We’ve had our first response to our various FOI (Freedom of Information) requests. First up is Horsham District Council (HDC) which has confirmed the purchase price/ date of the former Mill Stream Surgery building. But we’re still no clearer as to how and why the purchase was made?
We’re convinced that Mill Stream, with its adjacent parking, central location and council-ownership, offers a better alternative to the proposed development on the Glebe Field. And we’d like to understand why it has been left empty for two years since its purchase on 1 August 2014 (for £580,000 of ratepayers’ money).
We asked four questions in our FOI request to HDC.
- The date of acquisition of the property by the District Council including the purchase price paid.
- Details of the statutory powers relied upon by the Council to purchase the building. Can you please provide copies of the Cabinet and/or Delegated Authority reports authorising the transaction.
- Provide details of all correspondence and discussions with the following parties in relation to the current and future use of the building: Storrington and Sullington Parish Council / The Glebe Medical Practice, Storrington / Medical Centre Developments Limited / NHS Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group / and NHS England. This request to include notes of any meetings between the Council and any of the listed parties.
- Details of all development and building appraisals commissioned by the Council, Glebe Surgery, NHS England or the CCG relating to the proposed future use of the Mill Stream building as the main primary care facility for the village of Storrington. This to include all plans, sketch schemes, building cost plans, valuations and development appraisals. Please include copies of all correspondence between the parties relating to this work.
We’ve got an answer to the first one but the other three questions have been left unanswered. The Council declined to answer question (2) on the basis that the information is “legally privileged”. It says: “The Council has applied the public interest test to this information and whilst there is a public interest in disclosing the information as it gives insight into Council decision making on this occasion the public interest in upholding legal privilege is greater.”
So, we are still none the wiser as to why the Mill Stream remains closed.
The Council also declined to answer questions (3) and (4), citing that “it would take a Council employee an inordinate amount of time to search to find and assess the information requested” (ie gathering the answers would exceed the costs limit of FOI requests!). Doesn’t say much for the Council’s filing system.
We will be asking for a review of these responses and fine-tuning our questions so that we can understand why the Council’s (presumably good) intentions in acquiring Mill Stream back in 2014 have not manifested in a new health centre for Storrington!
