I think you may find very committed people blowing off a bit of steam. For example; " this would a great job if it was not for the pesky customers and the demanding management." :)
Foi is seen more and more as a cost benefit exercise which is how senior managers are trained to think. Politicians and customer services understand intuitively that complaints are a form of community engagement and a way to improve. Alas the culture of senior managers is often to see glass as half full because senior managers are trying to manage risk while middle managers and front line are trying to deliver the service. They view, understand, and communicate the problem in different ways.
The conflict is that senior managers are trying to allocate resources to areas of highest need, as they perceive it and understand it, while middle manager is given a set amount of resources to deal with an expanding service with very little added value.
If the bins are not done right, you have a lot more angry customers and voter than if you get an foi wrong. To be sure, the two are linked within a corporate ethos, but that ethos is not always reflected in where and how resources are allocated especially in a time when resources are being cut and people are constantly being driven to deliver efficiencies under gershon or whatever regime is in flavour.
Add to this the fact that most foi officers have a second role, that is probably measured directly as part of caa or the academic equivalent, and the pressure becomes visible.
If foi response times and satisfaction with response were part of an overall view of a council, it may change the focus. That would give more resources but may not improve underlying service as that reflects corporate culture.
Then again, people like to kvetch about what they cannot change. :)
Best
Lawrence
Lawrence W. Serewicz
Principal Information Management Officer
Room 4/10
Durham County Council
DH1 5UF
0191-383-3815
----- Original Message -----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thu Mar 11 09:15:47 2010
Subject: Re: [data-protection] Naming FOI requestors
Leaving aside the issue of whether requestors names should be published or
not, the most concerning point to come out of this discussion is the point
that some contributors talk of requests being a waste of resources or a
burden on the authority. I am pretty sure that if you had asked the
Speaker of the Commons a couple of years ago, he would have said that the
request about MPs expenses fell into that category.
But bear in mind that three MPs and a member of the Lords are in court
today charged with false accounting and others are still being
investigated. One person's burden is another's quest for truth,
transparency and honesty. After all we have s.14 for vexatious requests.
Many Thanks
David Wilson
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