A weekly newspaper has won an almost year-long Freedom of Information battle with the government over the removal of “cherished” soldiers from its patch.
The Ministry of Defence has finally confirmed to the Nuneaton News that the both 30 Signal Regiment and the Queens Gurkha Signals regiment will move from Gamecock Barracks, near Nuneaton – 11 months after an initial request was lodged by the paper.
Between 250 and 300 Gurkhas are understood to have settled in Nuneaton and Bedworth as a result of the association with Gamecock Barracks, and the News says the decision will “bring upset to many” across its patch.
Reporter Claire Harrison made an initial enquiry on the matter in March last year after spotting a line in a report from a meeting of the Armed Forces Covenant, a body which encourages local authorities and armed forces communities to work together, in which it was noted the regiments would “likely” move out of the barracks to make way for others to move in.
A regimental march in 2008
The Ministry of Defence told Claire information on whether the move would go ahead was exempt from the FoI Act, after she submitted an initial request the same month.
Claire told HTFP: “I probed further, this time lodging an appeal asking that if information was to be made available by the end of 2017, why could it not be revealed sooner, particularly as the regiments hold such a fond place in residents’ hearts.
“In July last year, I received a response that the Ministry of Defence was not, at that time, in a position to provide a substantive internal review into my request as the investigation was ongoing. I then decided to put another FoI in, asking the same question as my original FoI.”
After submitting this, she received a response to her appeal in November which stated the information she requested had been rescheduled for release in 2018.
Claire added: “Finally, on 2 February this year, I received a response from my second FoI, which confirmed the move – almost a year after my first FoI.”
In 2002 the 30 Signals regiment, including the Gurkhas, was given Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’ s highest accolade – the Freedom of the Borough.
Council leader Dennis Harvey told the News confirmation of the planned move amounted to a “sad day”.
Editor in chief Gary Phelps added: “This is an example of why local journalism continues to play such an important role in the community, holding government bodies to account on behalf of its readers.
“It also shows that perseverance does pay off and why the Nuneaton News, like so many local newspapers, play an integral part in the community it serves.”
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Maybe I’m missing something, but how is this a success? The FOI was submitted, the MoD ignored it and released the info when they wanted, to their timetable.
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Instead of submitting an FOI why didn’t she simply pick up the phone and ask the question? The MOD would probably have given her the background info about when the move was going to be announced.
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You’d think a paper with a military installation in its patch would have at least one reporter who had a relationship with an MOD or Army press officer with whom a chat would elicit the required information instead of using the FOI stick.
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Observer50, I’m pretty sure I understand the article above to say the reporter DID make ‘an initial enquiry in March’ THEN ‘submitted an initial (FOI) request .. the same month’ – presumably because the MoD did not do what you suggest.
One way or another, this is the kind of reporting which fewer reporters – see earlier reports on HTFP about the swingeing cuts to come for the Nuneaton News and its sister papers – will ever have time to do, and the kind of local nugget buried in a council or other report which fewer reporters will be casting their eyes over. And no, the NN and its sister CINM titles which Gary Phelps edits will not be getting BBC-funded local government reporters to replace those made redundant.
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We have some churlish miseries in our ranks.
I assume they ran a story saying the MoD refused to confirm or deny suggestions the barracks was on borrowed time.
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