FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT IS NOW NOT SO RESTRICTIVE

  Theo and his battle to end town hall secrecy 

 

Theo Blackwell`s days

 as a campaigning 

councillor  have come 

to an end .He now has

a  top London  job.But he

has left a legacy of  

near success with

a nationwide 

campaign.

 

 Theo, pictured, was a leading Camden borough councillor.He was concerned that the Freedom of Information Act which  applies to local and central government  does not apply to private companies, voluntary firms and housing

associations.

 

These bodies are publicly-funded to carry

out work for local andcentral government.The act allows the public to ask for details about how these bodies work.

 As a councillor,Theo was Cabinet Member for Finance at Camden , one of the largest local authorirties in the country, and had overall responsibility and budget setting for £250 million.

 He dealt with a"complex web"of private contracts. "It is time for  private sector firms to work by public sector rules" he said during his campaign.

“The act should apply to these organisations”, he added.

 The Carlisle campaigning community group, Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation,  which publishes this blog, agrees with all of that. The group has said so dozens of times in letters, emails, and meetings with councillors and with the city council.

 In all these efforts the Federation has been aiming to get answers from the highly secretive and highly inefficient Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association which took over the city`s 6,000 former council houses when they were privatised, 20 yeras ago

 This week the government published its long-awaited Social Housing Regulation Bill, putting into law a host of reforms to the regulation of the sector.

 Housing associations are covered by the bill and will now be subject to  Freedom of Information sector rules though, sadly, these rules are only for tenants and not the wider public. 

The bill requires social landlords to give tenants information relating to their accommodation, facilities or services. Social landlords must also publish its executives’ salaries and management costs. 

Theo is now London's first Chief Digital Officer. He leads on London-wide digital transformation, data and smart city initiatives at City Hall.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277.