Dear Monitoring Officer/Complaints Officer

Subject:

Formal Complaint – Unjust and Inappropriate Labelling as “Vexatious” by Information Governance Officer

Dear Complaints Officer,

I am writing to submit a formal complaint regarding the conduct of a member of your staff, Liz Sykes, in the Information Governance team, who labelled my correspondence as “vexatious” while I was raising valid and urgent concerns about the ongoing destruction of a protected Local Wildlife Site and amenity land in Padden Brook.

I had made repeated attempts over a prolonged period  (over 220 days) to seek a response from councillors and the council regarding daily environmental damage to land that is clearly designated as protected. These efforts were met with silence from the councillors/MP, followed by a wholly inaccurate response falsely describing the destruction as “improvement” or “tidying up.”

Despite this, the Information Governance officer, Liz Sykes,  characterised my contact as vexatious — a deeply inappropriate and unjust classification given:

  • I was reporting a legitimate, time-sensitive environmental harm on designated land.
  • My communications were fact-based, respectful, and driven by public interest.
  • I was forced to follow up because elected officials failed to respond for over seven months, not due to unreasonable behaviour on my part.

This response has caused distress and effectively punished me for trying to hold the council accountable on an environmental issue of local and legal importance. Labelling a concerned resident as “vexatious” in this context risks:

  • Silencing legitimate scrutiny
  • Violating principles of transparency and accountability
  • Undermining confidence in public service ethics

I would like the following:

  1. A formal review of the decision to classify my communications as vexatious, with a written justification.
  2. An apology from the council for this unjust labelling and its consequences.
  3. Confirmation that my concerns about the site degradation will now be properly acknowledged, assessed, and addressed — without prejudice.
  4. Consideration of whether the Information Governance Officer acted in breach of council values or policy.

I reserve the right to escalate this to the Local Government Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner’s Office, should this complaint not be fairly handled. I also expect that this complaint will be acknowledged and investigated in line with the council’s formal complaints procedure.

Yours sincerely

Sheila Oliver
Local Authority Specialist Researcher
Citizens 2022 Committee