I think it might be spooky season (I am not sad about this. How early is too early to get the Halloween decorations out?).
And apparently we’re all asking about UFOs.
Following a freedom of information request, Wiltshire Police published all the reports they have received mentioning UFOs, UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena), aliens and more.
As well as your common and garden UFO sightings there are alleged physical interactions with aliens, even inside people’s own homes.
Meanwhile, Canadian authorities have released an image of a UFO that was shot down by U.S. fighters in 2023. According to CTV News, the photo was released through a freedom of information request.
Should you want to ask the US Government about UFOs, this is a handy guide (it’s pretty useful if you want to ask about other things too).
Accommodating the Secret Service
On the subject of the US Freedom of Information Act…
Donald Trump’s flagship Turnberry resort has been paid nearly £25,000 by his own government to cover accommodation costs for Secret Service agents assigned to protect his son, Eric, on multiple trips to Scotland to attend to the family’s business affairs.
The information came from using the FOIA in the US. And there’s an interesting article talking about the process of that as well.
Weapons in schools
More than 90 weapons including knives, knuckle dusters, hammers and a machete have been seized by police from schools in Greater Manchester in the last school year.
Figures released by the region’s police force show officers were called to 99 incidents involving weapons at schools between September 2023 and July. Thirty-nine knives were seized in total, along with other weapons including a saw and a pole.
Longest asylum claims
An asylum claim made nearly 17 years ago is still being processed by the Home Office, new data shows.
Another 19 cases were between 10 and 16 and a half years old, records obtained by The Times under freedom of information laws reveal.
Records show that one of the longstanding cases was still being reviewed because government officials are considering whether the claimant had been involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Rental debt
Hundreds of thousands of social housing tenants owe money to their local authority, with the number of homes in rent arrears increasing by 8 per cent from 2019 to 2023, increasing pressure on cash-strapped councils and leaving those in debt facing homelessness.
Freedom of Information (FOI) data from 82 local authorities – around a third of the number of councils which own social housing – shows more than £240m was owed in rent arrears in June/July this year. This is up from £147m owed in 2019, according to analysis from payment specialists Access PaySuite.
Missing investigations
A mental health trust which admitted fabricating patients’ records has not launched any internal investigations into the forgeries, we can reveal.
The East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) told a court in spring that up to 12 dead patients’ medical records may have been partially falsified, but claimed there was an ongoing programme of work to tackle the problem.
Board papers last month said the trust has conducted a “comprehensive review” of the 12 incidents and a project launched in 2022 had “made notable progress in addressing falsification of observations”.
The Newham Reporter used the Freedom of Information Act to request access to “all internal reports or documents which detail the trust’s investigations into the fabrication of records”.
But the trust – which serves Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and the City of London – responded: “There are no internal reports or investigations into any alleged fabrication of records.”
Bike complaints
Another follow-up…
Brent Council receives fewer than one official complaint a week about Lime bikes, new figures reveal.
The statistics – obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request – appear to contradict council leader Muhammed Butt’s claims that the council is receiving “repeated, regular complaints” about bikes being left strewn across paths.
But the council claims the figures “mask the full extent” of the issues Lime bikes cause, as complaints are often received through other channels.
Seized dogs
West Dunbartonshire Council’s dog warden has seized 64 animals over the past five years, new figures have shown.
The statistics, obtained by the Lennox via a Freedom of Information request, show that American Bulldogs were the most commonly complained about breeds in 2020 and 2021.
Jack Russell/Lakeland crossbreeds were the most complained about in 2019, with German Shepherds, Lurchers and Collies topping the chart in 2022.
Dobermans were the most reported in 2023, with the 2024 final figures still to be published.
XL Bully compensation
More than 400 XL bullies owners received payouts from an euthanasia compensation scheme, which cost taxpayers almost £80,000. The Government received 429 claims after the breed was added to the dangerous dogs list in February.
When the ban – which made it a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate – was being introduced, the Government offered to subsidise euthanasia, announcing that March 15 would be the cut-off point for claims.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act showed that the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) had paid out £78,900 to date. Out of the compensation applications received, 406 were paid, and 23 were rejected.
Image by Zain Ali on Pexels
