Here are the Olympic-related links we’ve been looking at over the last week from July 19th through July 23rd:
- Police rapped for wasting time on Olympic protest calls | This is Cornwall – "I can confirm that 18 people were visited or spoken to in relation to the policing
of the Olympic torch relay through Devon and Cornwall, in order to ensure that
the force could support its obligations in relation to the facilitation of peaceful
protest as well as the safety and security of the Olympic torch and bearers."
After a positive response from Devon and Cornwall, the campaign group
followed up by asking other forces if they had done likewise. - » FOI and the Olympics FOI Man – My view at the time was that, save for a few details of concern from a security perspective, the manuals should all be disclosed. But the decision was taken to withhold them in their entirety. The issue, as so often in circumstances where information subject to a request has been provided by a third party, was not so much that anyone at the GLA had any strong opinion, but that our Olympic partners – especially LOCOG – were strongly against disclosure. With a long way to go before the Games, there was concern over damaging the Mayor’s relationship with LOCOG in particular.
- 2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals | Games Monitor – This exemption cannot be applied to completed contracts entered into by public authorities; nor is it permissible to apply it simply because confidentiality has been requested by another party. There was no evidence that a successful action for breach of confidence could be brought by the IOC, a test necessary for valid use of the exemption. Nor is it legitimate to apply the exemption to trivial information without any obvious 'quality of confidence'. The Mayor of London breached Information Commissioners guidelines in willingly entering into the Host City Contract in the knowledge that expectations of secrecy would conflict with the requirements of the FOIA.
- Olympic Flame – a Freedom of Information request to Gwynedd Council – WhatDoTheyKnow – Olympic Flame Costs for Gwynedd Council: Management of Olympic Flame County Relay (including highway and transportation staff costs, clean up and contracts) – £24,632.96 Olympic Flame Regional Evening Celebration Event (including security, parking, transportation, contractors fees) – £71,645.16 Income (from transport and parking fees) – £11,810.04 Total Cost: £84,468.08 Gwynedd Council has not retained time sheets for all staff involved in the Olympic Flame Event nor the Olympic Torch relay, therefore this information is not held nor available.
- London 2012 Olympic sponsors list: who are they and what have they paid? –