Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information Some tips for community journalistsDarryl Chamberlaindarrylchamberlain.co.uk @darryl1974Heres what I do.

853blog.comGreenwich and neighbouringareas in south east London

Covering stories others dont

Holding Greenwich Council and other bodies to accountHeres what I do

charltonchampion.co.ukCommunity news and whats happening in Charlton

Designed to be a neutral forumfor local news and viewsHeres what I do

No to Silvertown Tunnel

Campaign against new roadcrossing of the Thames

New road would increasealready-horrifying levels of airpollution in south-east and east LondonOther media in SE London

News Shopper (Newsquest)Based well outside local areaHas recently lost dedicated local reporters for Greenwich and LewishamPrint edition poorly distributedOther media in SE London

Mercury (Tindle Newspapers)Runs on a skeleton staff, based well outside local areaIs a free paper, yet copies are hard to findTook until summer 2015 to launch a proper website

Other media in SE London

Greenwich Time (Greenwich Council)One of just two council weeklies left in EnglandDistributed to every home in Greenwich boroughGives a rosy glow on local council policies week in, week outThe main playersGreenwich Council my local councilNeighbouring councils such as LewishamTransport for London agency run by elected mayor of London which runs public transport and main roads.Why submit an FOI request?To find out figuresTo see how money is being spentTo find views thatd otherwise be kept secretTo obtain documentsFOI to find out figures

FOI to find out figures

FOI to find out figures

Emirates Air Line FOIAsked for hourly breakdown over a weekAsked for sales of a wide range of ticketsExercise has been repeated over three yearsStory generated London and UK coverageEmirates Air Line FOI

Emirates Air Line FOI

Follow the money

Follow the moneyGreenwich Councils private mayor-making celebration costs 20,000Invite lists reveal its used to schmooze property developers and reward chumsAsking for wine list added colour to storyFollow the money

Section 106 payments on new developments such as supermarkets where do they go?

FOI on new Charlton Sainsburys revealed no cash earmarked for local areaRevealing disagreements

Greenwichs cycling sulkGreenwich Council was only one of 32 London boroughs to refuse to deal with the mayors cycling commissionerThis was based on council leaders personal dislike of the commissioner, controversial journalist Andrew GilliganGreenwichs cycling sulkI asked the Greater London Authority for correspondence between Gilligan and Greenwich CouncilPublishing the documents embarrassed the council into reversing its positionFind out why projects fail

FOI to get documents

FOI to get documentsCouncil-commissioned study into possible Docklands Light Railway extension wasnt published on website, but obtained using FOI.Council cabinet had backed spending money on a follow-up report, but was unwilling to make it public. FOI ensured it was made public.

FOI to get documentsFailed funding applications Audio recordings of council meetingsSafety assessments of public structuresOfficer briefings to elected officials

Opening up consultationsYou can ask for all responses to public consultationsNo to Silvertown Tunnel has entire dataset from 2014 consultation, enabling campaign to map responses and gauge support for schemeSome final thoughts on FOINo two councils are the same some are more open than others.Have a good idea of what you expect to see be as specific as possible in your request

Some final thoughts on FOI

Some final thoughts on FOIWhatDoTheyKnow.com is very useful in enabling you to track your requestsIt also lets you monitor requests to your local council and check nobodys asked for information alreadyBUT others may use your information without crediting you for your researchSome final thoughts on FOIAre there other ways to get your information? Try press office or asking public question at a council meeting.Just ask the more questions you ask, the better your stories will be. Some final thoughts on FOI

Thanks for listening

darrylchamberlain.co.uk @darryl1974