Reading council admits 'rubbish' response to data requests

A meeting at Reading Borough Council heard improvements were needed to how it responds to information requests

A council's response times to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have been described as "rubbish" by one of its own senior officials.

Reading Borough Council responded to 63% of requests within 20 working days during the latest reporting period - falling short of its 90% target.

Michael Graham, the council's assistant director of legal and democratic, said the numbers were "stubbornly low".

The council said it was preparing an "action plan" to address the issue.

Mr Graham said the figures were "disappointing" and "still rubbish" despite recent improvements during an audit and governance council meeting, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Asked what the cause of the problem was, Mr Graham said: "We believe it's cultural.

"People are busy in their day jobs... information rights are perhaps viewed as something else which they've got to do and there's a deadline to do it, and that's the nut we've got to crack."

The council said it received 289 FOIs between April and June, with 182 answered within the 20 working day period required by the Freedom of Information Act.

The meeting heard a report outlining how improvements could be made would be presented to the council's audit and governance committee in January.