We, Sep 21, 2005Freedom of Information for Lewisham
Lewisham Council are blocking attempts by this campaign to get hold of information about the planned closure of Ladywell Leisure Centre by flouting the Freedom of Information Act.
Under the act anyone is entitled to request and receive information from the council or any other public institution. We have been investigating the circumstances surrounding the expansion of Northbrook school and the use of the Leahurst Road site.
Our requests have been met with silence and misinformation. We have been forced to request internal reviews within the Directorate of Children and Young People in order to access the information we have asked for.
We have also discovered that 25% of all requests the council has received since the act became law in January have not been dealt with within the statutory 20 days.
Prison or a hefty fine is the ultimate penalty for persistant non-compliance with the act.
But despite the Council's diversionary tactics we are beginning to piece together the history of events that led up to the decision to close Ladywell Leisure Centre and we will be presenting our findings to the Overview and Scrutiny sub-committee. ...read more...