@clairemiller@mstdn.social
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clairemiller

@clairemiller@mstdn.social

I’m an award winning investigative #datajournalist with more than a decade's experience of using #data skills to dig out data, find stories, and create #visualisations.

I've grappled with thousands of #spreadsheets and #datasets in search of stories. Then found lots of quicker techniques and formulas to speed that up.

I am also an enthusiastic sender of #FreedomOfInformation requests. I've doggedly pursued access to #FOI information I need, up to winning against the ICO in court.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

clairemiller, to random
@clairemiller@mstdn.social avatar

successes for this week:

The Echo has won a victory in its battle to reveal which Liverpool councillors haven't paid their council tax

The optical illusion cycle path is no more.

And lots of people are using FOI to get other great stories...

https://clairemiller.net/2024/04/freedom-of-information-in-the-news-week-ending-5-4-2024-foifriday/

clairemiller,
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Enfield Council has been sending local homeless families to live in north-east towns – or face being thrown out on to the street.

shows since last November, five families have been sent to Hartlepool, while another four have been sent to Durham.

https://enfielddispatch.co.uk/enfield-council-sending-local-homeless-families-to-live-in-hartlepool-and-durham/

clairemiller,
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More than 100,000 elderly patients were left waiting over 24 hours at A&E before being admitted to hospital last year.

shows in 2019, a total of 10,344 over-65s had to wait more than 24 hours. This rose to a staggering 102,679 in 2023.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1886799/data-reveals-brits-waiting-24-hours-hospital

clairemiller,
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Rats in maternity wards, wasps nests in imaging areas, and ants “coming through the ceiling” among the pest problems reported across the NHS over the last three years, according to .

More than 18,000 pest problems were reported over last three years.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/news/national/thousands-of-pest-problems-reported-by-nhs-hospitals-114675/

clairemiller,
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The number of rat, bed bug and cockroach infestations reported to Swindon’s pest control service increased by 57% from 2022 to 2023.

shows domestic visits to tackle infestations of pests rose from 80 to 126.

The most common pest was rats and mice.

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24244091.rat-bed-bug-infestations-rise-swindon/

clairemiller,
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Asking police for reports rather than recorded crimes in an can give you a different story.

Gunmen opened fire in Birmingham on average once a week in 2024, with 11 weapons blasted in the same number of weeks.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/weapon-choice-among-deadly-guns-28931474

clairemiller,
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This looks like it might be an used to follow up a personal story - to find out if there was a wider issue.

Three dogs seized by West Midlands Police died this year after being diagnosed with canine parvovirus, while 2 more became sick but survived.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/three-dogs-seized-west-midlands-28943263

clairemiller,
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shows six Thames Valley Police officers or staff were found guilty of crimes last year.

Two were found guilty of sexual assault, two were guilty of common assault, one was convicted for threatening behaviour, and one of drink driving.

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24230770.thames-valley-police-officers-staff-found-guilty-crimes/

clairemiller, to random
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There seems to be somewhat of a theme to this week's .

It might not be surprising, a lot of these are classic requests...

https://clairemiller.net/2024/03/freedom-of-information-in-the-news-week-ending-1-3-2024-foifriday/

clairemiller,
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Half of referrals to a trust's children's mental health services resulted in no treatment last year, according .

Children were discharged after no more than one appointment in over 7,000 cases at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czq45w43006o

clairemiller,
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The number of children wearing ankle tags in Essex more than doubled in a year, shows.

Between March 31 2022 and the same date in 2023, the number of tagged young offenders aged 17 and under increased from 15 to 33.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-68416439

clairemiller,
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In the majority of speeding cases for 20mph, 30mph and 40mph zones, the drivers were roughly 57 years old, according to the data captured between 2018 and 2023 from an to Avon and Somerset Police.

One of those slapped with a fine was 101-years-old.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/drivers-fined-over-driving-26mph-28714254

clairemiller,
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shows the speed camera located on the M4's eastbound carriageway between J20 & J19 caught the highest number of drivers in 2023, detecting 17,527 drivers.

Second was the camera located on the Severn Beach rail line overbridge southbound on the M32.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/m5-m4-m32-speed-cameras-9132008

clairemiller,
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Enforcement of the Bristol bus gate started over three years ago - but many drivers are still getting caught.

figures show 74,087 fines were issued as part of the scheme in 2023. Numbers were down from an average of over 300 a day back in 2021.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-bridge-bus-gate-seeing-9117108

clairemiller,
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shows in 2019, 15,227 UK drivers received an uninsured driver conviction, while this hit a staggering 51,857 last year – an increase of 251 per cent.

One in 161 drivers living in an RG postcode are uninsured and one in 100 in an SL postcode.

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24153722.number-uninsured-drivers-berkshire-revealed/

clairemiller,
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Bristol Airport is limited on the number of flights that can take off or land between 11. 30pm and 6am - 1,000 in winter and 3,000 in summer.

However, shows nearly 1,200 extra flights landing after the late-night curfew than the airport was allowed.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/bristol-airport-accused-abusing-system-9133123

clairemiller,
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A lot of councils run museums and galleries, and after the missing British Museum items, it may be worth asking if they have any losses of their own.

Two Victoria Cross medals are among several items missing from museums across Essex, according to

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/victorian-crosses-missing-chelmsford-museum-9130649

clairemiller,
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Stay informed about #FOI news and tips by following the blog: https://clairemiller.net/blog/

Or by signing up for my newsletter: https://clairemiller.net/blog/#newsletter

clairemiller, to random
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Got married today? February 29 is a surprisingly popular choice for a wedding day - its second only to Valentine’s Day for February nuptials.

ONS data on marriages in England and Wales shows there’s an average of 659 weddings on the Leap Day, compared to 339 on any other day.

clairemiller, to random
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The power of requests is you can ask for whatever information you want (you might not always get it).

The first two stories this week feature FOI used for follow-ups - to official data or to another FOI...

https://clairemiller.net/2024/02/freedom-of-information-in-the-news-week-ending-23-2-2024-foifriday/

clairemiller,
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An shows last year, there were a total of 11 dogs seized by Dorset Police, with four impounded in June.

The same number of dogs were also seized in 2022. In total, 41 dogs were seized throughout 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/24132589.foi-41-dogs-seized-dorset-police-attacks/

clairemiller,
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Nearly a third of roads in Suffolk were closed for longer than estimated to enable works to take place according to .

Out of 7,847 road closures since 2018/19, 2,152 went beyond the estimated completion date.

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24126372.suffolk-road-closures-lasted-6-710-days-2022-23/

clairemiller,
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shows the cost of running a dozen car parks in Newport totalled £1.17 million in 2023.

The council collected slightly more than £1m from pay machines at the same car parks in the 2022/23 financial year.

https://nation.cymru/news/figures-suggest-council-spends-more-than-it-makes-on-car-parks/

clairemiller,
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How much is your local council spending on pothole repair? How does that compare to previous years and how do people feel about that?

shows 4 out of 9 Greater Manchester boroughs had a drop in the number of potholes repaired in the 2022/23 year.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/anger-potholes-trafford-greater-manchester-28617694

clairemiller,
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Dover has the highest number of animals privately owned under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, according to , with two tigers, an amur leopard and more than 25 different breeds of venomous snakes kept in the harbour town.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/tigers-and-a-leopard-among-wild-animals-privately-owned-in-k-302214/

clairemiller,
@clairemiller@mstdn.social avatar

Stay informed about #FOI news and tips by following the blog: https://clairemiller.net/blog/

Or by signing up for my newsletter: https://clairemiller.net/blog/#newsletter

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