Media update

The Register - UK council pays £7.7m to escape outsourcing deal
"Bedfordshire County Council has paid business service provider HBS £7.7m to terminate its £250m, 12-year outsourcing contract prematurely.Details of the settlement reached last month had been confidential, but were disclosed by the Council under the Freedom of Information Act."

The Guardian - Dirt, droppings and decay: the state of many kitchens
"The extent of decay, and the sheer dirtiness, of many school kitchens has emerged from a survey of more than 200 local authorities by the Guardian. Reports from food safety inspections at schools across the country, released under the Freedom of Information Act, detail some of the shortcomings that inspectors found over the past year."

Plus:
-Extracts from food inspection reports: local authorities A-M
-Extracts from food inspection reports: local authorities N-Z

Liverpool Echo - Primary school's red tape madness
"THE family of a boy who broke his front teeth in a playground accident were told: "If you want to know what happened, use the Freedom of Information Act."

Belfast Telegraph -£80m paid to protect potential targets of terrorists
"ALMOST £80m has been spent by security chiefs on protecting vulnerable targets from paramilitaries since the first ceasefires.The sum, which includes the predicted spend for this year, has been devoted to the Key Persons Protection Scheme for public figures, members of the security forces and politicians who may come under threat. The news highlights the grip which Ulster's underworld holds on public life and follows a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request by the Belfast Telegraph."

Press Gazette - Scottish FoI office receives double the expected appeals
"Kevin Dunion, Scottish information commissioner, told the Society of Editors (Scotland) annual seminar that his office had received more than double the anticipated number of appeals for information to be released."