A bitter row broke out at a Highland Council meeting over members submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to their own council.
New Conservative councillor Ruraidh Stewart slammed Highland Council’s performance in meeting FOI targets.
A report to corporate resources committee outlined that the council is aiming to return 90% of FOI requests within the 20-day legal deadline.
“Anything short of 100% compliance is a breach of the council’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act,” said Mr Stewart. “In light of this I’d like to ask, does the Highland Council have a derogation [exemption or relaxation] from this legislation?
“If 90% given in this is a stretching target, can I ask what the current levels of performance are?”
In a separate report, Highland Council stated its average FOI performance is 76%.
Deputy chief executive Kate Lackie accepted that the council could do better.
She said the council regularly engages with the information commissioner’s office and is “very keen to improve performance”.
Ms Lackie added that recent years have brought an “exponential increase” in FOIs.
Councillors ‘have the power in their own hands’
Mr Stewart’s question provoked an angry response from other councillors.
“Don’t get me going on Freedom of Information,” said Alasdair Christie.
Mr Christie said politicians of all parties often tell the media they have submitted an FOI, when the information could be easily obtained by picking up the phone.
“They’re often a waste of time for under-pressure officers who have better things to do than pander to MSPs and MPs who could quite easily get the answers themselves.”
Council leader Raymond Bremner said this is particularly true of councillors. Emphasising that FOIs should be seen as a “last resort”, Mr Bremner said:
“The last thing I should see is a member of Highland Council submitting FOI requests when they have the power within their own hands to stop writing these things and actually go and knock on the door of the officer.”
Convener Bill Lobban also called members’ FOI submissions a “waste of time”. He urged councillors to build relationships with officers to get the answers they need.
Mr Stewart called their comments “nonsense”, prompting further angry words with Mr Lobban.
The chairman was forced to intervene, bringing the discussion to a hasty close.
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