ACCESS to information has become a key part of all our lives.
It is not just about what we know about the organisations that work for us, the community, or about how much information and what sort of detail is held about each and every one of us.
It is also about ensuring that our communities are open and outward looking. That they connect with individuals and groups at their heart and that they look out and not inward.
We all know what happens all around the world when secrecy is used to keep decisions from people who may have a different opinion. Where deeds are done in the name of others who may well disagree about how others are being treated.
That is on the much wider scale but of course, it all begins on our doorstep.
That is why it is both disappointing and concerning to discover that Kirklees Council has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner for failing to respond in an appropriate timescale to a request for facts under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
The act was created to help increase the accountability of public bodies. Its aim was to break down a culture of official secrecy and in doing so, make public bodies more accountable.
The media and many individuals have found the FOI law a useful tool in getting councils and other public bodies to be more open and transparent about what they do, not just with our money, but our behalf.
Yes, some requests may be complex, demanding a good deal of work in order to provide the details requested and some requests may indeed be rightly termed as vexacious but it is likely that many other requests are comparatively straightforward.
Proper prioritisation is key as is a whole-hearted commitment to this legislation by those within and running the council.
FOI is not just a legal obligation on public bodies but a moral one and its delivery should be defended vigorously.
