Following our FOI (Freedom of Information) request to Highways England and the subsequent press coverage in the Liverpool Echo and The Champion, we wanted to share the chain of emails and draft meeting minutes we obtained here.
The links below contain:
A chain of emails between Highways England and Peel Ports from the last 2 years in relation to the UK Government’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP): The A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Scheme
A set of draft minutes from a meeting between Peel Ports and Arcadis (Highways England’s former subcontractor) which took place at the Port of Liverpool
As we have said elsewhere, it is not surprising that Highways England has been working with Peel Ports on this scheme as there is no escaping that they are an interested party.
This is not the point.
We believe that the real issue here is the complicit nature of the privately-owned Peel Ports continually offering support to Highways England, whilst outwardly, or at least in our meeting with them, distancing itself from the road scheme.
Importantly, we know that other emails and documents are being withheld from us.
We have been told that we aren’t being given these on the grounds that an exception has been applied; namely that the other party (Peel Ports) could not have known that this information would be made public and could therefore not have consented to it being shared.
Peel Ports have been asked if they were willing to share and declined. Furthermore, it was deemed to be not in the public interest; something we disagree with, completely.
We appealed this decision via Highways England’s internal review and the appeal was unsuccessful. We have subsequently complained to the Information Commissioner and are awaiting the outcome of our case.
The key question we should be asking ourselves is; What is so damaging to be kept from the public?
Why not have a read and let us know your thoughts?
a) The email chain between Highways England and Peel Ports
b) Draft minutes from a meeting between Peel Ports and Arcadis
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