Kempsey Parish Council Says It Can’t Answer FOI Requests… Despite Nearly £100,000 a Year in Staffing

Kempsey Parish Council has issued its latest refusal to a Freedom of Information request – this time regarding the long delayed Pixham Ferry Lane project, stating that it simply does not have the administrative time to gather the information because doing so would cost more than the £450 FOI limit.

That’s £450 total.

Not per hour.

The entire cap for the request.

(Which equates to just 18 hours of staff time.)

The Council states that locating, reviewing, and preparing this material would take too long and therefore exceed the statutory limit – meaning the public cannot see how their money has been spent, how decisions were made, or why this project has dragged on for years with nothing built.

This is particularly difficult to understand when residents are collectively funding three Parish Council staff, costing the public close to £100,000 per year. Yet despite this significant payroll, we are told there is not enough administrative capacity to compile documents related to a project that has already cost the village tens of thousands of pounds.

It raises a fair question:

If the Council cannot produce the paperwork for one of it’s own major projects, how is the project being managed in the first place?

And a second:

If documentation is so disorganised that it would take more than 18 hours to locate, is that not itself a cause for concern?

Residents have been waiting years for clarity on Pixham Ferry Lane, a project that has already absorbed substantial public funds and has still not broken ground, with repeated delays, missed planning milestones, and shifting explanations.

Instead of transparency, we are advised to narrow our request or look at the Parish Council website  which, as anyone who has tried, will know offers very limited detail on the actual decision making or financial trail.

To be clear: FOI law requires councils to maintain records that are accessible, organised, and available for public scrutiny. The inability to retrieve basic documentation is not an excuse, it is the problem.

Residents deserve to know:

• Where the money has gone
• What the delays are
• Who is responsible
• What the real timelines and commitments are
• And why, after years and tens of thousands spent, the village still has nothing to show for it

Transparency is not optional. It is a legal duty. If the Council cannot answer legitimate questions because its own records are too complex or disorganised to retrieve, then that is an issue residents deserve answers to even more urgently.

More updates will follow as further FOI requests and internal reviews progress.

Here is the FOI Request:

Sharon Dunn
Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer
Kempsey Parish Council
Parish Office, Community Centre
Main Road, Kempsey
Worcester, WR5 3LQ

Dear Ms Dunn,

Subject: Request for itemised spending on Pixham Ferry Lane project

As a resident of Kempsey, I am requesting the following information under the freedom of information / local transparency measures for public bodies:

1. All payments, contracts, invoices, quotations, and budget commitments made by the Parish Council relating to the project at Old Road South / Pixham Ferry Lane (often referenced as the “Pixham Ferry Lane” site) from the date when the project was first initiated until the present.
2. The name of the project manager(s) appointed, the contract value, start date and any termination / variation of contract (if applicable) for this project.
3. A summary table showing:
   • Project budget or approved funding (if any)
   • Funds spent to date (with breakdown by year if possible)
   • Outstanding committed expenditure (contracted but not yet paid)
   • Status of the project (planning approved, construction started, completed, etc)
4. Any internal reports, cost‑overrun assessments, or reviews of the project which discuss delays, additional costs or savings measures (for example if a project manager was dismissed to save money).

Please provide this information in electronic format (preferably PDF or spreadsheet) where possible. If any of the information is exempt from disclosure, please provide a note of which section of the FOI/Transparency legislation you are relying on and whether a partial or redacted version can be provided.

I understand that, under the Freedom of Information Act (or relevant local transparency rules) you have up to 20 working days (or the prescribed timeframe) to respond. I would appreciate acknowledgment of this request within five working days and a substantive reply as soon as possible.

Thank you for your assistance and commitment to transparency.

Yours sincerely,

Here is the Final KPC Response