Martin Rosenbaum
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mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Martin Rosenbaum
@mrosenbaum.bsky.social
2.8K followers 680 following 260 posts
Freedom of information expert & consultant. Honorary Research Fellow, Birkbeck College politics dept. Author, 'Freedom of Information: A practical guidebook', http://amzn.to/3L2tuKi. ExBBC political journalist & radio producer. https://rosenbaum.org.uk/
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mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Martin Rosenbaum @mrosenbaum.bsky.social · Jan 10
Since my recent revelations using FOI seem to have sparked some interest here, this seems like a good time to say that if you also want to use FOI effectively, I recommend you buy my book: 'Freedom of Information: A practical guidebook' www.amazon.co.uk/Freedom-Info...
Front cover of 'Freedom of Information: A practical guidebook'
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
In the Commons yesterday, Tory frontbencher Caroline Johnson initiated a debate on government transparency and accountability - including on the pincer movement sometimes needed using both written PQs and FOI to extract answers (the reply from the minister Chris Ward did not engage with this point)
I will give an example. After the strategic defence review in 2025, I submitted a written parliamentary question to the Secretary of State for Defence to ask which industry bodies, defence industry companies, media organisations and other non-government bodies or people were given access to the review ahead of its publication, and at what times. Because they did not answer the question, I submitted an FOI request. I did not receive a timely response to that. I therefore had to go back to where I started and submitted a written question on 1 September, asking when the Department planned to respond to the FOI request. I finally received a grossly belated response on 16 September—yet it was dated 9 September—from the Secretary of State. That reply was incomplete and I have had to submit another FOI request to get the rest of the information. Is this not the kind of wasteful and inefficient use of time in Government Departments and the civil service that our constituents want rooting out? Why should Members need to submit an FOI request to get an answer to their written question and then submit a written question about that very FOI request in order to get the answer that the Department clearly had all along?
November 28, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
profjanegreen.bsky.social
UK politics followers, these graphs are in a paper by @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social and co (inc. me).

There's so much useful info in them.

The long-term context for the politics of our time, how the 'Brexit elections' differed, though note the Y axes may need to be bigger for the next election!!
November 28, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Standing offer: if you maintain the LLPG at a UK council and think the address records are Authority Owned Data rather than Supplied Data (iykyk), email me at [email protected]. I will try to unlock the address data legally using FOI + RPSI regs, and forget your name.

#opendata #openaddresses
November 26, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
How a recent Scottish council by-election became a natural experiment for assessing the potential extent of anti-Reform tactical voting - rosenbaum6.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
How a recent Scottish council by-election became a natural experiment for assessing the potential extent of anti-Reform tactical voting - rosenbaum6.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Some lessons from last week's by-election in Scotland's most southerly council ward for the potential of anti-Reform tactical voting - rosenbaum6.substack.com/p/will-the-l...
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
What the Hallett Covid inquiry report says about use of private communication channels (eg WhatsApp) & impact on govt record-keeping: it is likely to 'undermine external scrutiny of decision-making, transparency and public accountability' and impede responses to FOI requests.
Mr Johnson told the Inquiry that there “was not ‘Government by WhatsApp’” in the UK government during the pandemic.222 However, there was evidence of UK government WhatsApp discussions about: possible interventions in March 2020; the lifting of restrictions in the summer of 2020; whether to implement a ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown in September 2020; the viability of population segmentation; mandating face coverings; and the reduction in social distancing.223 11.116. Key decision-makers such as Ms Sturgeon and Mr Swinney used private phones for official business throughout the pandemic and to discuss aspects of the response. Ms Sturgeon used direct messaging on the social media platform Twitter (subsequently known as X) to discuss the pandemic response with Professor Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group.224 11.117. The Inquiry also saw examples of substantive discussions between ministers, civil servants and special advisers in Northern Ireland on instant communication channels.225 The use of private channels also makes official record-keeping of decision-making more difficult and less reliable, which is likely to undermine external scrutiny of decision-making, transparency and, ultimately, public accountability.234 The ability of government to comply with its legal obligations (including those under the Public Records Act 1958) in response to freedom of information requests, during court processes and in the work of public inquiries may also be impeded. Government business should be conducted using approved channels on official devices. This is to ensure the adequacy of decision-making processes and the retention of the requisite records, as well as to protect the security of communications. However, if in exceptional circumstances a person uses a private device for government business, they must ensure that all communications are retained and transferred to official systems. Policies should be updated to ensure this. Otherwise, governments have no real oversight of the extent to which private devices, as well as instant communication channels, are being used for government business. Appropriate record-keeping is also reliant upon individuals proactively identifying and transferring relevant information to official systems.
November 20, 2025 at 4:36 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Classic redaction error ... just copy and paste the 'redacted' text, and hey presto!
owenboswarva.bsky.social Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 11d
Oops: MoD blunder reveals secret details of bomb project www.theferret.scot/mod-details-... from @theferret.scot

#FOI #redaction #armstrade
The Ministry of Defence has apologised after it accidentally leaked secret documents to The Ferret revealing it was considering Grangemouth and other sites across the UK for new arms factories. Twelve potential locations for making explosives were mistakenly identified in emails released to us under freedom of information (FoI) law. Blacked out text which was meant to remain hidden could be uncovered simply by copying and pasting it into another document. Sites under consideration include parts of the Grangemouth industrial complex, the Finnart oil terminal on Loch Long, and locations in Cumbria, Teesside, Northumberland, Southampton and Wales.
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
A challenge to pollsters as well as to academic researchers ...
joshmccrain.bsky.social Josh McCrain @joshmccrain.bsky.social · 11d
new paper by Sean Westwood:

With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
benworthy.bsky.social
Come along to my talk 'Does Transparency Make for Better Politics?' 25 November 2025, 13:00 — 14:00 (online)
www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...
SECRETS AND LIES: DOES MORE TRANSPARENCY MAKE FOR BETTER POLITICS?
3rd Seminar Series on Governance, Institutions and Sustainability
www.bbk.ac.uk
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Here's a recording, if you're interested, of myself and the ICO's Director of FOI Warren Seddon discussing 20 years of FOI in the UK and its impact (from the ICO's annual conference a couple of weeks ago) - ico.org.uk/about-the-ic...
November 11, 2025 at 2:54 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Very interesting interview, with Andrew Lownie outlining some of the obstacles placed in his way, as he tried to bring more scrutiny and transparency to royal activities
petergeoghegan.bsky.social Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 22d
The full interview with Andrew Lownie about how Prince Andrew was protected - and how documents about the royals are suppressed - is also up on YouTube

Would highly recommend watching it youtu.be/OJHaVsDVv-c?...
The Prince Andrew Cover Up: How Royal Files Are Hidden From Public
YouTube video by Democracy for Sale
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
The ICO is investigating claims that on the same day that an FOI tribunal ordered Fermanagh & Omagh Council to disclose inspection reports for two dog breeders, the council destroyed eight years' worth of similar information about other dog breeding premises. The ICO is 'surprised and concerned'.
November 6, 2025 at 12:45 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
FOI requesters often feel frustrated when getting answers like 'under 5' instead of actual numbers - but this isn't allowed unless the individuals involved are actually identifiable. See this recent ICO decision: ico.org.uk/media2/o0rgv... (h/t Tim Turner)
He notes that the withheld information would reveal the number of hospital admissions in Lincolnshire relating to Lyme Disease broken down by year and show the length of those admissions. But the Commissioner still cannot see how, despite the low numbers, disclosure would lead to the identification of the relevant data subjects. Without being able to successfully link the withheld information to the data subjects (and provide convincing arguments over how this can be done), the Commissioner is of the view that it cannot be categorised as personal data, as defined in section 3(2) of the DPA. He has therefore no alternative, based on the submissions he has received, but to conclude that section 40(2) of FOIA is not engaged.
October 30, 2025 at 10:32 AM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
ONS has launched a consultation exercise on which topics are to be included in the next census ... consultations.ons.gov.uk/census/censu...
Census 2031 topic consultation - Office for National Statistics - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by the Office for National Statistics
consultations.ons.gov.uk
October 28, 2025 at 12:54 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Many large public bodies do not publish the FOI statistics required by the Cabinet Office Code of Practice. The ICO has now started taking action over this - it's just issued eight practice recommendations to departments in the Northern Ireland Executive.
ICO's regulatory action webpage, showing practice recommendation for Northern Ireland Executive
October 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
theyworkforyou.com
New on TheyWorkForYou: better ways of managing email alerts
Improving TheyWorkForYou email alerts
Improving our parliamentary monitoring tools to make it easier to manage more complex alerts.
www.mysociety.org
October 24, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
cfoiscot.bsky.social
Join CFoIS and Human Rights Consortium for a FoISA Reform Bill Update Event on November the 19th.

Tickets are available to book via Eventbrite now: www.eventbrite.com/e/1759810012...

#FoISAReform25 #freedomofinformation #humanrights #event #foi
FoISA Reform Bill Update In conjunction with the Human Rights Consortium Scotland. Free Location: Online 19 November at 1:00PM to 2:00PM GMT CFoIS announces an update event on the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill on progressing the Bill through Stage 1, held in conjunction with Human Rights Consortium Scotland. Book a free ticket via Eventbrite now!
October 23, 2025 at 4:27 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Transport for London official (discussing whether to publish research about impact of LTNs commissioned from Uni of Westminster) writes "this stuff is FOI-able ... we may be forced to publish" - but actually they didn't, and it has indeed been FOI'd
"There’s also the very thorny issue that, regardless of our publication plans (especially if nothing specific has been decided), all of this stuff is FOI-able! So as soon as word gets out that these reports exist (something which I think for now hasn’t happened – crucially not reached those more prone to send FOIs) we may be forced to publish what we have. Hence (and this may be more for [redacted]) we may not want to mention anything at all (including the good news about Cycleways) until we’re ready to go out with the whole lot. UoW usually talk about this research at conferences over the summer but so far this hasn’t come to bite us and it could be framed as “their thing” even though it’s our research, money and data"
October 15, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
I also looked at what the latest @britishelectionstudy.com data tells us about the leisure activities of different party supporters, and this was the most striking comparison - Reform voters are much less likely to get their news from the BBC
rosenbaum6.substack.com/p/politics-p...
Only 44% of Reform voters said they had watched BBC news in the past 12 months, compared to 61% of Greens, 65% of Tories, 69% of Labour voters and 73% of LibDems.
October 10, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Reposted by Martin Rosenbaum
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
What are the links between personality and party support? I've examined the latest @britishelectionstudy.com data for the most recent evidence ....
rosenbaum6.substack.com/p/politics-p...
This table shows the average score for each party’s voters on a scale for each of the 'big five' personality dimensions
October 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
What are the links between personality and party support? I've examined the latest @britishelectionstudy.com data for the most recent evidence ....
rosenbaum6.substack.com/p/politics-p...
This table shows the average score for each party’s voters on a scale for each of the 'big five' personality dimensions
October 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Reminder: On Tues 14 Oct, I'm talking to the ICO's Director of FOI Warren Seddon abut 20 years of FOI, as part of the ICO's annual online event - anyone can register via here: ico.org.uk/about-the-ic...
October 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
I'm taking part in an online discussion about 20 years of FOI with the ICO's Director of FOI, Warren Seddon, as part of the ICO's annual online conference (DPPC 2025) on Tues 14 Oct - open to anyone, you can sign up at ico.org.uk/about-the-ic...
Data Protection Practitioners' Conference
This year’s DPPC will take place online on Tuesday 14 October 2025.
ico.org.uk
October 3, 2025 at 11:31 AM
mrosenbaum.bsky.social
This is a fascinating article, full of detail, for anyone interested in access to government records and processes for their preservation
mrmhurst.bsky.social Matthew Hurst @mrmhurst.bsky.social · Oct 1
British colonial officials destroyed countless files before decolonisation. But one colony has been neglected by the literature: Hong Kong. My latest paper in @jich.bsky.social examines the past, present and future of Hong Kong colonial government migrated archives: doi.org/10.1080/0308...
Hong Kong Colonial Government Migrated Archives at Hanslope Park
Following the revelation in 2011 that the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office was sitting on the migrated archives of dozens of colonial governments, almost 20,000 files were transferred from s...
doi.org
October 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM