Plan B Forum

Blundering council officials have apologised after producing a 425-page Freedom of Information response about a TOWIE nightclub, with every page blacked out.



The pointless FOI reply contains page after page of large black rectangles blocking all key information with council bosses claiming much of the information was deemed commercially sensitive and not in the public interest.

The document was put together by staff at Brentwood Council in Essex after they received questions about a multimillion pound deal to build a cinema next door to The Only Way is Essex nightspot The Sugar Hut.

Details that did get past over-zealous council officials included: 'Hi Duncan - *BLANK* - Do you have any comment to make on this?'

And: 'Hi Bill - *BLANK* - Many thanks, Steve.'

The FOI was originally submitted by local councillor Russell Quirk, 44, from Brentwood, after he became concerned taxpayers could be being short-changed in a deal to build a multi-screen cinema on council land.

But he was stunned when the response - which took him an hour to print and used up a complete black ink cartridge - arrived in his email inbox this week.

He said: 'I find it ironic that on Brentwood Council’s website it claims to have a ‘reputation as one of the most transparent councils in the country’.

'This really is a slap in the face to that claim.

'I understand that some information has to be held back but what I do not understand is how all 425 pages can be deemed ‘not in the public interest’.

'It must have taken a substantial amount of office time to redact all those pages - what a waste.'

Daisy wrote:Why did he print it out??