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Demand is for right answers
A MAN has slammed the council’s attempt at transparency after it failed to answer his questions.
A MAN has slammed the council’s attempt at transparency after it failed to answer his questions.
When George Konstantinidis, who lives in Sandy, asked Central Beds Council a question about injury and damage compensation claims it took five months for him to receive an adequate answer.
He said: “I asked the council under the Freedom of Information Act to provide a breakdown of payments. I received a detailed response but with an obvious discrepancy.
“I did forward the inadequate response to the portfolio holder and to the leader of the council seeking a more accurate response without any luck.
“I resubmitted the question at a full council meeting in November saying that I received an inadequate answer.”
He then received a letter from John Atkinson, head of legal and democratic services at the council, that said: “I note that you are seeking to resubmit questions that you have put at previous meetings and where you are not satisfied with the reply that you have received.
“The position is that in each case you received a reply to your question.
“There is no obligation on the council to provide a further reply.”
George added: “In other words, they say that as long as they respond without answering the question or giving us an irrelevant or inadequate response, they have no obligation for further answers.”
It led him to query the council’s transparency.
But after an enquiry from the Chronicle this week Central Beds Council sent George a further Freedom of Information statement, which answered his follow-up query and explained the discrepancy in the figures, stating that his first request had been misunderstood.
Councillor Maurice Jones, executive member for corporate resources at Central Beds Council said: “As the information originally provided to Mr Konstantinidis was through a Freedom of Information request we have advised him he should use the same process for follow up queries, rather than raising the issue at council meetings where councillors may not be able to provide a technical response at short notice.
“After further investigation we have identified the reason for the discrepancy in the figures and have now provided Mr Konstantinidis with a follow up Freedom of Information response.”
George is pleased to have received an answer but said: “It took five months to get a part response. It is only when the press is involved that we get some response but never a straight answer to a straight forward question.”
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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