery in local government and FoI is one of the most valuable tools in uncovering maladministration, and I'm very disappointed to hear RB slating the right to information just because some sleazy rag used it to get information which embarrassed him - information which WBC seemingly got wrong!

That's pretty much what I thought Simon, but you have expressed it so much better than I could! He seems to be getting a slating online from FOI activists, including the Taxpayers' Alliance, and I can't help feeling that West Berkshire Council have dropped him in it twice - firstly by releasing incorrect and considerably inflated figures and then by giving him 'information' with which to make this attack on FOI.

[Simon Kirby]

That's pretty much what I thought Simon, but you have expressed it so much better than I could! He seems to be getting a slating online from FOI activists, including the Taxpayers' Alliance, and I can't help feeling that West Berkshire Council have dropped him in it twice - firstly by releasing incorrect and considerably inflated figures and then by giving him 'information' with which to make this attack on FOI.

Yes, I see that from Robert Oxley replying to RB on conservativehome.

It’s not the first time I’ve encountered a politician decrying the use of FOI – after all even Tony Blair went on to regret his introduction of the Act. But FOIs are an incredibly important way of scrutinising power and ensuring how taxpayers’ money is spent is held to account. Sadly, it is far too common for a politician or bureaucrat to attack the method by which information was gathered rather than deal with actual subject matter. And invariably any complaint about information published under FOI is always followed up by spurious suggestions that the Act is placing too heavy a burden on those administering it.