Authority given 10 days to reply to councillor road claim

Shropshire Council has been given 10 days to answer a Freedom of Information request about the resurfacing of a lane leading to a top councillor’s home – or face potential enforcement action.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has written to the authority ordering it to either answer the FOI sent by Paul Wiseman, leader of Shropshire Friends, or give a reason why it can’t reveal the information.

Mr Wiseman has asked how much it cost the authority to relay the one-mile lane in Trefonen, near Oswestry, which leads to council speaker Vince Hunt’s road.

Mr Wiseman first asked in April and councils are given 20 days to respond – but this still has not been completed.

A letter from Michael Lee, of the Information Commissioner’s Office, to the council, says: “The Information Commissioner has received a complaint from Paul Wiseman stating that no response has been sent to an information request submitted to your organisation.

“Any public authority in receipt of such a request is under a duty to respond within 20 working days of receipt.

“As you have not responded but did acknowledge receipt of the request, please now respond within 10 working days of receipt of this letter.

“You should state whether or not the information is held in a recorded form. If it is held, you should either provide the information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the FOIA or regulation 14 of the Environmental Information Regulations as appropriate.

“In the event of other, similar complaints, the commissioner may consider taking enforcement action under section 52 of the FOIA.”

The one-mile lane was resurfaced just before Christmas last year, after Councillor Joyce Barrow sent an email to the council’s highways department entitled ‘Vince Hunt’s Road!’

Councillor Barrow’s email to the council’s highways department said: “Vince has asked me to find out when the middle bit of the New Barns/Llansilin Road will be resurfaced as he was promised it would be done some time ago.”

The work lead to complaints from members of the public who said more important roads were in need of the work.

And Sharon Clayton, clerk of Oswestry Rural Parish Council, has said the work was not on a list of concern.

She said: “As far as I am aware the condition of the lane has not been designated by the parish council as a concern for the community.

“As far as I am aware no representation by the parish council has been made to Shropshire Council to resurface the lane.

“As far as I am aware there has been no communication concerning resurfacing of the lane between Shropshire Council and the parish council nor any other individuals.”

Mr Wiseman’s Freedom of Information request asked: “What was the justification for the refurbishment of the lane that only services five dwellings? Was any representation made by Oswestry Rural Parish Council to refurbish the lane? What communications were there with regard to the refurbishment by Shropshire Council, Shropshire Council Highways Department, Oswestry Rural Parish Council or any other parties?”

Mr Wiseman is still awaiting a response to the question about what justification there is for the refurbishment of the lane – including the cost.

Shropshire Council has been asked to comment.

Councillors Hunt and Barrow have refused to comment on the story.