Is there a world record for sending Freedom of Information requests?
Crikey News wants to see how many requests it can make in a day – to try and get in before the Australian Government makes it harder to do.
More locally, another council has been given an enforcement notice for poor FOI performance. This follows one for Liverpool Council last month (and people still aren’t happy with Bristol’s performance).
The Information Commissioner’s Office contacted Enfield Council in May about failing to respond to an information notice and a decision notice. The council acknowledged a backlog of requests building up, saying understaffing in the FOI department was causing delays.
The council’s action plan included more effective triaging of new requests, the recruitment of additional staff, including experienced FOI staff, and it agreed to share data on progress with the ICO. The first stats in July revealed 285 requests over a month old. There were also 327 emails waiting in its shared inbox, including requests, follow-up requests, and responses completed by services that could be issued to requesters.
The ICO has now issued an enforcement notice saying no real progress has been made in clearing the backlog, and it’s had 14 complaints about delays since June.
Very locally, eight members of Filey Town Council, including the town mayor, have resigned from the authority in recent weeks, leaving only five elected councillors to make decisions. Local residents are sending in FOI requests to try to find out what happened, but they likely face a wait as the town clerk has also resigned.
Violence in schools
If you’re going to talk about rates in an article, put the rates (per 1,000 or whatever) in the article!
Scotland has Britain’s highest rate of violent injuries to school staff reported to the safety watchdog, Channel 4 News’ FactCheck can reveal. They include fractures, dislocations and even loss of consciousness, with the number of incidents logged at Scottish schools trebling in a decade.
New figures, obtained by FactCheck through a Freedom of Information request to the HSE, show in the 10 years to March 2024, there were 490 injuries to school staff reported in Scotland with “violence” listed as the cause. That was more than the number of reports in Wales or any English region, once adjusted for population size. The HSE doesn’t cover Northern Ireland.
Violence against emergency staff
But this article nearly manages it (the actual numbers are on the map!).
Figures obtained from a Freedom of Information Request have revealed, in every year from 2015 to 2025, the north east has had the country’s highest rate of assaults against police, ambulance and fire personnel per head of population.
This year, up to August 31, the number of emergency service assaults within the North East Police Division, 20 per 10,000 people, was nearly a quarter higher than the second-placed Greater Glasgow. The number was also nearly twice the Scottish average of 11 per 10,000.
Meeting memo
Sir Tony Blair met with Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street while still prime minister, following lobbying by Lord Peter Mandelson, the BBC has confirmed.
A memo written by senior civil servant Matthew Rycroft, dated 14 May 2002, briefs Sir Tony about “super-rich” financial adviser Epstein ahead of a meeting scheduled at 17.00 GMT that day. The meeting was six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
The document has now been released by the National Archives under a Freedom of Information request, following the sacking of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador after fresh revelations about his friendship with the disgraced financier.
Carbon monoxide
New data has revealed that the amount of suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning incidents has more than doubled in Cumbria since 2020.
Data obtained by campaign group Project SHOUT, obtained by Freedom of Information requests found that UK Fire & Rescue Services have responded to 7,703 call-outs to suspected CO poisoning incidents this year, up from 3,876 in 2020.
In Cumbria, cases have risen by 145 per cent, from 20 incidents in 2020, up to 49 so far in 2025.
Speeding children
Children as young as 10 have been caught speeding on UK roads. Since the start of 2021, eight speedsters aged 14 and below have received endorsements for excessive speed, while a total of 183 juveniles have faced prosecution during the same period.
New data obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA by Select Car Leasing reveals that police have caught children as young as 10 for breaking the speed limit on public roads. Between 2021 and 2024, two 10-year-olds were prosecuted – one in 2021 and another in 2023. Two 12-year-olds were found guilty of the charge, along with a 13-year-old.
No police
Shopkeepers in Shirley have been left to fend for themselves on scores of occasions as figures show lagging police response times.
New figures revealed officers attended just ten shoplifting incidents on Shirley High Street this year — despite 71 being reported between January and August.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request to Hampshire Constabulary, show police response times ranging from immediate attendance to delays of more than half an hour, prompting renewed calls for stronger action against retail crime.
Policing football matches
Cash strapped Police Scotland have charged football clubs nearly £9 million in the last four seasons in a bid to recoup money spent on security inside grounds on match days.
Figures revealed under Freedom of Information show that £1.86 million in policing costs was recovered by the force in season 21/22 as stadiums reopened following the end of lockdown restrictions. In the following three seasons a further £6.89 million was charged giving a total of £8.75m.
Missed appointments
Thousands of appointments for mental health and learning disability support have been missed at a Cumbrian NHS trust, despite staff sending thousands of text message reminders to patients.
Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust delivers services at Carleton Clinic in Carlisle and supports children and adults with mental health issues; learning disabilities and neurodiversity.
And new research has revealed that the NHS mental health trust has the seventh highest number of missed appointments in the country at 166,945 in 2024. The study conducted by communication specialist Esendex was based on the findings of Freedom of Information Requests to more than 144 NHS trusts.
Lack of accommodation
Freedom of information requests sent to Cambridge colleges revealed that several lacked accommodation for more than 100 students.
A Varsity investigation found that eight colleges have more than 100 students living off site in 2023/24 and 2024/25. Five colleges were short of housing for more than 100 student applicants, with St. Edmunds, Hughes Hall and Wolfson having the highest rates of rejection.
Step-free access
Transport for London has revealed that it could cost up to £730 million to upgrade just five of London Underground’s Northern Line stations to step-free access.
The astronomical worst-case figures (equivalent to half the cost of building the entire proposed new Bakerloo Line train fleet) have appeared in a statement published as a response to a Freedom of Information request.
The numbers for improving the five Northern Line stations are:
- Stockwell – £94.8m to £253m.
- Tooting Broadway – £53m to £141m.
- South Wimbledon – £44.5m to £118.6m.
- Colliers Wood – £41.7m to £111.3m.
- Kennington – £40.4m to £107.8m.
Rats!
The number of rat infestations reported to councils in six key areas of Lancashire has been revealed.
Freedom of Information requests gathered by repair company Drain Detectives reveals the areas of Lancashire with the highest number of rat infestations reported in 2023 and 2024. The figures show that, for 2024, Chorley had the highest number of infestations with 1,069 up from 1,007 the year before.
If asked about…
First Minister John Swinney was briefed to support the re-introduction of carparking charges at Sumburgh airport ahead of a visit to the isles this August, despite criticism that the change won’t dent the operator’s losses.
In a briefing document seen under Freedom of Information (FoI) law, aides warn the first minister he might be accosted by passengers about the fees — which were reintroduced by operators Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) earlier this year.
First class travel
South Tyneside Council spent close to £15,000 over 18 months on first-class train tickets so members could attend meetings and awards.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the council revealed the details of each first-class train ticket its councillors had purchased between 1 January 2024 and 3 July this year.
Noisy travel
Transport for London (TfL) has been criticised for only bringing four prosecutions against passengers for loud phone conversations or playing audio on their devices since 2020.
Data revealed by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows that just three fines worth £705 in total have been issued.
Fake football shirts
Freedom of Information requests were sent to local authorities to reveal the UK areas where the most fake football shirts have been seized. Milton Keynes took third place, with 140 fake football shirts being seized in the city between 2019 and 2024.
Councils estimated their total value at just £1,400-£4,200, which is as little as £10-£30 per shirt. Only one caution was issued, and no prosecutions were made, highlighting the low penalties that often accompany counterfeit prosecution.
Camden took first place with 4,504 fake football shirts being seized by its borough council within the same time period.
Image by Prashant Gautam on Pexels
