The demolition of the historic Christie Clock on Friday 1st September was met by outrage from Stirling residents. Carried out at night, the council’s actions were caught on video by locals, prompting many to demand answers over the lack of care taken in handling such an important historic monument.
Following the demolition local residents and Evelyn Tweed MSP wrote to the Council to seek clarification of the circumstances surrounding the demolition of the Christie Clock. Many of those who contacted the Council expressed significant shock and upset at the sudden, unexpected demolition of the City Landmark.
Evelyn Tweed MSP wrote to Stirling Council on the 4th of September and was advised on the 6th of September that her letter was being treated as a Freedom of Information Request by the Council with a response deadline of the 3rd of October. A further letter from the Council was then received on the 29th of September advising that this was no longer being treated as a FOI Request but was being treated as an Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations (EIRS) request which extended the Council’s response deadline by a further month to 31st October 2023.
Evelyn Tweed MSP has now received a response to the EIRS request, which contained nothing of substance and provided links to documents which produced error codes. The response suggested answers would be found in an audit report which is not anticipated to be published until the middle of November, twelve weeks on from the demolition. Ms Tweed has sent a further letter seeking a review of Stirling Council’s handling of her request for information.
Commenting on the responses Evelyn Tweed MSP said:
‘It is crucial that our institutions are accountable to the public that they represent and serve. Transparency is a key part of proper accountability, and the Freedom of Information Act exists to ensure an appropriate level of transparency. The Council’s failure to respond satisfactorily to my FOI request, as well as the subsequent Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations (EIRS) request they deemed more appropriate, is unacceptable.
‘Instead of taking responsibility for their initial mistake and offering answers to their rightly angry constituents, the Council has used bureaucratic loopholes to shirk responsibility and avoid giving clear answers. The Christie Clock means a lot to the people of Stirling, and as much as the Council are trying to kick this into the long grass, neither I nor the people of Stirling will stop until answers have been provided.
