{"id":4632,"date":"2014-02-18T21:48:23","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T21:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?page_id=4632"},"modified":"2014-05-24T18:09:41","modified_gmt":"2014-05-24T18:09:41","slug":"foi-req-11-guidance-at-rattlechain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?page_id=4632","title":{"rendered":"FOI REQ 11 Guidance at rattlechain"},"content":{"rendered":"

GUIDANCE AT RATTLECHAIN<\/a><\/p>\n

BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n

This request is linked to works carried out in 2013 at the lagoon and the updated closure plan for the site- originally submitted by Rhodia in 2006.<\/p>\n

WHAT DID WE ASK?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I am requesting any recorded evidence of guidance issued to Rhodia UK Limited\/Solvay or their contractors in relation to works undertaken this year at the Rattlechain lagoon hazardous waste disposal site in John\u2019s Lane, Tividale, West Midlands, B69 3NG.<\/p>\n

In this request, I include correspondence, statements or questions of request made in emails or file notes from the companies named or their contractors which ask for permission to vary the conditions of the existing on site permit during the course of the project and also those relating to the \u201cremediation\u201d of the site. I also include in this request any guidance issued by the agency to the companies or their contractors relating to white phosphorus and other chemical related products stored at the site during the works
\nand related to monitoring on site during the course of the works and the afterphase of operations.”<\/p>\n

WHAT DID THEY KNOW AND WHAT DO WE LEARN?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Environment agency responded with a number of documents related to the request. Unfortunately they did not redact certain personal information, not least their own officers mobile numbers. WE THEREFORE ASKED WDTK TO REMOVE THE INFORMATION AND CONTACTED THE AGENCY TO INFORM THEM OF THE INADVERTANT BREACH OF DATA PROTECTION\u00a0 ON THEIR PART.<\/strong> Unfortunately the resupplied information was incomplete compared to the first version, and so we have therefore published the information supplied originally with redactions of personal information below. We have also ordered it in a more chronologically friendly way.<\/p>\n

Tom Dutton_P1<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

This letter from Tom Dutton (HSE DIRECTOR AT RHODIA), to the Environment Agency is dated from June 2011, but does not appear to have any direct connection to the rattlechain site. There is reference to “the PH3 (phosphine) gas bell”- whatever that is. This letter appears to relate to The Trinity Street site but there is no explanation as to what relevance it has to our request- other than Tom Dutton’s calculations concerning phosphine. We don’t particularly care for his calculations given his previous assertions concerning the amount of white phosphorus contained in poisoned swans at rattlechain.<\/a><\/p>\n

dwhitford_P1-4<\/a>\u00a0This document is a word file note document of minutes of a“Regulatory stakeholder meeting held on 20th November 2012 at Smethwick Council House.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This meeting appears to have followed on from the so called “rattlechain steering group meeting 3”\u00a0 which we obtained minutes from in another request. The “stakeholders” at this November meeting appear to have been all of those present at the steering group meetings minus an invitation\u00a0for any local residents. IT CAN THEREFORE BE SEEN AS A CLOSED MEETING. WE ALSO SEE THE SO CALLED “STEERING GROUP” FOR WHAT IT REALLY WAS- AN ATTEMPT TO GET LOCAL RESIDENTS TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE THE WORKS WITHOUT MAKING IT LOOK LIKE THOSE OTHER “STAKEHOLDERS” WERE REALLY PULLING THE STRINGS.<\/p>\n