Here at MCFly, we are in the information game. And most of the time, that information is easy to get as people are usually happy to pass on details of their latest project/event. Some information however is not so easy to get your hands on. It may not yet exist in any form, some organisations are just shy (read scared the press is going to maul them) and other times, the organisations would rather not have you poking around.

Getting information from the council, for example, can be an uphill battle. We’ve had experience of sending email after email without a response and spent weeks chasing up answers to basic questions. So putting in a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, which requires a response within 20 working days seemed to be way forward. Indeed, we decided to put in a request back in November asking various questions about the number of flights taken by elected members of the council over the last two years and which company the council offsets its flights with (see MCFly’s first issue for full details).

After a full 21 working days we got… nothing. Not even an email explaining the delay and informing us when we can expect answers. When happened next was a flurry of calls and emails from us and various excuses about the delay from the council. We have just received the information today (4th of January 2012) and the request was due on the 22nd of December 2011.

Here’s what we’ve learnt from this experience:

1. It’s a good idea to start chasing up a freedom of information requests a week before it’s due.

2. Keep tabs on all calls you make, what you are told by various people by sending them up a follow up email detailing all the information.

3. CC in information compliance (informationcompliance@manchester.gov.uk) when you make requests and also in all follow up emails that detail conversations you’ve had/ promises made by various people working at the council

4. Keep a note of all the people you spoke to, their emails, phone numbers and what department they work at.

5. Inform those handling your request that you are entitled to an answer after 20 working days. If there is a delay you are entitled to be inform of it and you should also be given an indication of when you can expect the information.

6. Be persistent. And use Skype for your calls as it not only keeps a log of who you have called but it’s invariably cheaper for daytime calls.

Getting the information for our stories may seem effortless, but it sadly isn’t. It is time consuming, energy sapping and very frustrating – I hope that our experiences and advice can help others going through the process. At the very least, they’ll know what to expect and the best ways to deal with any problems they experience.