Why is city council taking so long to answer FOI requests?

(From Nottingham Evening Post)

Byline: Delia Monk Local Government Correspondent

NOTTINGHAM City Council has failed to respond to 42 per cent of Freedom of Information requests within the legal time limit over the past two years.

The Freedom of Information Act, which came into force in 2005, gives members of the public the right to ask for information held by public bodies, like the police or councils.

Information must be given within 20 working days, unless it is legally exempt from disclosure.

But in 2009-10 and 2010-2011, 623 of 1,491 responses provided by the city council fell outside that time period.

Basford resident Andy …