I’m not quite sure how many articles I’ve written about the state of Freedom of Information. I know it’s a lot, but it is getting tiresome to report on a new decline in transparency every time the government releases its latest FOI statistics. ‘Worst year on record’ and ‘growing government secrecy’ have become my go-to headlines.
As openDemocracy writes in our latest report on FOI, just 34% of requests sent to government departments and agencies were granted in full last year. Once upon a time, in 2013, that number was 55%. And even back then, the government said the “proportion of requests granted in full has generally followed a downward trend since 2005” – the year the FOI Act came into force.
The FOI Act has been responsible for many major news stories and investigations, and is a vital tool in holding the powerful to account. But it’s getting harder to obtain information, forcing people to appeal against rejections. These FOI battles can go on for years (I should know – I’ve taken around a dozen of these cases to tribunal).
