Derby Telegraph comment: Zombie query is no joke
YOU couldn't make it up.
Among Freedom of Information requests submitted to Derby City Council was a question on how the authority would tackle a "zombie outbreak".
It raises a chuckle, but there are serious consequences. It cost £50 to deal with the request, at a time when the council is having to axe jobs.
Authorities have to respond to requests by law, but is it time for them to be allowed to ask the Information Commissioner to rule certain questions are spurious, and do not need to be answered? All that would cost is the price of a letter.
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Freedom of Information is vital and should not be trivialised.
Comments
by ibelieveido
Friday, November 30 2012, 4:18PM
“DerbyVillager.
Excellent...”
by Sadie73
Friday, November 30 2012, 1:08PM
“The council could save a lot of time and money by publishing its responses to previous FoI requests online, as it used to, rather than insisting that you contact the FoI team by phone or email to get hold of them.”
by DerbyVillager
Friday, November 30 2012, 12:29PM
“Is this question stupid or wrong because people don't think zombies exist?
What if the question was about a supernatural, mythical being that no one has ever seen or heard and there is no verifiable proof that exists? That would be equally stupid wouldn't it?
What if that same being was said to have created the world? An equally crazy idea?”
by Spildabeenz
Friday, November 30 2012, 12:00PM
“Am I alone in thinking that this Zombie request is brilliant?
It exposes the ridiculous processes that people have to go through to gain access to publicly held information.
If someone in the council wants to complain about it, don't tell a newspaper, tell Parliament.
They can expect some requests from me asking about the amount of biscuits that get wasted in January due to dieting staff not eating them, and how much time is spent standing by water coolers moaning about their pensions....
Bravo!”
by mark_sinfin
Friday, November 30 2012, 11:05AM
“one sheet of paper 1p envalope 1p stamp 30p? time to reply to this letter 5 mins? total cost couple of quid unless the council are paying stupid rates to its employees (£50 for five minutes would be around £600 an hour)”
by ArmyOfDaves
Friday, November 30 2012, 9:05AM
“You want proof of zombies? Just walk around the Westfield on a saturday afternoon”
by Gargloit
Friday, November 30 2012, 8:25AM
“Whoever wrote this clearly hasn't studied the facts. There is no requirement to ask the Information Commissioner to rule that the question is spurious as the law already contains that exception. I quote again the council's own policy, which is in line with the Freedom Of Information Act:-
****************"We have no obligation to comply with vexatious requests. Vexatious means repeated, **unreasonable** and nuisance requests."******************
And just how much does the writer of this item thinks it would cost to secure a formal ruling on this issue? More than the £50 that wasn't in any event the cost of the entirely unnecessary response to this frivolous request anyway. In every respect the council simply made a mess of dealing with this piece of stupidity. Perhaps some brains in the council have been eaten after all.”