Universally of Salford: More FoI Humiliation for Salford

Saturday 12 March 2011

More FoI Humiliation for Salford

The Information Commissioner has issued yet another damning decision notice over a Freedom of Information request submitted to - and rejected by - the University of Salford.

This time, it was Steve Kingston of Salford Star fame trying to ascertain how much money the University were paying for the lease on their new premises at MediaCityUK.

The University initially refused the request claiming that the information was available through other means (the Land Registry). They later admitted that this was actually complete bullshit and instead switched their defence to 'Commercial Interests'. Needless to say, this defence didn't fly either, and the Information Commissioner has duly slapped them about in his latest decision notice.

The University have been instructed to publish the information within 35 days of the decision notice.

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What is 'Universally of Salford'?

The openness of any social structure can be validated by how it treats criticism. A democracy would never be described as open or liberal if it failed to encourage a climate in which criticism and opposition to the ideas of an executive body can flourish. A University is no different.

During our experiences with the University of Salford, there has never been an effective outlet for the sort of objections to executive policies and decisions raised in this blog. Almost every attempt we have ever made to investigate any controversial decisions, activities, spending or events has been met with threats, derision and concealment.

The Students' Union – the obvious forum in which to raise these issues – remains silent owing to virtually the entirety of its funding being conditional upon donations from the University.

It is our opinion that the University of Salford can never improve if it, as an institution, cannot distinguish between good and bad decision making. Achieving this is conditional upon both the student and staff bodies being kept informed about both the good and bad within the University.

Since the University have a monopoly over their internal publications (including, we would argue, the Student Newspaper), and since this 'monopolised' publicity is almost without exception propagandist, it is our opinion that a purely critical alternative ought be available to staff and students to balance out this inequity and assist in keeping both parties informed.