Wirral council: 'Freedom of Information charges will hinder cover-ups coming to light'
Wirral council has written to the Justice Select Committee opposing new charges for Freedom of Information Act requests.
The council has received 3,675 requests for information in the last five years.
Cllr Ian Lewis, cabinet member for customer and community engagement, said notable requests had arrived during attempts to close libraries and leisure centres and, more recently, during the attempts by a whistle blower to lift the lid on over charging of adults in care homes in the borough.
Cllr Lewis said: "If the Act was to be amended in the future so that it became more difficult for members of the public to expose failings in a public body then bad policy decisions and council cover-ups may never come to light.
"If a council wishes to reduce the number of FoI requests it receives, it should start by making more information easily and freely available.
"We've made a good start by publishing all spending of £500 or more but we need to go much further."
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David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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Respect to Cllr Lewis in Wirral.
Openness and transparency in all dealings are words much overused by politicians.
If the reality is to be behind closed doors and need to know then democracy will become an engine put into reverse gear.
Shame on whoever is advocating this.
What is it they say, where knowledge and fact is not visible then rumour and inuendo will fill the void so this could backfire dramatically.