12th December 2013

I’ve had an answer to the FoI request below and have updated the article here

It’s now being appealed to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

24th April 2013

I placed this Freedom of Information request in late March 2013:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/councillors_attending_not_attend#followup

I’m interested to know the names of the 59 councillors who attended at least one publicly-funded training session.  By the same token, I’m intrigued that 7 councillors failed to attend any of a total of 25 sessions, and I would also like to be told who they are.

I’d like to know whether either or both of my local Seacombe representatives feature within the larger group (59) or the smaller group (7).

I ask this out of a need to get a handle on their performance in the job.  A subject like training goes right to the heart of this.  If they have any desire to better themselves and to be more effective or efficient in their roles; and any desire to serve the people who entrusted them to public office, then I’d say they need to attend the courses that we the voters are funding.

If you have a read of my request for internal review at the above link, you’ll also see a few more reasons laid out as to why the council – a public body – should be required to be more open and transparent with their paymasters.  That’s us, the public, who place our trust and give our mandate to these 66 public servants.