Do Southwark Council think they own this website?

This is so absurd I couldn't resist sharing it...

Someone recently made a Freedom of Information request for a copy of the travel plan for the Blue Fin Building in Southwark Street:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/blue_fin_building_travel_plan

In this context a travel plan is a document setting out measures to be taken by the occupier of an office building to encourage staff to use alternatives to the car to get to/from their workplace.

So what do Southwark Council do?

They reply with a link to the listing on this website for The Refinery bar with a map showing the building's location:

Southwark Council wrote:

The information you requested is available on Southwark Council's website
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/restaurants/info/687/the-refinery

Read the full response here

Words fail me.

Well James, I suppose it's a back handed compliment on your superior ways of giving information...

How cheeky. Obviously someone is not doing their job correctly!

That's hilarious!

That's wonderful.

I assume you're now sending all your invoices for running costs to the Council now?

Exactly. I will not pay any council tax bills till I hear from JAMES.

No doubt S.C. when their i.t. system gets sorted will print a front page apology in south london press!

BJFAN - of course ... and I'm delighted that we get a considerable amount of traffic from Southwark Council and many officers and councillors are helpful to us in a variety of ways.

I was just expressing mild amusement (note: not anger or annoyance) about the totally muddled response to that guy's FOI request - and the notion that a picture and map of a wine bar was somehow a relevant response to a request for a formal document prepared as part of the planning process.

BJFAN wrote:

If it wasnt for the council you would have nothing to report.

There are much more interesting things on this website than Southwark Council, I can assure you!

Do you think that SC were trying to say: "it's a right headache trying to get an FOI request through. Why not just go and sit in a bar instead?"