Council plans for Zombie invasion remain unclear

Freedom of Information requests to Telford & Wrekin Council boomed by 22 per cent last year, including at least one that has stumped officials.

Councillors were told that one recent FoI request was to find information about zombies – fictional dead people who are brought back to life in horror films sometimes attacking human beings.

“Two weeks ago we had an FoI request about what plans the council had for a zombie invasion,” an officer told members of the audit committee on Wednesday (May 28).

As the council chamber at Southwater dissolved into laughter he added: “That’s still being discussed.”

The audit committee is informed of how the council is doing in meeting legal requirements for answering requests for information, which also includes subject access requests and for information held on individuals under the General Data Protection Regulation.

The committee was told that in the year 2024-25 the council received 1,262 FoI request at the average rate of 105 each month, an increase of some 22 per cent.

And they dealt with 86 per cent of them in the statutory deadline at an average of 15 days each.

Committee members were told that there was no particular reason for the increase.

The council receives requests from companies looking for contract opportunities, ‘heir hunting’ firms looking for next of kin details, as well as requests from the local and national press.

Councillors were told that the Freedom of Information Act is a burden for officers who have to spend time answering them, but that it has opened the council up to more scrutiny.

Story by David Tooley – Local Democracy Reporter