ABSTRACT
‘Open government’, according to the Information Commissioner, ‘is not always easy government but it is good government’ (Thomas 2007). This book considers the validity of that claim by focussing on the experience of implementing the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 at the tier of elected government in England and Wales which, through the provision of a variety of social services such as education and housing, has the most immediate impact upon the majority of citizens. Comparisons are also drawn with the Scottish and Irish experiences of FoI in local government. The particular value of focussing upon local government is the sheer number and diversity of experiences that may be drawn upon. There are some 374 principal local authorities in England and Wales alone, together with almost 10,000 parish or town councils. Each individual authority may be regarded as a political system in its own right with its own culture and traditions based inter alia on its geographical position, the social diversity of the local community, its economic background and the frequency of changes in political power. Each, therefore, provides endless possibilities for public engagement in relation to the services provided by the local authority and thus offers a range of different opportunities to make use of the provisions of the Act. The variety of experiences is too vast to be adequately considered in a modest volume such as this. Nevertheless, through the various contributions to this book it is hoped that some preliminary assessment might be made of the way in which the Act is working.
