The Freedom of Information Act has now been fully implemented from 1 st January last and should enable anyone to have more open access to Council, Government and other general public department details.

But a lot depends on administrations being fully co-operative and not hiding behind such millstones as “commercial confidentiality” and retrieval exceeding the cost-free limit of £450.

Questions about access to beach management documents, parks administration and the myriad of other council activities – these will all need to be tested by residents on their numerous subjects of interest. This could even extend to Local Area Committee meetings as to whether public questioning will now be allowed in section B.

The Southport Party, in their capacity as campaigning watchdogs, therefore invite all residents to use the new Act to ‘ferret out' the extensive information they require on any subject that has previously been kept under wraps by the numerous institutionalised bureaucracies.

A breath of fresh air must now be allowed to blow through these corridors of power that have for so long been festooned with the cobwebs of secrecy.