Disingenuous, because he conveniently forgets to mention that without a decision notice from the Information Commissioner threatening a contempt of court action it is quite possible that those minutes and associated papers would not have been published at all!
However, the transition trustees became a Board in July when British Waterways became CaRT. Have things changed such that meeting papers are now made available without having to invoke the Freedom of Information Act?
Sadly not!
Some five months after it became a trust, CaRT has only published two documents relating to its first Board meeting and nothing related to its second or third meetings. Even worse, the two documents it has published were as a direct result of a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Perhaps trustees should check out what is really happening rather than give trite assurances.
Board minutes complaint
CaRT's reluctance to provide board papers has now resulted in a complaint being made to the Information Commissioner. The complaint relates to a request made on 6th October for all papers related to Board meetings held on 25th July and 28th September 2012.
The chronology of the complaint is that CaRT was given the benefit of the doubt regarding voluntary publication. The request was not raised until some 10 weeks after CaRT's first Board meeting which was two weeks after its second Board meeting and seven weeks later than its predecessor, British Waterways, had agreed to publish Board papers.
Surely more than enough time!
Ten days later, CaRT provided two documents related to its first Board meeting (minutes and a written resolution) claiming an exemption on the rest of the information stating 'The Board papers will be published at the same location shortly'.
Needless to say, CaRT's interpretation of 'shortly' leaves something to be desired. The papers still have not been forthcoming.
Request for review
A request was made to CaRT to review its decision not to provide the bulk of the information requested, reminding it that the request was made due to its failure to publish within a reasonable timescale. The request added that British Waterways' Board considered a reasonable timescale to be within 2 to 3 weeks of a meeting.
However, CaRT did not respond to this request for a review or even acknowledge that it had been made!
Following expiry of a 20 working day time limit suggested by the Information Commissioner a complaint has been made.
A long wait
On Christmas day it will be exactly five calendar months since CaRT's first Board meeting.
Do the trustees really want the Information Commissioner to threaten the Trust with a contempt of court action or will they ensure publication?
(The decision notice that caused publication of papers relating to meetings of trustees can be found at:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices
The resulting documents can be found at:
http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/publication-scheme
http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/publication-scheme
[The links have been truncated—Editor.]