Manchester City Council has not responded to an information request about the Executive Member for the Environment’s promised but non-existent blog.

On April 13 MCFly requested basic information about the correspondence between Councillor Kate Chappell, who, in 2014 had agreed to set up a blog (she has not done so), and the officers at Manchester City Council who had told her she could not (see below for text of request.

The Council’s officer wrote back the following day, assigning a code “CEX/A82JH8″ to the request.

Marc

I acknowledge receipt of your request for information  received  on 13
April

The Council aims to respond to your request by 12 May

If this timescale needs to be extended to consider an exemption you will be
notified and kept informed.

Regards

“Aims” is such a lovely word, isn’t it?  And it’s not like the Council ever forgets to reply to a FoIA, is it? Watch this space.

Dear Kate,

Several weeks ago, at the launch of the latest Manchester Strategy, you
approached me and told me that you had requested a blog from the Council
three times and been told no*.  I suggested that instead of telling me
this in person, you write to me with a for-publication statement. You
agreed to do this.  This has not happened.

Therefore, I am submitting the following Freedom of Information Act request

Dating back to February 2014, when you first agreed to set up a blog, I am
requesting copies of all the correspondence sent by you and the relevant
council officers about the setting up of a blog (this includes both emails
and letters)

I am requestiong [sic] copies of all the correspondence from council officers
about the setting up of a blog, including all the reasons they have given
you.

Many thanks

Marc Hudson

As per above, please consider this a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

* or “know” as I semi-literally wrote. Oops